2016 Mazda CX-5 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2016 Mazda CX-5 most often describe exterior lighting failures, particularly daytime running lights and headlights that flicker and then stop working, and rear brake concerns involving the electronic parking brake and rear calipers. Many complaints center on moderate mileages between roughly 25,000 and 70,000, and several describe the lighting fault as gradual (flicker first) while brake dragging and sunroof glass breakage are described as sudden.

1. 1
   Exterior lighting

   Daytime running light / headlight failure

   • 218 complaints (43%)
   • median 39,000 mi at 3.5 yrs old (157 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,100 (median of 67 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners report that one side's LED daytime running light begins flickering and then stops lighting, often followed later by the other side. The headlight assemblies are described as a sealed unit, so the repair means replacing the whole assembly, which complaints describe as costly. Some owners were told by the dealer that the vehicle identification number was not covered by the daytime running light recall, and others report the recall parts were on backorder. Most often reported between roughly 12,000 and 70,000 miles, with several owners noting failure shortly after the basic warranty ended.

   Recall 20V063000

   What to check: Turn the vehicle on in daylight and walk around both sides to confirm the daytime running lights and headlights illuminate evenly, and ask whether the 20V063000 remedy has been applied to the vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Led daytime running lights do not work causing my vehicle not to be as visible as it should be on the road during daylight hours . All the other lights are also LED . I am worried about future performance . Just purchased vehicle 2/3/2020 , do not know when lights first malfunctioned .”

   NHTSA complaint #11307747, filed 2020-02, 54,000 miles

   “Mazda issued a recall in march 2020 for the daytime running lights on this car, the parts required to remedy this situation are backordered, and have been backordered since march. As of today, Mazda is stating that the parts will not be available for 4-5 months! Daytime running lights are required to pass the annual virginiastate auto inspection. My inspection is due this month, and Mazda has effectively rendered my vehicle illegal to operate in the state of virginia!”

   NHTSA complaint #11326024, filed 2020-05, 102,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Rear brakes dragging and overheating / electronic parking

   • 65 complaints (13%)
   • median 31,234 mi at 3.7 yrs old (51 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $950 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe the rear brakes running hot, with burning smells, smoke and uneven or premature pad wear, sometimes with the tire pressure light coming on. Several owners report the electronic parking brake engaging on its own, failing to release, or flashing warning lights on the dash after startup. Dealers are described as either lubricating or replacing rear calipers, pads and rotors, and in some cases declining to cover the work. Reported from about 19,000 to 72,000 miles, often noticed during normal driving or after the car sits overnight.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for rear brake service records, and after a test drive feel the rear wheels for unusual heat or look for heavy dust and uneven pad wear; confirm the electronic parking brake releases cleanly on each start.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My car was parked in a level garage overnight and the next day after driving for about 5 minutes the electronic parking brake (epb) light started flashing on both the dashboard and the epb control lever and the brake light warning light was lit. It seemed to be driving fine, and I never engaged the parking brake so I thought I may have done so accidentally. I pulled over, turned the car off and tried to disengage the parking brake but it just kept flashing. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11324625, filed 2020-05, 55,000 miles

   “My tire pressure indicator light was triggered on when I drove the car for about 40 MPH. I stopped at a parking lot and I noticed the rear right wheel was literally smoking. Later I went to a local shop and I was told the brake was overheated on the rear right side. My local shop replaced the rotor and pads, however, the overheat problem kept showing up on that right rear side. I did some research online and it seems to be a common problem with the parking brake dragging for 2016 cx5. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11375160, filed 2020-11, 19,000 miles
3. 3
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield and sunroof glass cracking or shattering

   • 51 complaints (10%)
   • median 6,873 mi at 1.5 yrs old (43 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $750 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2025

   Owners report windshield cracks that appear without an impact, sometimes spreading from a small chip across the glass, with shops describing them as stress cracks. Other complaints describe the sunroof glass breaking suddenly with a loud noise while driving at highway speed in mild weather, sending fragments into the cabin. Reported across a wide mileage range, from very low mileage up to about 62,000 miles, often during normal driving.

   What to check: Inspect the windshield edges and sunroof panel for chips or hairline cracks, and ask whether either glass panel has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “There was a large crack on my front windshield that spanned from the driver's side to the passenger side. When I went to locate the possible point of the crack I couldn't locate one. I took my vehicle to an windshield repair shop to get it replaced and was told that this was a stress crack that is pretty common in Mazda CX-5's.”

   NHTSA complaint #11351569, filed 2020-08, 30,000 miles

   “As I was driving along the interstate, the glass on my sunroof exploded. The weather was about 70 degrees outside and the car is typically garaged except for when I drive it. We did not know at first what had happened and it was extremely frightening as the sound was very loud. There was no previous damage to the sunroof--cracks, etc. And it was a factory-installed sunroof. As you will see from the photos, the glass exploded from the inside out.”

   NHTSA complaint #11343510, filed 2020-08, 55,000 miles

Buying note. Check the lighting and rear brake work first, since those account for most complaints on this model year, and ask for service records covering the belt tensioner, rear calipers and any recall repairs. A cold-start test drive is worthwhile to judge transmission behavior and to listen for engine-bay rattles.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.