7 complaints reported

2020 Mazda CX-5 Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
7
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jun 2026

The contact owned a 2020 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving under 45 MPH, the TCM received a false data sensor warning, causing the vehicle to enter LIMP Mode. The contact stated that during the failure, the smart brake feature, Adaptive Cruise Control, and other unknown ADS features and warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure with the ADS system prompted the vehicle to come to a complete stop while driving 45 MPH. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle to troubleshoot the ECU after the failure had occurred. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the adaptive cruise control warning light, smart brake feature, and ADS radar features returned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified about the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 MAZDA CX-5, Manufacturer: Mazda Motor Corp.
Incident: Dec 2025
Feb 2026

Started smelling burning oil in 2020 Mazda CX-5 non turbo with 34,000 miles. Auto shop states it is a cracked cylinder that will cost over $7,000 to repair. A Google search shows it is a known issue but Mazda has not extended the warranty for non-turbo models.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 MAZDA CX-5, Manufacturer: Mazda Motor Corp.
Incident: Feb 2026
Sep 2025

Driving about 20 to 35 mph accelerating I would get a distinctive one time chirp noise with a little bit of a stutter It happens every time I go about that speed accelerating. Thankfully my car was under pre-owned warranty but I have to get now. Three transmission flushes I have to pay $400 for and they have to replace a torque converter. I just got the car 10 days ago and only has 61,000 mi on it. Over the long term this could damage the transmission cause more and more issues

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 MAZDA CX-5, Manufacturer: Mazda Motor Corp.
Incident: Sep 2025
Jul 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked abnormally while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The manufacturer was notified by the dealer about the failure, and the manufacturer agreed to partially cover the cost of the repair. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 MAZDA CX-5, Manufacturer: Mazda Motor Corp.
Incident: Jun 2025
Apr 2025

Vehicle suffering from Mazda TSB 05-005/23 Chirping noise from Transaxle on 3rd to 4th gear upshift. Vehicle diagnosed by dealership as needing new Transaxle on 17OCT25. Diagnosis stated issue started ~32k miles.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 MAZDA CX-5, Manufacturer: Mazda Motor Corp.
Incident: Oct 2025
Jan 2025

The issue is iron is depositing in the transmission due to a bad torque converter, this is a known issue with mazda and it doesn't seem to be something they are willing to cover and many people are experiencing this especially with the cx5 models. It causes jerking and chirping noise, plus will eventually ruin the transmission and will cause serious safety issues. Just look into the reddit threads

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 MAZDA CX-5, Manufacturer: Mazda Motor Corp.
Incident: Jan 2025
Jun 2024

Defective transmission causes metal fragments to break off and over time damage transmission

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 MAZDA CX-5, Manufacturer: Mazda Motor Corp.
Incident: May 2024

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 has 7 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.