Car Defect Radar
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Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated October 26, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.
Urgent recall on this model.

At least one recall carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning. Confirm by VIN that the repair was completed before driving or buying this car. The fix is free at a dealer.

Recalls

5 total · 5 to confirm

Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.

Airbags recall

Do not driveRecall 19V782000 · Oct 2019

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.
Status
Do not drive until repaired. A dealer fixes this free of charge.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Airbags recall

Do not driveRecall 18V717000 · Oct 2018

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.
Status
Do not drive until repaired. A dealer fixes this free of charge.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Airbags recall

Do not driveRecall 18V018000 · Jan 2018

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.
Status
Do not drive until repaired. A dealer fixes this free of charge.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Airbags recall

Do not driveRecall 17V429000 · Jun 2017

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 30, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V356 and all vehicles that were not remedied under that campaign are now covered by this one.
Status
Do not drive until repaired. A dealer fixes this free of charge.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Suspension recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 16V593000 · Aug 2016

A loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. As a priority, Mazda will first address all affected 2007-2008 vehicles as well as 2009-2011 vehicles currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia. West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The remaining vehicles will be addressed as parts are available. The recall began September 20, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9716H.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Owner complaints by system

155 total

Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.

Engine & powertrain

Worth reading
29

Most reports here involve smoke. Of these, 1 mention a crash.

smoke 8premature wear 7sudden stalling 5
A recent report: My daughter was driving a 4 hour trip in Florida on I-95 Halfway into the trip she pulled into a parking lot to stop for lunch and before she could even turn off the vehicle, a fire erupted from…
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My daughter was driving a 4 hour trip in Florida on I-95 Halfway into the trip she pulled into a parking lot to stop for lunch and before she could even turn off the vehicle, a fire erupted from under the hood. The car completely burned. There is a police report at Jupiter FL Police department # 22-184325

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11479489 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Minor
24

Most reports here involve premature wear.

premature wear 9electrical shorts 4
A recent report: Low beam headlamps are extremely dim. Have bought new replacement headlamps and are still very dim. Bought both replacement headlamp housings thinking wiring could be compromised but that didn't help…
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Low beam headlamps are extremely dim. Have bought new replacement headlamps and are still very dim. Bought both replacement headlamp housings thinking wiring could be compromised but that didn't help either. Replacing headlamps is difficult due to having to remove either the front tires OR the front entire bumper assembly to switch out lamps. No fog lights are present on this model so makes driving at night very difficult. and unsafe.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11586279 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Brakes

Minor
6

Most reports here involve loss of braking.

loss of braking 3
A recent report: BRAKE BOOSTER GOING OUT ON MY 2010 CX-9 AT 97,000 MILES MAZDA IS PLAYING GAMES SAYING IF I BRING TO DEALER AND PAY $120 DIAGNOSTIC FEE, THEY "MAY ASSIST" IF CONFIRMED. SUPERVISOR WOULD NOT QUOTE WORK…
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BRAKE BOOSTER GOING OUT ON MY 2010 CX-9 AT 97,000 MILES MAZDA IS PLAYING GAMES SAYING IF I BRING TO DEALER AND PAY $120 DIAGNOSTIC FEE, THEY "MAY ASSIST" IF CONFIRMED. SUPERVISOR WOULD NOT QUOTE WORK BUT OFFERED RANGE OF $800-$1300 FOR REPAIR, WOULD NOT PROVIDE HOW MUCH MAZDA WOULD COVER. LOCAL SHOP CHARGES $450. MAZDA RIPOFF!

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11067260 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Steering, suspension & tires

Minor
46

Most reports here involve loss of steering.

loss of steering 9corrosion 5
A recent report: POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKING BETWEEN POWER STEERING RESERVOIR AND POWER STEERING PUMP.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11402653 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Airbags & seat belts

Worth reading
39

Most reports here involve airbags deploying unexpectedly. Of these, 1 mention a crash.

airbags deploying unexpectedly 3airbags not deploying 2
A recent report: The contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-7. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 35 MPH, the driver's side and passenger’s side air bags independently deployed. There was no…
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The contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-7. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 35 MPH, the driver's side and passenger’s side air bags independently deployed. There was no accident to cause the air bags to deploy. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11593824 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Structure & body

Minor
5

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 5
A recent report: I WAS WONDERING WHY 3 OF MY WINDOW MOTORS WENT OUT THE SAME DAY.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11098170 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Other systems

Worth reading
6

Most reports here involve fluid leaks. Of these, 1 mention an injury.

fluid leaks 1
A recent report: RECALL WAS REPORTED OCT 2016 MY WIFE AND FAMILY HAVE BEEN DRIVING AT RISK FOR 5 MONTHS AND ITS GOING TO BE ANOTHER 3 WEEKS TO FIX THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. WHAT IS MAZDA GOING TO DO TO COMPENSATE FOR…
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RECALL WAS REPORTED OCT 2016 MY WIFE AND FAMILY HAVE BEEN DRIVING AT RISK FOR 5 MONTHS AND ITS GOING TO BE ANOTHER 3 WEEKS TO FIX THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. WHAT IS MAZDA GOING TO DO TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11079081 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 155 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2010 and 2024, roughly 11 a year, which is more than the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.

How does it compare with other years? The 2010 has 155 complaints on file, more than the 2011 (153). That is the most of the 3 model years of the Mazda CX-7 we cover. Older model years have had longer to collect complaints.