general problems of the 2020 Mazda CX-5

22 problems related to equipment have been reported for the 2020 Mazda CX-5. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2020 Mazda CX-5 based on all problems reported for the 2020 CX-5.

1 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 04/01/2026

I am reporting an ongoing defect with the infotainment system in my 2020 Mazda Cx-5, involving ghost-touch inputs, system freezing, and random reboots. These issues began around the second year of ownership and have progressively worsened. The system constantly registers inputs that are not being made (ghost-touch), changes settings on its own; and occasionally- reboots while operating the vehicle. This makes it difficult or impossible to reliably use essential vehicle functions such as navigation, communication, and audio controls. The issue is particularly concerning because it creates a driver distraction and potential safety risk, as the system behaves unpredictably and requires attention while driving to manage or disable unintended inputs. I reported these issues multiple times to an authorized Mazda dealership while the vehicle was still under warranty. However, I was told no issue could be found or that software updates would resolve the problem. These updates did not fix the issue. On August 9, 2025, another system update was performed under the Mazda connect class action settlement, but the problem persists. The dealership is now requiring a paid diagnostic fee before proceeding further, despite the known nature of this defect. Based on my research and widespread owner reports, this issue is commonly associated with infotainment system defects, including screen delamination and/or failure of the connectivity master unit (cmu). I am submitting this complaint to document the defect and request further review, as it affects safe operation and driver attention.

2 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 10/31/2025

The sunroof exploded normal temps in chicago IL halloween hight 60 desgres on while driving on hwy.

3 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 08/02/2025

Display screen (infotainment system) will randomly change the settings of my vehicle and call people or change display features or volume control or directions that is distracting and dangerous to me as I drive.

4 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 08/01/2025

The infotainment screen in the vehicle suffers from phantom/ghost touching, rending a safety hazard as while following navigation it can act on it's own, becoming a large distraction.

5 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 06/05/2025

Forward Smart city brake support malfunction camera sensors screen ghost.

6 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 06/05/2025

The display screen in my Cx-5 has been regularly glitching for several years now. This "ghost touch" presses random buttons, makes random phone calls, turns volume up and down, exits applications, etc. This persists (both driving and parked) until I unplug my device, restart the screen, or restart the vehicle. This happens year round regardless of outside temperature. I am unable to use certain aspects of the screen, such as navigation, when this is going on. It is extremely distracting and unsafe. My eyes are drawn to the screen instead of the road, which puts my safety and the safety of my passengers at risk. When I first reported this issue to the dealer, they explained that I was outside the "limited warranty" for the display unit and that it would cost me around $1000 to replace. I declined. About a month ago, I received a class action lawsuit notice in the mail. This notice described my exact issues. I immediately made an appointment with the dealer to get my vehicle inspected and the issue resolved under the settlement. Upon taking my vehicle to the dealer, they explained that the settlement only covers the issue if the cmu needs to be replaced- not if the problem lies with the display screen itself. They inspected my vehicle and said that my cmu does not have issues and that my screen is causing the glitches. They refused to cover the replacement of the screen, even though the Mazda connect infotainment settlement describes my exact issues. Why isn't the settlement covering replacement of the screen if that's where 99% of consumer issues lie (according to the dealer)? I was instructed by the dealer to contact Mazda corporate directly, who read me a scripted disclaimer saying Mazda is not providing assistance while the settlement is ongoing.

7 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 02/19/2025

During snowfall, the front camera becomes obstructed, leading to a malfunction in the Smart brake system. When this occurs, an alert appears indicating a “Smart brake failure,” accompanied by an audible warning and the illumination of the check engine light. The vehicle then exhibits unpredictable behavior, including unintended braking and sudden acceleration, creating a hazardous driving situation. The only temporary resolution is to restart the vehicle; however, the check engine light remains on for several days before eventually turning off. This issue occurred while I was driving on the highway on February 19, 2025, posing a significant safety risk. This is not the first time the car has done this.

