What 59 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Mazda Cx-50

Power steering is sticky when turning wheel to left between 10 to 11 o clock position

NHTSA ODI 11632843

When driving, the car automatically apply the brakes even though there is no car or any obstruction in front of the vehicle. This happens 3-4 times in the last year. The i-ACTIVESENSE System malfunction. The brake system malfunction. Now I am receiving a Critical Vehicle Malfunction Alert. I am bringing my car to the dealer tomorrow morning (Monday, December 23rd, 2024) for it to be addressed. This is a very serious and dangerous issue and almost cost me an accident on two occasion.

NHTSA ODI 11632011

The seat craftsmanship are sub-par. There is fraying in the seams that connect the vinal to the fabric, which Mazda refuses to repair.

NHTSA ODI 11627490

The contact owns a 2023 Mazda CX-50. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was a loud booming sound coming from the front section of the panoramic sunroof and the sunroof glass exploded, causing shards of glass to fall into the cabin of the vehicle. The shattered sunroof glass fell onto the driver. There was no injury sustained. During the failure, the sunroof glass was closed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,000.

NHTSA ODI 11617401

The Collision Avoidance System did not activate, to avoid a front-end collision. The vehicle in front of me stopped, making a right-hand turn onto another road. I moved forward, not seeing him stop. My car rear-ended the vehicle in front of me, with no warning or activation from my system.

NHTSA ODI 11616168

Car has under 14k miles on it. There have been 2 instances going from a stopped to rolling with no foot on the accelerator to turn sharply out of a parking lot where when turning sharply to maneuver the vehicle surges forward and accelerates quickly on its own. It is concerning because both times I was in a small, confined area making turns out of a lot. I do not want an accident to occur due to this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11616225

I was hearing squealing, as if the brake pads were worn. Called the dealer to ask about parts, was asked to bring it in as it seems too soon for brakes. Upon inspection I was told my rear brakes are worn out at 22k highway miles, and will need rotors too. I asked how this is possible and for a manager whom then stated I could do just the pads. Still no explanation on how, but won't be covered on the warranty. I left without doing the repair because I wanted another mechanic to look at this since you can only get the rear pads from Mazda, so it's expensive. I do need this done and I believe there is a problem with the brake system or the electronic brake you hear engage Everytime you shut the car off. There are also several others complaining about this on Reddit, Google and YouTube, but Mazda seems to be looking the other way in it. I can say this is my 12th Mazda and I have never had one that has needed brakes before 60-70,000 miles and that was with city driving. There is clearly an issue and I'm not the only one.

NHTSA ODI 11615873

Emergency braking activated with no obvious scenario that would engage it. On different occasion, emergency braking activated in stop and go traffic, causing extreme deceleration resulting in engine stalling.

NHTSA ODI 11611951

Vehicle was purchase new, experienced safety concerns front brakes driver and passenger leaking brake fluid near brake calipers no warning lights. Fluid in the reservoir got pretty low. Pending case with Mazda USA. Local dealer stated over the phone was not covered because out of warranty 47,000 miles 2023 CX-50 Turbo mostly highway miles this vehicle was purchased as daily driver.

NHTSA ODI 11592215

Rain water leaking into interior body of vehicle. Water pools up between the headliner and interior body of vehicle. Mold starts to form on headliner fabric and in unseen places on the interior. Safety concern is mold. Living in warm humid tropical climates is asking for serious issues. Symptoms of mold: itching, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, headache, and fatigue. A simple google search shows many owners coming forward online about the same issue happening in the exact location of each Mazda CX50. It’s too specific to ignore. This is being reproduced by dealerships and in other vehicles daily. (Look online, Reddit, Mazda forums.) The warning signs have been mold growing on fabric and water inside vehicle after rain. This is happening to 100s of CX50s.

NHTSA ODI 11591668

Leaking water in the rear right/left sides from the roof when raining resulting in mold growth inside the roof and hidden areas of the roof / car.

NHTSA ODI 11591678

The contact owns a 2023 Mazda CX-50. The contact stated that while in a parking lot, the steering wheel was moving to the left and the right. The contact stated that the wheel was wobbling. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering wheel bolt was loosened. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 75,500.

NHTSA ODI 11574292

Keyless Entry: I have had this vehicle for about 6 months and over that time, more than 3 separate times the keyless entry hasn't unlocked. It may take 2 - 3 tries. It has never failed to eventually unlock. I don't know that it ever failed to lock because approaching the car it would have already been unlocked. I don't always hear it actuate. Auto-lock: I assume the same proximity system that is supposed to detect the keyless fob inside/outside at a distance - could be responsible for failure to auto-lock upon leaving the vehicle. Dependably securing vehicles is a major security problem is some areas and that is a major impetus behind keeping cars locked/and unlocking only as the driver approaches. Imagine being in a desolate parking garage late at night and the door chooses that particular moment to fail to cooperate. Or, if a driver trusts the auto-lock to work and it doesn't. App: In fairness, Mazda does have the MyMazda app that will eventually report to a phone that the car detects that it is unlocked. It seems unreliable. Currently the app has a "star rating" of about 1:10 3 or fewer for various issues. You can't make everyone nor every device cooperate - and to a degree, I can't say that's the problem. I would expect something wrong with the fob or proximity detection system. Just as likely, the door lock actuator has issues. Summary of Problem: Maybe about as many times, the app informs me the car is unlocked when it should have auto-locked. So is it a keyless, app or door actuator problem? Or, a combination? And, it works MOST of the time. I eventually asked myself if I would want someone's wife or kids out there and door locks fail at a critical moment. I must say, I haven't reported it formally because of the intermittent nature and the fact I have an issue with Mazda that has existed from the beginning. Major body parts are poorly fit and beyond contestation. If Mazda ignores that constant issue, an intermittent problem is likely to be as well.

