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What 170 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Mazda Cx-90 Phev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (170)Crash / fire / injury (10)Brakes (99)Transmission & drivetrain (25)Airbags (22)Engine (15)Suspension (8)Electrical system (5)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (4)Speed control (4)Steering (4)Lights (3)

3 of 170 complaints match · Lights · clear filters

Jan 6, 2019Electrical systemLightsElectronic Stability Control (esc)

OUR VEHICLE HAS WATER DRAINS OR "WEEP" LINES FOR THE SUNROOF. WE RECENTLY HAD THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STOP/START, DASH LIGHTS REMAIN ON CONSTANTLY AFTER SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY DURING THE RAIN. WE LEARNED THAT IF THE DRAINS BECOME BLOCKED THAT WATER LEAKS INTO THE CABIN DIRECTLY ONTO THE BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM). BECAUSE THE BCM IS NOT IN A SEALED OR WATER-PROOF CASE, YET IS SOAKED IN THESE CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE IS SUBJECT TO ELECTRICAL FAILURE AS A RESULT. REPLACING THE BCM COSTS ABOUT $1,000. WHEN WE STARTED THE CAR THE DASH LIGHTS THAT WARN OF AN ISSUE WITH MANY OF THE VEHICLES SAFETY SYSTEMS REMAINED ON. OTHERS WENT OFF AND SOFT OF FLASHED. WE COULD NOT DETERMINE IF THERE WAS REALLY AN ISSUE WITH ALL OF THE COMPONENTS FLASHING ON THE DASH SO WE DID NOT WANT TO DRIVE IT FOR FEAR OF AN ACCIDENT. OUR VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY (THANK GOD). WE WAITED FOR A WHILE AND WERE ABLE TO LEAVE FOR HOME, BUT THIS CONDITION IS CLEARLY A HUGE SAFETY RISK.

NHTSA ODI 11165496

Dec 27, 2017Lights

MY DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT A MONTH AGO. I CHANGED THE HID BULBS, THE FUSE AND NOTHING WAS WORKING. I TOOK IT TO A MAZDA DEALER FOR MY WARRANTY WHEN I BOUGHT IT. AFTER MAZDA CHECKED IT OUT, THEY FOUND MY HID BALLAST WAS FRIED DUE TO WATER CONDENSATION. MY HEAD LIGHT IS NOT BROKEN OR MISSING ANY PARTS. MY WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER IT. I HAVE READ IN SEVERAL SITES THAT THIS IS COMMON AND MAZDA KNOW ABOUT IT AND HAS DONE NOTHING TO FIX IT. I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER SEVERAL TIMES CAUSE OF THIS.

NHTSA ODI 11056983

Oct 31, 2017Lights

DRIVERS LOW LIGHT BALLAST TOOK ON WATER AND RUSTED OUT CAUSING THE HEADLIGHT TO SHORT OUT.

NHTSA ODI 11041760

Working with the data? Download all 170 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Mazda Cx-90 Phev verdict →