Used buying checklist

Mazda Cx 5 reliability, common problems and used buying checks

A used Mazda Cx 5 looks better than average for reliability in UK MOT data: 13.1% of 67,804 tests failed, compared with 18.7% across all indexed models. A good example should have a clean MOT history for suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors.

Sources used: DVSA MOT tests (Apr 2026); vehicle recalls (Apr 2026); MOT fault wording (May 2025). MOT data does not capture every reliability issue, especially intermittent engine, gearbox or infotainment faults that do not appear during the test.

• 13.1% MOT failure rate
• Median tested mileage 53,503 miles
• 8,888 failed MOT tests analysed

Most useful finding

Suspension and steering is the clearest area to check

Suspension and steering is the clearest named problem area in this model's MOT history (13.7 MOT notes per 100 tests). Example MOT phrases from this area include ball joint has excessive play, ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, and ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt.

Example MOT phrases to search in the car's history:

• ball joint has excessive play
• ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated
• ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt
• ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt
• corroded and seriously weakened
• prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength
• excessively corroded
• corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced
• does not clear the windscreen effectively
• damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view

Before you view one

Focus on suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors

The model's recorded failure rate is 13.1%, -5.6 percentage points compared with the average across all models. Use the seller questions below to check whether repeat MOT notes have actually been repaired.

• MOT tests analysed67,804 tests
• Median tested mileage53,503 miles
• Failed MOT tests8,888

Used buyer verdict

Should you buy a used Mazda Cx 5?

86.9% of the MOT tests we analysed for this model passed. The model's recorded failure rate is 13.1%, -5.6 percentage points compared with the average across all models. This is a buying brief for the exact car in front of you: clean repeat history matters more than badge reputation.

Better than average in our MOT data

Green light if The car has a tidy MOT pattern, recent repairs for suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, matching tyres, and paperwork for service or recall work.

Renegotiate if The latest MOT mentions suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, consumables are due together, or the seller cannot show what was fixed after advisories.

Walk away if Dangerous defects, corrosion near structural areas, warning lights, or the same component family keep returning without clear repair evidence.

• Repeat unresolved MOT notes for suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors
• suspension and steering appearing across more than one MOT
• Any dangerous MOT failure on the exact car, especially if the same area appears again later
• No paperwork showing applicable recall work has been completed
• A seller who cannot explain MOT wording such as "ball joint has excessive play"

What should I check first?

Start with suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and tyres and wheels. The checklist on this page explains why each area is being recommended, what to inspect, and what to ask the seller. Each item shows whether it comes from MOT results, recall notices, or a standard used-car check.

• Suspension and steering Seen in MOT results

  Suspension and steering is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (13.7 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Listen for knocks, check uneven tyre wear, and inspect steering play.

  • Ask the seller: Has any suspension, steering, ball-joint, spring, or wheel-bearing advisory been repaired?
  • Example MOT wording: ball joint has excessive play; ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated; ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Corrosion and structure Seen in MOT results

  Corrosion and structure is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (10.3 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Inspect sills, subframes, mounting points, arches, and underside corrosion advisories.

  • Ask the seller: Has any sill, subframe, mounting-point, chassis, or structural corrosion advisory been repaired properly?
  • Example MOT wording: corroded and seriously weakened; prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength; excessively corroded
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors Seen in MOT results

  Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (6.4 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check windscreen damage, wiper operation, washers, mirrors, and demisting.

  • Ask the seller: Have windscreen, wiper, washer, mirror, or demisting faults appeared in recent MOT history?
  • Example MOT wording: does not clear the windscreen effectively; damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view; provides insufficient washer liquid
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Tyres and wheels Seen in MOT results

  Tyres and wheels is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.4 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check tyre age, tread depth, sidewall damage, wheel condition, and alignment wear.

  • Ask the seller: Have uneven tyre wear, damaged tyres, wheel damage, or alignment issues been corrected?
  • Example MOT wording: Nail in tyre; has no recorded effort at a wheel; incorrectly seated on the wheel rim
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 0-50k miles
• Lights and electrical Seen in MOT results

  Lights and electrical is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.4 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check every lamp, warning light, horn, battery condition, and dashboard messages.