8 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 01/26/2025

My infotainment display has a prevalent ghost touch issue that causes majors distractions while I'm driving, and no warnings on when it'll happen. The ghost touch will end my navigation, end my calls or put them on hold, call random people in my contacts, turns on/off the music, changes the volume, changes various settings (sometimes safety settings), switching back/forth to different things, etc. It used to only happen when the car was not moving or I'm parked (as the touchscreen is only supposed to be available then), but now it's happening even when I'm driving on the freeway. I used to try correcting/fixing whatever by using the knob control, but the problem can become so severe that even when I use the physical knob I can't gain control over it. I can't turn off the infotainment display because the ghost touch just turns it back on! I brought it into my local Mazda dealership for regular servicing and decided to ask about it, but they're quoting me over $800 to fix it. They said it's a common issue they get all the time and it's something to do with a faulty screen?? not too sure what exactly, but a friend of mine said he had the same issue and the issue was too sporadic he decided to disconnect the touch screen altogether. It's too much of a distraction to deal with while driving, even for quick trips to the store, etc. It causes cognitive, visual, and manual distractions. . . These faulty screens are putting us all at a higher risk of being involved in an accident by taking our attention away from driving, even for just a split second.

9 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 09/18/2024

The vehicle accelerated on its own, while I was parking. My foot was on the brake when the vehicle just took off. It continued to accelerate until a building stopped it. I continued to brake but the vehicle did not stop. Once the vehicle collided with building, saw on the digital read out the "brake system malfunction" and then camera malfunction. The vehicle was towed from the site and the insurance adjuster has sent me word that the vehicle is a total loss.

10 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 06/01/2024

Ghost touch issue with touchscreen. It causes calls to go on hold, navigation to stop in unknown areas, sometimes in areas without service, and other distracting issues such as skipping songs. I’m fixing it, but it appears to be a common problem and it costs over $600 to fix.

11 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 02/11/2024

While backing the vehicle the rear camera sometimes goes off because the screen in the car keeps switching itself to night mode, radio channel, bluetooth, clock setting and sometimes the screen freezes which is very dangerous while reversing. The car is a cx5 Mazda touring 2020. I called Mazda dealer today he told me it will cost me $300 to $400. There are no sign of malfunction on the dashboard so far but the radio screen keeps malfunctioning all the time especially when driving and reversing, it been happening for the last 5 days.

12 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2024

The car's screen/touch screen has a "ghost touch" issue. It automatically changes car settings while I am in the middle of driving which is causing driving safety issues. It will change radio stations, mess with navigation, screen brightness, clock, etc.

13 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 08/14/2023

The infotainment screen is malfunctioning and making selections on it's own without me, the driver, pushing any buttons or the screen. This is troublesome while driving as I then have to end calls or turn things down, etc. Out of nowhere. This also means I am unable to take any calls while driving, which is also a driving hazard and not safe if an urgent call comes through to my phone. It is not usable at this point due to this malfunction. This has been an issue in previous years' models as well, and there have been recalls on this same issue. Not sure why or how this has not been resolved for future models, and is still being sold with this huge malfunction. This is a new vehicle with just under 30,000 miles and should not have this big of a malfunction this early on. There are tons of other owners that report this issue all over online as well. It is a known issue, but yet nothing has been done about it.

14 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 04/12/2023

The infotainment system experiences a "ghost touch" at random times. Usually it is when it is warm out or in direct sunlight. This has caused some of the safety features of the car to be randomly turned off. The system becomes unresponsive to manual controls while the ghost touch is occurring. This is frequent and dangerous. It is shut off lane control warnings, lighting, dimmed the entire system, etc. This has been a known issue on past models and the dealer is telling me they are aware of this but it is not covered under the warranty on my model. The first time this occurred was around 35,000 miles but I didn't realize what was happening. When I asked the dealer about it, they couldn't repeat it and ignored my concerns. It didn't start regularlly occurring until after my 36,000 mile warranty was up.

15 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 02/07/2023

The radio change by itself like there is a ghost changing the channel.

