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BrakesPart report

2018 Mazda CX-5 Brakes Problems

Complaints
33about this part
Share
9%of 353 total for the year
Median mileage
3,332miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 33 complaints about the brakes of the 2018 Mazda CX-5, 9% of the 353 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 3,332 miles. 8 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Unintended acceleration. I entered office parking building as usual. Parking spot was on the right. Slowly approaching I started to turn right with foot on brakes. Suddenly car accelerated by itself and hit a concrete wall before I even realized what's happened. Steering wheel airbag deployed, I got secured by the safety belt. Front of my car is damaged. I'm terrified of driving the car due to this unintended acceleration issue.”

NHTSA complaint #11067125, filed 2018-02, 1,200 miles

“The scbs (smart city brake support) system overreacts to other vehicles and forces my vehicle to stop suddenly (not slow down) when there is sufficient distance for me to stop or the vehicle in front is turning and no threat. This overreaction has nearly caused four accidents in which the scbs forced the car to brake and the vehicles behind me nearly hitting my car. Rather than avoiding an accident, the system will causes them if it weren't for the quick reactions of the drivers behind me.”

NHTSA complaint #11245201, filed 2019-08, 10,000 miles

“On january 10, 2019, I slowed down in my local grocery store parking lot, going about 10 miles and hour, and was coasting into a parking space at about 5 MPH. It was about 1:15 pm on a sunny, clear day. I was applying the brake to stop the car as I pulled into the spot yet I was going slow and coasting straight into the spot. Suddenly, the car sped up, the brakes had no response, and the car accelerated hitting 3 parked cars near the parking space. I did not have my foot on the accelerator, I had my foot on the brake. . . …”

NHTSA complaint #11166535, filed 2019-01, 6,950 miles

“Made a slow right turn into a parking place to pick up my dogs at the groomer, when I applied brakes to stop, the car accelerated lurching forward. I then took my foot off the brake and reapplied instead of slowing down the car sped up and was only stopped when I hit a brick building. I had two dash warnings front camera sensor system malfunction and forward smart city bread support malfunction I am not certain how fast the car was moving when I hit the building but the entire front of the car is significantly damaged. Further the air bags did not deploy. …”

NHTSA complaint #11306813, filed 2020-02, 9,563 miles

“Persistent issue with smart city break systems malfunctioning causing the vehicle to break without warning. So far only at low speeds but it triggers a check engine light due to me pushing the gas while the car is trying to break. When I can get to a spot to turn the engine off, then back on, the warnings go away. It's very unsettling when this happens and feels like an accident could occur at any moment as I can't control the speed of the vehicle when this happens. So far this has happened on city streets and once while driving in a curvy country road. …”

NHTSA complaint #11173621, filed 2019-02, 24,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Brakes: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026212%
20251138%
2024817%
20231218%
202246%
2021117%
20201514%
201962%
2018339%
2017149%
20167214%
20151411%
2014236%
20132613%

Other parts of the 2018 Mazda CX-5

Engine
181 complaintsOther or unknown
59 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
42 complaintsFuel system
39 complaintsElectrical system
29 complaintsForward collision avoidance
13 complaintsVehicle speed control
13 complaintsBody and structure
12 complaintsAir bags
9 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
6 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsLane departure
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2018 Mazda CX-5

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology