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What 19 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 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 (19)Crash / fire / injury (1)Engine (5)Electrical system (4)Fuel system (3)Brakes (2)Driver assistance (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Airbags (1)Backup camera & sensors (1)Body & structure (1)Tires (1)

2 of 19 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

May 22, 2025Electrical systemBrakesDriver assistance

Vehicle randomly displays "smart brake system malfunction," "forward smart city brake malfunction" and " front radar system malfunction." This has been going on for at least a year. I will be driving on a highway, trying to accelerate and these messages will pop up. I'm not able to accelerate when these messages pop up and I have to turn on my hazard lights and pull over to the side of the road. The only thing that clears these warnings are for me to completely shut down my car and restart it. Luckily I have been able to get over to the side of the road on the highway without an accident, but these warning lights pop up when it's sunny out and there is no reason for the car to act the way it does. I took my car to the dealer the first time it happened and paid several hundred dollars for them to tell me that they don't know why it happened. There are several forums posted online with people having the same issues. Online posts say to make sure the sensors are clean and that the malfunction can activate if it's too hot, rainy, snowing or foggy? In my experience, it has happened only when it has been sunny. When the system decides to malfunction, the car will not accelerate, and it could make it easier for the car to be hit by another car. It's like the car just shuts down.

NHTSA ODI 11662517

May 1, 2025Brakes

I've had it repaired for over 30+ times. I'm tired of the car not being fixed. The last visit I was told maybe its the way I drive.

NHTSA ODI 11658142

Working with the data? Download all 19 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 2020 Mazda Cx-90 Phev verdict →