  • Ask the seller: Have any lighting, warning-light, horn, battery, or electrical MOT notes come back more than once?
  • Example MOT wording: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources; has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced; worn down to wear indicator
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 50-100k, 100-150k, and 150-200k miles
• Emissions, engine, and exhaust Seen in MOT results

  Emissions, engine, and exhaust is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (1.5 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check warning lights, smoke, exhaust leaks, recent emissions failures, and service history.

  • Ask the seller: Has the car had repeat emissions, smoke, exhaust, lambda, or engine-warning MOT failures?
  • Example MOT wording: leaking excessively from engine; emissions exceed manufacturer's specified limit; emits excessive smoke or vapour likely to obscure the vision of other road users
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 200k+ miles

What changes with mileage?

Past 100k miles on the Mazda Cx 5, MOT records most often point to suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors.

Common MOT problem areas

67,804 MOT tests analysed for this model

56,927 Distinct vehicles represented

13.1% Recorded MOT test failure rate — -5.6 percentage points vs all models

Common faults: what usually fails on this model?

Suspension and steering is the clearest named problem area in the MOT history (13.7 MOT notes per 100 tests). These counts are issue notes, not failure rates, because a single MOT can list several faults.

Suspension and steering

• ball joint has excessive play
• ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated

13.7 MOT notes per 100 tests

Corrosion and structure

• corroded and seriously weakened
• prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength

10.3 MOT notes per 100 tests

Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors

• does not clear the windscreen effectively
• damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view

6.4 MOT notes per 100 tests

Tyres and wheels

• Nail in tyre
• has no recorded effort at a wheel

2.4 MOT notes per 100 tests

Lights and electrical

• inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
• has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced

2.4 MOT notes per 100 tests

Emissions, engine, and exhaust

• leaking excessively from engine
• emissions exceed manufacturer's specified limit

1.5 MOT notes per 100 tests

Brakes

• not releasing correctly and functionality of brakes affected

0.0 MOT notes per 100 tests

Recall-related areas to verify

Official recall areas

Manufacturer recall notices for the Mazda Cx 5 mainly involve 5 areas: emissions, engine, and exhaust, lights and electrical, corrosion and structure, and brakes. Treat each as something to verify on the specific car you are viewing; the recall table below shows the official notice text.

Emissions, engine, and exhaust

• Low pressure fuel pump impeller might become deformed
• Soot may accumulate around the intake shutter valve on the inlet side of the engine

3 recalls · 146,284 vehicles

Lights and electrical

• One or both led daytime running lamps may flicker flash or fail completely
• Injector mounting nuts tightening force may be insufficient

2 recalls · 15,587 vehicles

Corrosion and structure

• Tailgate may drop down without warning

1 recall · 121,812 vehicles

Brakes

• Vacuum pump may wear prematurely.

1 recall · 11,498 vehicles

Mixed recall notices

• Catalytic reduction (scr) system wiring may become damaged by contamination

1 recall · 2,187 vehicles

Mileage and age checks

Mileage changes: what starts showing up after high mileage?

Past 100k miles on the Mazda Cx 5, MOT records most often point to suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors. On lower-mileage cars, the most common named areas are windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, corrosion and structure, and suspension and steering.

Mileage range	Tests	Vehicles	Failure rate (vs all models)	Median mileage
0-50k	30,953	27,414	8.7%-2.1 percentage points vs all models	32,409 miles
50-100k	29,237	23,828	15.8%-5.0 percentage points vs all models	70,412 miles
100-150k	6,901	5,323	21.3%-4.9 percentage points vs all models	113,044 miles
150-200k	428	326	24.1%-3.2 percentage points vs all models	159,791 miles
200k+	17	12	35.3%+8.7 percentage points vs all models	217,325 miles

Problem areas by mileage

Past 100k miles on the Mazda Cx 5, MOT records most often point to suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors.

