What 113 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Mazda Cx-50

ENGINE HEAD HAS CRACK ON IT, CAUSING OIL TO LEAK OUT AND BURN AND SMOKE. IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE ENGINE/CRACK, MANIFOLD NEED TO BE REMOVED. LEAKAGE IS IN THE BACK OF THE ENGINE. THIS MUST BE MANUFACTURED DEFECT. MY MAZDA HAS LESS THAN 45000 MILE ON IT. UNFORTUNATELY WARRANTLY IS NO LONGER VALID. UNLESS A RECALLED IS ISSUE, A REPAIR WILL BE FREE OF CHARGE TO CURRENT OWNER. OTHER WISE OPERATOR HAS TO CONSTANTLY KEEP ADDING OIL.

NHTSA ODI 11574311

Cracked cylinder head oil drips onto exhaust manifold smoke gets into cabin and could cause fire on exhaust manifold car was purchased used 5/22 and with 46732 miles and now has 74000 in 2/24 it is now at central Maine Chrysler jeep where we purchased it having repairs done under extend warrantee that we bought with the car.we spoke with the service department at a mazda dealer and they said it is very common i feel that mazda should recall it passengers should not have to breath oil fumes or risk being in a car fire we are lucky to have purchased the warrantee but without it the repairs would be to cost prohibitive for the average person thanks

NHTSA ODI 11571695

-cylinder head cracked resulting in leaking and burning oil from rear of cylinder head by exhaust manifold. Car has since been repaired by Mazda, but pictures are available from the incident. -Car was unsafe to drive due to leaking oil all over road (Environmental risks and hazard to others), black smoke and burning smell circulated into cabin via AC (health risks to passengers). Prolonged driving in this condition would have resulted in loss of oil and further damage to the car and others. -Car was towed to independent service center then subsequently towed to Mazda dealership -Mazda dealership inspected and confirmed that it was a manufactured defect that they have seen with other cars. Mazda has a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) issued as well. -No warning lamps appeared prior to observed smoke and leak, though it was noticed that the car did jerk slightly at times when stopped at a traffic light

NHTSA ODI 11566164

Crack Cylinder Head less than 50,000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11560355

Defective cylinder head resulting in oil leak. Confirmed and inspected by dealer. No warning messages or symptoms. Just smell of burning oil.

NHTSA ODI 11551898

I just had my vehicle in for routine maintenance and oil change and three days later it started leaking oil, staining my driveway, with the leak getting progressively worse then my check oil light went on, and the day I brought it in, and it was smoking under the hood. My safety and the safety of others on the road was at risk. At the routine maintenance visit they found no issues with the vehicle. After bringing it into the dealership they diagnosed it as a cylinder head crack needing replacement. We had another dealership look at the diagnostic video and explain that this is poor manufacturing. It’s just over 60,000 miles but is still within our warranty from a timeline aspect. Upon research we found this is happening to many people with a Mazda’s from year, 18 to 21. There are many forums about this. Upon an online search we found this problem documented as tsb SA-031/21. I am disappointed that the Mazda company is aware of the faulty cylinder heads in this vehicle, and now I am responsible for the maintenance charge.

NHTSA ODI 11549770

I own a Mazda that I purchased new in 2018. I have kept up with the maintenance to a “T”. I have never abused it. About a month ago I started smelling a strange smell. Like smoke or burnt oil. A couple of weeks later, the engine oil level light came on and the engine was low on oil and that’s when I started seeing that the motor was leaking oil, and I just found out that the engine head cylinder has a crack. I found out that these vehicles have a defect from the factory on this part that cracked, “Engine Head cylinder”. And now to repair it, it is going to cost me around $6,000. The warranty has run out.

NHTSA ODI 11548906

Oil leak. Smoke from the engine. Inspected by the local body shop, we were told that the leakage would probably come from cylinder head. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11544817

Had an slow oil leak. The cylinder head was cracked in my engine

NHTSA ODI 11541523

Engine oil started leaking after I noticed smoke coming from the hood of the car. No warning signs, no check engine light, nothing to indicate any issues until this occurred. Took the car to the dealership who confirmed it was a cracked cylinder head which is now being replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11525502

Driving down the freeway smoke started coming out of the hood of the car and into the cabin, no warnings or warning lights of any kind, got the car to the Mazda dealer to be inspected. The dealer told me it was 5 months out of warranty and would not be covered its a cracked cylinder head and oil had dripped/leaked onto the manifold causing the smoke. No smoke was coming from the exhaust so the crack only leaked oil to the outside of the cylinder head. There is no oil in my driveway so it happened that day on the road. This is a manufacturing error that Mazda won't take responsibility for.

NHTSA ODI 11524541

When driving I started to smell a burning oil or rubber smell inside the cabin of the car. When I stopped I could see smoke coming from under the hood. When I was able to park, I opened the hood and could see smoke coming from the engine. There were no warning lights displaying on the dash, no leaking fluid from under the car. I did not feel safe continuing to drive the car without having it seen, so I took it to the closest Mazda dealer service. After inspecting the issue I was told there is a cracked cylinder head that is leaking fluid into the engine and the exhaust and I would need a brand new engine. The service manager said this is a known issue with the 2018-2021 Mazda CX-5. Unfortunately, the warranty that would cover this expired in April 2023 (at the time of writing this, it's May 1, 2023). It should be noted that my CX-5 is only 5 years old with ~37,000 miles on it. I was told by the Mazda service manager that the car is not safe to be driven in this condition and would have to stay in their possession on their lot until I decide if I want to have it fixed.

NHTSA ODI 11519930

Crack in cylinder head at 25k caused oil to leak and engine to smoke while driving. No warning lights came on. Dealership replaced the part but how do I know it won't happen again? Mazda knows about this but has not issued a recall or extended the powertrain warranty to cover this known manufacturing defect.

NHTSA ODI 11518839