NHTSA ODI 11572935

The key light went on without me knowing what it was. Brakes are taking a while to engage. The acc stoped my car while driving in traffic almost caused an accident. Don’t know if this matters but phone charger does not stay connected with cover or not.

NHTSA ODI 11567061

If any liquid or debris material enters the console cover area where many controls for the car are located, the “command switch” (as described by the Mazda dealer) underneath is destroyed. Many items are affected as noted above (some of which I could not check off). They have not responded as to whether some type of shield or even tape could be used to prevent this fault.

NHTSA ODI 11566562

After installing Mazda Genuine Accessory 4-pin trailer wiring harness (P/N VA40-V7-780A), and Mazda’s trailer hitch as well, found that the wiring does not operate correctly. When the turn signal or hazard lamps are activated while the brake is applied, the trailer lamps will operate erratically, flashing faster for a few cycles, then return to a normal flash rate before the erratic behavior repeats. The Mazda’s lamps operate normally. This has occurred with two different trailers, one with incandescent and one with LED lamps. To verify that the concern wasn’t with the trailers, a small trailer-side harness was made that used a floating ground, and with either incandescent or LED stop/tail/turn lamps plugged into it the concern was the same. Dealership verified the concern and verified correct installation of the vehicle harness. They were able to replicate the concern on another CX-50 as well. They reached out to Mazda’s technical assistance, but have not been advised of a repair. This was several months ago. Mazda’s customer service was of no help. May not be compliant with FMVSS No. 108, S14.9.3.5.3, S14.9.3.9.3, and Figure 2. Concerned that this may increase the risk of another vehicle striking a trailer attached to the Mazda. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ODI 11561232

We were driving in a snowstorm during the daytime on a 2-lane highway with directional passing lanes (where it opens and closes, not crossing into oncoming lane to pass) from CO to UT. While passing a semi truck, with traffic in the oncoming lane, and behind us, the auto-braking activated. There were no vehicles in front of us. The alert went off, and the car rapidly slowed from 70 to 35, and applying the gas did not resolve the issue. This almost caused a rear end collision by other cars also trying to pass the semi. We think it was either caused by slush thrown up by the passed truck tires, or a slight curve in the road that made the computer think that someone was in front of us. Whatever it was, it was very dangerous to have the brakes slammed on on a snow road with vehicles all around us.

NHTSA ODI 11557960

Loud suspension clunks at low speeds of 5-25 mph. Dealership has found no visual representation of damage or evidence of part failure. Audibly it sounds like suspension is failing from road use from city driving. Extremely loud and rough ride over typical city streets.

NHTSA ODI 11556341

My ball joint failed on my brand new 4 month old vehicle at mile 2077. You absolutely have the ability to inspect it if you would like. This caused a MAJOR safety issue to both me and people around me as I lost complete control of my vehicle. Luckily, no one was injured. I believe this is an independent claim thus far on a CX-50. Mazda claims they had it inspected but I never saw anything in writing but I did have a damage adjuster of my insurance checked it out. I was stated my an independent mechanic and a tow truck driver that I did not cause this and something failed. Mazda also claims the district manager has looked at the vehicle and they don’t know how or what happened but they do not claim responsibility even though my car is covered in warranty. There were no warning lights or anything that told me this was going to happen, when my control arm popped off it veered me into a curb and blew my tire, losing control of the car, and skidding to a stop across an intersection

NHTSA ODI 11554668

Shock absorber severe noise driving over road imperfections , lower front ball joint failure full pull through of the joint off of the control arm assembly pulling the cv axle apart and basically having the front wheel more or less completely separate from the body where the vehicle is no longer moveable

NHTSA ODI 11554686

To often does the safety system disable with what I'm told is dirt or fog by the dealer but I've had many newer vehicles with this safety suite of systems and none of them had this problem unless sensors cameras were full of snow. Possible camera or sensor issue not sure. My buddy has a Mazda cx5 never sees the system disable. Heavy rain does mine. Sometimes a little moisture and colder temperatures. I think it's worth investigating please. Thank you!

NHTSA ODI 11554431

The rear lift gate came open while driving on the freeway on ramp. No buttons were pushed to open the lift gate. I had to pull over to the side of the road to safely close the lift gate.

NHTSA ODI 11547429

2023 CX-50 Issue: knocking sound coming from rear of vehicle at low speeds between 1mph-10mph.

NHTSA ODI 11529218

Safety systems disables when Sunlight hits directly on the car. I own Toyota and honda, they Never had problems with sunlight. sudden loss of safety systems, caused warnings on dash, which was a distraction, especially when Sun hits directly at the car/driver. I verified the camera and sensors, there were very clean.

NHTSA ODI 11528625

Lane keeping assistance does not prevent the vehicle from departing the lane nor does it provide corrective steering. LKA is fully activated and vehicle travelling over 45 mph on highway with clearly marked lanes; vehicle drifted across three lanes with zero corrective action from LKA.

NHTSA ODI 11524603