Mileage range	Car areas most often recorded	Specific MOT defect examples
0-50k	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (6.1 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (4.0 MOT notes per 100 tests) Suspension and steering (2.5 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
50-100k	Suspension and steering (19.5 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (14.9 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (6.6 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
100-150k	Suspension and steering (37.6 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (18.3 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (6.8 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
150-200k	Suspension and steering (48.1 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (28.0 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (12.4 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
200k+	Suspension and steering (35.3 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (11.8 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (11.8 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.

Fair comparisons: is this problem normal for its age?

The MOT failure rate rises from 6.0% at 0-3 years to 22.5% at 10-15 years. Compare the car with the nearest age range before treating a fault as normal wear or a warning sign. The average MOT failure rate across all models in the same dataset is 18.7%. The highest failure rate by age is 22.5% for 10-15 years cars, based on 4,749 tests.

Age range	Tests	Vehicles	Failure rate (vs all models)	Median age
0-3 years 2023–2026 reg.	2,746	2,580	6.0%-2.5 percentage points vs all models	3.0 years
3-6 years 2020–2023 reg.	28,217	25,023	8.7%-1.9 percentage points vs all models	4.9 years
6-10 years 2016–2020 reg.	32,092	26,290	16.2%-0.4 percentage points vs all models	8.0 years
10-15 years 2011–2016 reg.	4,749	3,629	22.5%-1.1 percentage points vs all models	10.5 years

Recall records and data freshness

Recall context: are there safety notices to know about?

6 relevant recall notices appear for this model. Treat them as safety checks to verify for the exact car, not as normal MOT wear.

2022-01-11	CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) SYSTEM WIRING MAY BECOME DAMAGED BY CONTAMINATION Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system wiring may become damaged by contamination Inspect the SCR harness repair if necessary and fit protector.
2022-01-04	LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IMPELLER MIGHT BECOME DEFORMED The impeller in the low-pressure fuel pump may become deformed causing fuel pump failure. Replace the low-pressure fuel pump with an improved part.
2020-03-23	ONE OR BOTH LED DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS MAY FLICKER FLASH OR FAIL COMPLETELY One or both LED daytime Running Lamps may flicker flash or fail completely. Replace sealing gaskets and install gas absorbing sheets on affected units that operate normally. Replace any faulty units.
2019-07-25	SOOT MAY ACCUMULATE AROUND THE INTAKE SHUTTER VALVE ON THE INLET SIDE OF THE ENGINE Soot may accumulate around the intake shutter valve on the inlet side of the engine. Check clean or replace the intake shutter valve and update software.
2018-09-17	INJECTOR MOUNTING NUTS TIGHTENING FORCE MAY BE INSUFFICIENT The tightening force of the injector mounting nuts may be insufficient. This could cause combustion gas to leak from the injector and contaminate the engine oil within the cylinder head. This in turn could cause the engine oil strainer to become blocked. This could cause the engine to stall. Engine Pressure Oil Light appears along with the engine malfunction indicator. Possible Engine Stall without Warning Vehicles affected will have the engine checked for contamination and repaired / replaced if necessary. The Fuel injectors will also be re-tightened to the appropriate torque.
2018-09-17	FUEL INJECTOR SOFTWARE DOES NOT CONTROL THE ELECTRIC CURRENT CORRECTLY The Software controlling the fuel injectors does not control the electric current correctly. This may cause the injector control circuit to short circuit and cause the engine to stall. Results in possible Engine Stall without Warning Vehicles affected will have the injector control software re-programmed

Related searches

Common ways people look up the Mazda Cx 5. Each link runs the search and lands on the relevant section of this report.

• Mazda Cx 5 common problems
• Mazda Cx 5 reliability
• Mazda Cx 5 after 100k miles
• Mazda Cx 5 after 200k miles
• Mazda Cx 5 high mileage common problems
• Mazda Cx 5 age related problems
• Mazda Cx 5 MOT failures
• Mazda Cx 5 recalls

Related reliability guides

Sources used: DVSA MOT tests (Apr 2026); vehicle recalls (Apr 2026); MOT fault wording (May 2025). These are patterns from many MOT tests and recall notices. They help you decide what to inspect and what to ask; they do not certify the condition of one specific car.