Buyer Research

2017 Mazda Mazda6 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $12,000–$17,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 12 Mazda Mazda6 years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The last year before the 2018 refresh brought the turbo and the new dash, and the record is dominated by one nuisance: a third of the 60 complaints are the Mazda Connect touchscreen registering touches nobody made — changing stations, blasting the volume, dialing contacts and toggling safety settings while the car is moving. The other 40 complaints are scattered, with one crash and no fires, and the only recall is a turn-signal switch on a few weeks of production. The drivetrain — 2.5L Skyactiv, six-speed automatic — has a good reputation and this year's record does not contradict it. Check the screen with the car warm and the engine running; a car whose display has already been replaced, or whose screen behaves for a full test drive, is one of the nicer midsize sedans you can buy used.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 60 owner complaints for the 2017 Mazda Mazda6, and 1 recall campaign.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 32% of them are about one thing — electrics and electronics. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

One recall campaign covers this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Looked at and set aside: the brakes (4) — Four complaints with no shared cause: pads and rotors rusted and worn at 15,000 miles on a Florida car, a home-fitted rear caliper whose parking-brake spline would not reset, one AEB event, and one owner arguing about pad warranty. Rear calipers on this generation deserve a look on any test drive, but nothing here is a 2017-specific brake defect, and there is no brake recall on this year..

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2017 Mazda Mazda6

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Mazda Connect touchscreen "ghost touches" — the screen presses its own buttons while you driveMedium

Nineteen electrical complaints and two of the four forward-collision ones describe the same fault: the capacitive touch layer on the center display goes bad, usually after a few years in the heat, and the head unit acts as if someone is tapping it. Owners report the volume jumping to maximum, navigation and radio changing on their own, phone calls placed, and safety-feature settings toggled from the menu. Mazda covered a similar defect on 2014–2016 Mazda3s; several 2017 Mazda6 owners say they were refused, so ask a Mazda dealer what this VIN qualifies for rather than assuming. A replacement display unit is the dealer fix; a new touch panel from an independent shop or a careful DIY is much cheaper. With the car warm, watch the screen for a minute with your hands off it.

Repair cost (estimate): $100–$400 for a touch panel; $600–$1,200 for a replacement display unit

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (19), the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (4).

Turn signal may not cancel after a turn — wrong combination switch fitted (recall)Low

Recall 16V753 covers 2017 Mazda6s built August 12 to September 28, 2016 with the accessory fog lights: the wrong steering column switch was installed, so the indicator does not self-cancel when the wheel straightens. Dealers replace the switch free. Easy to test on the drive — signal, turn, and see whether it clicks off — and easy to confirm on the VIN lookup.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Key fob not detected — push-button start refuses until the fob is held to the buttonLow

A couple of owners describe the car failing to see the key, then only starting with the fob pressed against the start button. On this car that is usually a weak fob battery or a fob that needs re-registering, occasionally the start-button antenna. Cheap to fix, annoying to be stranded by. Try starting the car with the fob in your pocket and again from the far side of the cabin before you buy.

Repair cost (estimate): $5–$350

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Screen changes menus, station or volume on its own while parked with the engine running
✗Turn signal stays on after a turn on a car built in August or September 2016
✗Car does not recognise the key fob from the driver's seat
✗Rear wheels hot to the touch after a short drive, which points at a sticking caliper

Good Signs

✓Center display already replaced, with the dealer or shop invoice
✓Screen sits still through a full warm test drive with your hands off it
✓Recall 16V753 shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup, or the car built outside the window
✓Transmission fluid changed at least once with a receipt
✓Fob starts the car from a pocket, first press