2020 Mazda CX-5 electrical problems

Filed Oct 25, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · IA

Car stalls and 3 warning lights flash on the dashboard- “front radar sensor system malfunction”, “forward smart city brake support malfunction”, “smart brake system malfunction” and check engine light turns on. Car still drives but gas pedal and brake pedal don’t seem to work as well. Have to pull over, turn engine off and restart. Check engine light still on but other warning lights disappear. Check engine light turns off overnight. Has happened twice in the last month. Concerned about safety as gas and brake pedals seem off until turning the engine off and on again. Concerned about brakes failing. When brought to dealership, warning lights had all turned off and dealership found nothing wrong with car.

Filed Jun 10, 2026 · Electrical · AL

The infotainment display screen on my 2020 Mazda CX-5 has suffered a severe hardware failure resulting in un-commanded inputs, commonly known as "ghost touching." While driving at highway speeds, the touchscreen constantly registers phantom touches. It actively hijacks the vehicle's computer system and cuts out my Apple CarPlay connection during trips. This morning, the ghost touching randomly turned the Apple Maps navigation volume up to the absolute maximum level without warning. This intense, sudden noise causes driver shock and distraction while in motion, creating an immediate risk of a wreck. The vehicle currently has fewer than 29,000 miles.

Filed Apr 16, 2026 · Electrical · CA

The vehicle infotainment system including the touchscreen display and Connectivity Master Unit malfunctioned. The touchscreen operates without driver input, the system freezes or glitches, audio activates unexpectedly, and phone functions behave erratically. The vehicle and components are available for inspection upon request. While the vehicle was being driven, the system initiated actions without driver input including unintended phone calls including calls to 911, sudden unexpectedly loud radio or audio volume, screen freezing, and loss of navigation. These events caused driver distraction and a startle effect while the vehicle was in motion, increasing safety risk to vehicle occupants and others on the road. The issue is ongoing intermittent and reproducible during normal driving conditions. The vehicle was presented to an authorized dealer multiple times. A software update was performed in an attempt to correct the issue, but the condition continued. The dealer advised that replacement of infotainment components such as the CMU or display may be required. The vehicle has been inspected by an authorized dealer on multiple service visits. The issue was also reviewed by the manufacturer customer experience case management team which acknowledged understanding of the malfunction but declined repair assistance. No police or insurance inspections have occurred. No warning lights or messages appear before the malfunction. Symptoms occur without warning and include random touchscreen activation, system freezing or rebooting, unintended phone dialing, and unexpected loud audio. The issue began after purchase and has continued despite repair attempts. Similar infotainment malfunctions including ghost touch behavior, screen freezing or rebooting while driving, unintended audio behavior, and dialing issues have been documented in manufacturer service bulletins affecting comparable vehicles, indicating this issue is not isolated.

Filed Feb 23, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · MD

The Smart Brake Support system malfunctioned while driving. The vehicle began shaking and lost power, requiring excessive throttle to move. The car hesitates and may not accelerate normally, creating a dangerous situation in traffic. Warning lights appeared on the dashboard and the vehicle became unsafe to operate. The issue occurred shortly after purchase and was reproduced multiple times. The dealer inspected the vehicle but refused to provide a written diagnosis or repair timeline. The vehicle is unreliable and poses a risk of sudden loss of control or rear-end collision.

Filed Oct 1, 2025 · Electrical · KY

I purchased this vehicle as a used car from a dealership. On my way home, the infotainment panel began to shout at top volume that this is the volume that navigation would be set at. The volume was so loud that it was startling, and it continued on until I had to pull over. I contacted the dealer, but they offered no assistance. The car continues to control itself at the panel ferning with the use of android auto so that you can't use your phone GPS for directions. The radio will control itself, changing stations, making loud beeps, and turning the volume up. There is no way to stop this feature because you can't turn the system completely off while the car is on. I can find no way to fix this on my own. I have tried resets, but have seen ample information about other people having this problem online. This does not seem to be an unknown problem and I don't know why there has not been issued a recall because it's very dangerous.

Filed Aug 1, 2025 · Electrical · PA

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.

Filed Jul 28, 2025 · Electrical · SC

I own a 2020 Mazda CX-5 equipped with the Mazda Connect infotainment system. The touchscreen display malfunctions regularly by randomly selecting menu items, jumping between screens, zooming in and out, and activating functions without any input from me. These “phantom touch” events occur even when the vehicle is in Drive, which means the touchscreen should be disabled — yet the system behaves as if it’s receiving constant false touch input. When this happens, I cannot back out of screens or use the physical control knob or buttons, making it extremely distracting and unsafe while driving. The dealer initially diagnosed it as a screen laminate issue, which they said isn’t covered under warranty. However, this appears to be a known defect in the CMU (Connectivity Master Unit) that Mazda has not properly addressed in many cases, even though there is an ongoing class action settlement about it. The CMU passed their diagnostic test, but the issue persists — and others have reported receiving full replacements despite passing those same tests. Mazda refuses to escalate or repair unless the screen kit fails first. I believe this is a defect affecting driver safety, especially since it continues while the vehicle is moving.

Filed Jun 24, 2025 · Electrical · CA

*This is not part of the class action lawsuit* Per attorneys for the complaint, this issue is not part or covered by that lawsuit* This is concerning the infotainment system and what is known by Mazda as “ghosting”. Mazda for safety disables touch screen while car is out of park or driving. The ghosting issue ( which simulates touching of the screen) has overridden the safety lock out feature. While driving or in gear, the ghosting issue will increase radio volume to max, start beeping, changing different features, place calls etc. This sudden unexpected “ghosting” startled me and distracted me from safe driving. This can lead to accidents. Mazda is aware of this issue as they issued a warranty extension due to a previous complaint with the federal safety agency in 2019. However, Mazda did not change the defective part/s in their vehicles and the issue continues on 2020 models. In my 2020 Mazda CX-5 this issue has been happening for approximately 2 years getting progressively worse.

Filed Jun 20, 2025 · Electrical, Lights · SC

My car is experiencing extreme ghost screen. Also when this happens I get a lot of warning lights when nothing is truly experiencing fault. My screen will jump, change settings, reset settings,become dark on it own, not turn on at all, flip through the system causing major distractions. For instance I was driving in my car with quiet no noise then my screen jump and without warning blasted am and scared the living heck out of me while on the highway. It has called people and hung up on its own. Lights flicker and one side of my top lights don't work. My plugin have no electricity coming to them.There are times I have trouble connecting to Bluetooth.

Filed Jun 3, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · ME

Car “died” while idling at a traffic light. It started but would not start several hours later and car was towed to mechanic. Diagnostics “determined “after several days that car needed an ECM. ECM was ordered and replaced, along with the battery. This took several weeks, in the meantime, I had to rent a vehicle. Vehicle picked up on May 29th and driven 250 miles and car sputtered, hesitated, slowing down in heavy traffic at high speeds on highway, putting other drivers and myself in a very unsafe situation. Several days later this happened again while traveling back home, again, at highway speed putting other drivers and myself in high risk situation. (This happened several times during both trips.) As I was focused on the road, I did not see if any messages were displayed. After returning home, the mechanic was informed via voice mail and again via telephone. The following morning (June 2), the car sputtered, hesitated to accelerate at low speeds and died while driving to repair shop (battery indicator illuminated as I was pulling over). Car has been towed again to repair shop.