AutoUtility currently tracks 117 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Mazda CX-5. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 97 complaints (82.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 filing cites a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 117 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (97 reports • 82.9% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (17), Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (4)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 1 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Mazda CX-5
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #19V497000 ENGINE
Powertrain & Transmission
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V875000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Electrical System
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Mazda CX-5
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak
Smoke, Burning Odor or Thermal Event
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Mazda CX-5
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was leaking engine oil, and there was white smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that upon further inspection, there was a puddle of engine oil on the ground while the..."
"The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from under the hood. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's wife pulled over and discovered that there was oil leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was..."
"I am writing to formally document a significant engine failure on my 2018 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring (VIN: [XXX], License: [XXX], Odometer: 78,159 miles). The vehicle began exhibiting visible smoke from under the hood and severe oil leakage — oil was actively pooling beneath the car and leaving a..."
"Check engine light on when read it comes back with P0171 code"
"The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that white smoke was coming from the engine compartment whenever the vehicle reached normal operating temperature. The contact stated that smoke entered the passenger’s side compartment through the air vents and was coming from underneath the..."
Complaint History for Mazda CX-5
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Mazda CX-5 | 133 | 11 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Mazda CX-5 | 510 | 31 | 5 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Mazda CX-5 | 148 | 5 | 1 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Mazda CX-5 Current Page | 117 | 1 | 3 | Current |
| 2019 Mazda CX-5 | 266 | 7 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Mazda CX-5 | 106 | 9 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Mazda CX-5 | 143 | 9 | 0 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Mazda CX-5 | 62 | 5 | 0 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Mazda CX-5 | 60 | 8 | 0 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Mazda CX-5 | 41 | 4 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Mazda CX-5 | 27 | 4 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Mazda CX-5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Mazda CX-5
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 16 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 82 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.