16 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2023

When I would stop my car while driving (at a light, a stop sign, traffic, temporary stops for yielding, etc. ), the infotainment system would start randomly selecting things on the screen. This would include adjusting volume settings, randomly dialing people from my contacts, canceling navigation systems, etc. This created distractions while trying to drive my vehicle after stopping, including noise issues and inability to navigate places safely. This issue was ongoing for nearly a full year after purchasing my car. Once I finally had the change to take it to the dealership, they reproduced the issue and confirmed it is a common problem. After telling us it was not covered by warranty and my wife applying pressure on them, they replaced it saying they would submit a warranty appeal to Mazda. There were no warning lights or messages, it just began happening not too long after buying the vehicle.

17 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 10/30/2021

The ongoing “ghost touch” defect in Mazda infotainment systems is a serious safety hazard that should have triggered a recall. This issue affects vehicles from model years 2016 through 2023 and stems from a design flaw present from the beginning. While driving, the system can suddenly take control of the screen—changing settings, switching stations, adjusting navigation, and even blasting the volume to maximum without driver input. On multiple occasions, I have been driving at freeway speeds when the system suddenly raised the volume to its highest level, jolting me and creating a dangerous distraction that nearly caused an accident. Mazda previously settled a lawsuit regarding this defect but only offered a free software update as a remedy. When I visited a dealership, I was told I already had the latest update—and that it does not resolve the ghost touch problem. The dealership acknowledged that it is a known design flaw, yet Mazda is charging customers around $800 to replace the defective component. This defect is widespread across multiple model years, worsens with time, and compromises the safe operation of the vehicle. Despite owning my Mazda outright and having only 40,000 miles on it, I may be forced to sell it because the vehicle has become unsafe to drive. I have a video of some of the things it does but it won’t let me upload it below.

18 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 10/19/2021

1st issue - system monitor restarts without warning. Just driving along with only one iphone plugged in the monitor shows a spinning "wheel" saying restarting while driving, 2nd issue - with two iphones plugged in it starts having more issues. Stops charging second iphone connects then reconnects constantly. Then stops (see picture) 3rd issue - with only one iphone plugged in and running navigation from iphone, the system disconnects from iphone but no voice unless we disconnect, 4th issue - while driving in adaptive cruise control and braking for people stopping the cruise control will not re-start. It shows on- keep pressing resume - but will not engage (above 40 mph) then after a few minutes it does respond to the resume command.

19 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 09/01/2021

Mazda has a known issue with their infotainment system and ghost touch. There was a recent lawsuit but ghost touch is not covered under the class action lawsuit. The screen will call people, change setting, and just click a bunch of things. This is extremely distracting when driving if I’m constantly having to fight to stay on my navigation screen and make sure it is not calling people. It’s a very well known issue that Mazda will not fix it and quotes around $500-700 to fix with a part that will eventually have the same issue. I have tried pleasing with Mazda and basically been told too bad. I just want my screen to work and not have to fight it constantly.

20 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 03/20/2021

My 2020 Mazda Cx-5 sunroof glass suddenly exploded for no known reason as I was driving 45 mph on highway 97 in oregon. The sunroof was closed and it just suddenly burst. All the glass broke and there was a hole where it blew out. It was a sunny day. The temperature was about 55 degrees.

21 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 02/14/2021

Massive oil leak near the engine and the cylinder head needs to be replaced because it is defective. This is a 2020 vehicle. The gasket kit and the engine are on backorder so my car is at the shop for an undetermined amount of time on the order of potentially several months!.

22 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 10/06/2020

On oct. 6, 2020, while driving north on I-95 in virginia, nearing exit 133, our sun roof suddenly and spontaneously exploded outward. We were traveling at about 50-60 mph and slowing to leave the highway at exit 133. Our car is a 2020 Mazda Cx-5, purchased in July 2020. We have less than 4,000 miles on the car. There is no evidence that our car was struck by any object that might have caused the sun roof to explode outward. There are no other scratches or dents on our virtually brand new car. Because the sun shade was closed, no shattered glass entered our vehicle. We were fortunate to have not lost control of our vehicle and crashed. The spontaneous sun roof explosion was very loud and it shook the car causing a momentary loss of control.


Other Equipment related problems of the 2020 Mazda CX-5


CX-5 Service Bulletins