Mazda CX-5 — the 4 years we've written up
2014–2021, side by side: what goes wrong on each, what the fix costs, and what they typically ask. 1 of the 4 carry a high-severity issue.
What this page is
These are the 4 Mazda CX-5 model years Kestrel has done the homework on — not every year Mazda built one. A year that isn't listed here isn't a year we're warning you off; it's one we haven't written up yet. Ranking a whole model run would mean telling you about years we've never looked at.
Year by year
Carbon buildup on turbo models (2.5T) — $300-$600
Turbo maintenance (2.5T) — $150-$1,500
Rear wheel arch and subframe rust (salt states) — $500-$2,500
Rear wheel arch and subframe corrosion — $800-$3,000
3 of these 4 have no high-severity issue in our write-up. That means we didn't find an expensive recurring fault — not that one cannot exist on the specific vehicle you're looking at.
Looking at one in particular?
This page covers the Mazda CX-5 in general. The Kestrel report covers the one you're looking at — the asking price against the market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
Get My Verdict — $7.99Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for that year.
Known issues are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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