2020 Mazda CX-5 - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 SUV FWD has received an impressive overall safety rating of 5 stars according to the data provided. This rating is reflected in all aspects of the vehicle's safety features, including front and side crash ratings. The car is equipped with standard electronic stability control, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning systems, enhancing its safety profile. In terms of specific ratings, the CX-5 scored 5 stars in front crash tests, side crash tests, and pole crash tests, demonstrating its ability to protect occupants in various accident scenarios. The rollover rating is 4 stars, and the vehicle did not receive a rating for the rollover possibility.

Moreover, it is worth noting that the 2020 Mazda CX-5 has had 43 complaints reported, indicating some issues that have been raised by consumers. However, there have been no recalls associated with this vehicle, which is a positive sign for its overall reliability and safety. Overall, with its top safety ratings, advanced safety features, and lack of recalls, the 2020 Mazda CX-5 appears to be a solid choice for those looking for a safe and reliable SUV.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

43

Recall Count

0

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2020 Mazda CX-5 SUV FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2020 Mazda CX-5 SUV FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Standard
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

Standard

2020 Mazda CX-5 SUV FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2020 Mazda CX-5 SUV FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2013 Score 2020 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating 4 5 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2013 Score 2020 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear 5 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating 5 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2013 Score 2020 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating 5 5 5

Complaints for the 2020 Mazda CX-5

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"on septmber 2, 2023 the car had been on a 4 hour road trip. i came into the driveway, left the car running in park with the brakes on (listening to music while i cleaned the car out) it was idylling for about 5 minutes. i went to the drivers side door, which was open and reached in to turn the car off using the start/stop button. before i could turn the car off, it started backing up and the door ran over me. the car was definitely in park and the brake was on. there was no reason for the parking brake to disengage."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-02-09

Complaint:
"my car only has 32000 miles on it and i was told that i need new brakes and calipers. my car is making grinding and creaking noises when i back up, stop or get into it. because of these brake issues it feels like the car is taking longer to stop. i have never had a car that needed this extensive of a brake job at 32000 miles. this seems excessive."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2025-07-07

Complaint:
"try to part when i step on the. break, did not stop keeping right on going."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2020-05-12

Complaint:
"bought a mazda cx5 june 2020 and it was involve in a accident sept 17th 2020 do to brake failure. my mother was driving the vehicle and attempted parking in a apartment complex when the vehicle failed to stop and collided with the facility 20ft in front of the parking space. at the incident, i the owner, found 3 damage rotors were the flaw came from heavy grinding at the caliber (see attach photos). within the caliber's alloy you can also see the chipped alloy produced from a flaw & the alignment of where it grinds the rotor (see attached photos). a witness stated she was present during the time of the collision and a police report was take from the witness. i can provide plenty of more pictures and videos to explain the geographic and demonstrate via video the flaws at the collision. i've attempt contacting mazda four times but they continue to placed the blame on me "for bad driving damaging items they consider tear and wear products (rotors and calibers)" i explained i only had the vehicle for 3months and its three rotors with similar damage. yet they told me my insurance must find them at blame. my insurance appraiser stated they will not go to that distance; they just fix or pay off the loan. i am fustrated! you all are my last hope! going through my insurance will cause me a deductable and at fault blame. going through mazda is insulting their product, yet i find this frighting but it's their responsibility to conduct further research to why the rotor/caliber went bad in such a short span. explaining! even if i am to be blamed, for the incident. what about the product? i only owned the vehicle for three months. within a little over 3,000 miles. please help"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2021-05-09

Complaint:
"sudden braking caused by automatic braking system. on sept 1, 2020, i was driving down a neighborhood street, going about 30 mph, and a car in front of me was turning. i was in no danger of hitting the car in front of me; however, my 2020 mazda cx-5 suddenly braked and made a loud noise. granted, this car was new to me and i hadn't experienced this before, but i was completely surprised given an accident was not imminent. this sudden braking caused my head to swing forward and back resulting in neck, shoulder, and back pain. also, it resulted in an increased headache. upon returning home, i turned the sudden braking safety feature off. on sept 4, 2020, i had a video call with my pcp who advised me to go to the urgent care. the urgent care doctor prescribed muscle relaxers and, based on a previous neck condition, ordered a mri and follow-up with neurosurgeon. the extent of the injury is unknown at this time but the urgent care doctor encouraged me to file a safety report."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2020-01-09

Complaint:
"driving in the city in the right hand turn lane. this lane passes 2 places for a right hand turn. the car in front made a right hand turn. their turn was almost complete when the car made a sudden hard brake. no other car was in front of me. my foot was not on the brake. the car behind almost slammed in the back of me. *tr"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2021-09-05

MAZDA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

MAZDA ranks 16 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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