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2011 Mazda Cx-70 Mhev

Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist, all in a shareable PDF

152 owner complaints · 4 recalls · data verified July 20, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Cautionwillitcar.com

Buy-rated alternatives from this era

Other 20092013 cars in the same rough price bracket with a clean, matured Buy verdict — worth cross-shopping before you commit to the 2011 Mazda Cx-70 Mhev.

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Why caution?

Has a "park it / park outside" recall, the most serious kind. Verify the fix was done before buying.

4 recall campaigns (3 safety-critical). Confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the seller's VIN.

Suspension problems dominate (34% of complaints).

Complaint reports have faded. Early issues appear resolved or aged out.

Score breakdown, by factor

Full methodology →

#196 of 374Among the 2011 models with a matured record, the 2011 Mazda Cx-70 Mhev ranks #196, scoring higher than 8% of them. See the 2011 ranking →

Complaint volume81
Severity79
Recall load51
Trend88

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20112026 YTD

How it crashes

NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.

NHTSA crash-tested this model year but didn’t publish an overall star rating for it.

Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2011 Mazda Cx-70 Mhev, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k mi

Also reported (mileage varies): Suspension (51) · Airbags (42) · Lights (37) · Steering (16)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.

Suspension

34%

51 complaints · 1 in the last 2 years

My wheel on front driver's side is wobbly and I just decided to look up for any recalls and I'm lucky we didn't have a major accident I drive the interstate almost dai…

Read the suspension complaints →

Airbags

28%

42 complaints · 5 in the last 2 years

My wheel on front driver's side is wobbly and I just decided to look up for any recalls and I'm lucky we didn't have a major accident I drive the interstate almost dai…

Read the airbags complaints →

Lights

24%

37 complaints · 2 in the last 2 years

I can not see at night. I have replaced the bulbs several times, and tried the most expensive bulbs. Nothing helps. You can only see with the high beams on, and that’s…

Read the lights complaints →

Steering

11%

16 complaints

DRIVE SIDE FRONT TIRE CAME OFF WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 20 MPH. BALL JOINT SEPARATED. CAR SLIDE HIT CUB AND TIRE ON PASSENGER SIDE WAS HIT AND BLEW OUT. THERE IS RECALL ON …

Read the steering complaints →

Check it against this car’s mileage

Type the odometer reading on the actual car you’re looking at to see which of these problem areas owners tend to report before it, around it, or after it.

miles

Too few owners named a mileage on this model to place issues against an odometer yet.

Read all 152 owner complaints in their own words → · just the 8 crash/fire/injury reports →

Recalls (4)

Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.

Park itAir Bags · 19V782000

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012 CX-7, CX-9, and 2009-2012 Maza6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.

Park itAir Bags · 18V717000

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6, 2011-2012 CX-7, and 2011-2015 CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Mazda6, 2010-2012 CX-7, and 2010-2015 CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.

Park itAir Bags · 17V429000

Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Mazda6, and 2007-2011 CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 30, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V356 and all vehicles that were not remedied under that campaign are now covered by this one.

Suspension · 16V593000

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Mazda CX-7 vehicles manufactured February 14, 2006, to May 9, 2012. In the affected vehicles, water may enter the front suspension ball joint fittings. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as from driving on snowy roads that have been treated, the ball joint may corrode and separate from the lower control arm, resulting in a loss of steering control.

Risk: A loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. As a priority, Mazda will first address all affected 2007-2008 vehicles as well as 2009-2011 vehicles currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia. West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The remaining vehicles will be addressed as parts are available. The recall began September 20, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9716H.

Questions to ask the seller

Questions worth asking the seller of this Mazda before you buy, drawn from its public record:

  1. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2011 Mazda Cx-70 Mhev. Can you run this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and confirm each one shows "Remedy Completed"? One is a "park it" / "park outside" order, the most serious kind, so I'd want that repair documented before I drive it.
  2. Owners of this model report suspension problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any suspension symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
  3. Owners of this model report airbags problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any airbags symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
  4. Has this car been in any accident or had any structural, airbag, or flood-related repair? Do you have a clean title and a recent history report (Carfax / AutoCheck)?
  5. How many owners has it had, do you have the maintenance records, and why are you selling it?
  6. Are you open to me having an independent mechanic inspect it before we settle on a price?

Before you hand over money

Verify the recall work was done

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2011 Mazda CX-70 MHEV beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2011? See how every Cx-70 Mhev model year scores →

Cross-shopping? Compare the 2011 Mazda Cx-70 Mhev against another car →

What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

See what owners are saying about other cars →

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2011 Mazda Cx-70 Mhev as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only, so always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.