Skip to content
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)Part report

2021 Mazda CX-5 Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
5%of 148 total for the year
Median mileage
18,850miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the visibility of the 2021 Mazda CX-5, 5% of the 148 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 18,850 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

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

“I was driving on the highway at about 65mph and heard a loud pop. I was unsure what it could have been, but knew it came from the roof area. I opened the slider to the sunroof. The glass had exploded!! I pulled over to assess the damage and noticed the glass exploded outward. I have pictures showing the hole in the glass as well as the shards (held together by safety coating) pointing up and away from the car from having exploded out.”

NHTSA complaint #11404270, filed 2021-03, 2,700 miles

“Monday I walked outside and my vehicles back windshield was broken. Oddly enough, there was a big hole on both ends, but the middle began to disintegrate. I got a new glass installed on Wednesday and Thursday morning. I went to get in my car and the new glass was broken. The tech told me that Honda had a recall for the defroster wires Having the same issue, causing the back windshield to break. Although I had not been running my defroster for several months, he said the wires were getting hot even though they were turned off and shattering the windows. …”

NHTSA complaint #11666526, filed 2025-06

“The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH in an intense rainstorm, the windshield became foggy. The contact activated the HVAC system to clear the windshield, but only hot air was coming from the vents. The contact stated that the hot air made the foggy windshield worse. The contact used a towel to wipe the inside of the windshield. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure occurred during intense rainfall. …”

NHTSA complaint #11681576, filed 2025-08, 35,000 miles

“The outside mirrors failed to rotate open, and you could not see behind the vehicle. The mirrors rotate inward when the doors are locked and are supposed to open fully when the doors are unlocked. These outside mirrors can freeze when rotated in during freezing temperatures. When the vehicle is unlocked, the mirrors if frozen, can be kept from rotating out to the locked position. This condition causes the mirror motor assembly to fail and that prevents the mirrors from rotating to the outboard and locked position. …”

NHTSA complaint #11622304, filed 2024-10

“The windshield defrost only works for the center part of the windshield given that there is only a single center defrost vent. Vision is severely impaired during rainy or snowy days (worse during nights) while driving and it makes the driving very dangerous. You can only see what is in front of you, but very limited side views due to the fog on both sides of the windshield. Attached is a pic of the windshield when I came back from a 2 mile errand run while the defrost vent was at full scale constantly.”

NHTSA complaint #11448193, filed 2022-01

Related service bulletins

Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors): other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026318%
2025414%
202424%
2023812%
202258%
202175%
202044%
2019104%
201862%
2017139%
2016479%
20151612%
20148021%
2013116%

Other parts of the 2021 Mazda CX-5

Engine
80 complaints
Other or unknown
18 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
17 complaints
Electrical system
12 complaints
Brakes
11 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
11 complaints
Fuel system
8 complaints
Vehicle speed control
8 complaints
Lane departure
7 complaints
Air bags
5 complaints
Tires
3 complaints
Back-over prevention (rear camera)
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Mazda CX-5

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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