On October 16, 2025, while slowly pulling into a parking space, my vehicle experienced sudden and unintended acceleration without driver input. I did not depress the accelerator. Despite attempting to stop the vehicle, I was unable to do so. The vehicle mounted the curb, entered the sidewalk area, and struck a community mailbox, a tree, and two legally parked vehicles. My vehicle and the two parked vehicles were declared total losses. At the time of the incident, pedestrians, including toddlers, were present on the sidewalk. This loss of vehicle control created an immediate and severe risk of serious bodily injury or death. Post-incident diagnostics indicated multiple system errors, including but not limited to: •Powertrain Control Module •Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) •Instrument Cluster •Smart Brake Support / Mazda Radar Cruise Control Of particular concern is that Mazda, through its authorized dealer Rosenthal Mazda of Gaithersburg, Maryland, had prior notice of abnormal vehicle behavior. On two separate occasions before the crash, I reported that the vehicle would jolt suddenly, as if struck from behind, and at times felt as though it was attempting to accelerate without input. On each occasion, I was informed that the dealer could not duplicate the issue. No corrective action was taken, and the vehicle was returned to service. This event constitutes a serious safety failure involving unintended acceleration and apparent braking or electronic control system malfunction in this-model vehicle. Given the involvement of advanced driver assistance systems and braking components, this matter warrants immediate and thorough review.
2023 Mazda CX-5: sudden unintended acceleration
5 of the 67 complaints about the 2023 Mazda CX-5 describe sudden unintended acceleration.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- recalls
- 0
Sudden unintended acceleration by model year
What owners say
Sudden acceleration even. Date April 10, 2026, at around 2:30 PM on a clear sunny day. Car make and model Mazda CX5 bought on 7/4/2023 VIN [XXX] , mileage around 10,000, only one owner. While attempting to park at BJ’s Wholesale Club ,when driver started to make a turn to a parking space, vehicle suddenly accelerated, applying the brakes stopped the forward motion, then driver put the car in reverse to try to properly park in a parking space and the car accelerated in reverse, this sudden motion could have killed or seriously injured any person passing in back of the car, when that motion stopped driver put the car in drive to be able to finally park the car and it sped uncontrollably, brakes didn’t stop the vehicle and it crashed against two vehicles parked nearby, damage to the Mazda vehicle was mainly to the left side, the front grill was not damage because driver was not able to control the rapid forward motion. Mazda dealer wanted the body of car repaired before checking the safety issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Slowly and cautiously entered parking lot of a small strip mall. Proceeded to a parking space located in between two parked vehicles.Maneuvering into parking space I removed foot from gas pedal toward the break pedal; before foot made contact with break pedal the vehicle accelerated on its own surging over the cement parking bumper, over bushes, through the grass, down the curb and into the street. I jammed on the breaks. Lifting foot from break pedal I did not touch the gas pedal in fear the surge might happened again. Instead I allowed the vehicle to coast as I guided vehicle to the curb. In all the commotion, while trying to control vehicle safely I noticed the dashboard transmission indicator lights flash from park to drive to neutral. Safety issues for me and family at risk because we had no control over the acceleration of the vehicle.
New 2023 Mazda CX5. We have experienced 2 Unintended Sudden Acceleration episodes. The most recent one was while backing down our driveway, the car suddenly accelerated when the brake was applied causing considerable damage to the car and house. Our front porch camera caught the entire episode showing that the brake lights were in fact on. Mazda needs to take responsibility and recall these vehicles to find out what is going on, as there are numerous other similar complaints for this car on this site and others.
Brand new 2023 Mazda CX-5 with 150 miles on it experienced unintended acceleration while braking. Pulled into a parking spot with my foot on the brakes but the car didn't stop & even accelerated over a sidewalk and into a building. I experienced a bruise from the seatbelt. Airbags did not deploy. Someone could have been killed if they had been on the sidewalk. Car is currently at an auto body shop to fix the cosmetic damages, and once released, will have the car towed to our local Mazda dealership/service center to get the car inspected. In doing research on the federal safety agency's website, at least 4 vehicles (2-2023 Mazda CX-5s and 2-2023 Mazda CX-30s) have experienced this issue. Mazda needs to recall these vehicles and investigate.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2023 Mazda CX-5 sudden acceleration
Is sudden unintended acceleration a common problem on the 2023 Mazda CX-5?
5 of 67 owner complaints about the 2023 Mazda CX-5 (7%) mention sudden unintended acceleration. The model year with the most reports is 2016.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2023 Mazda CX-5?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2023 Mazda CX-5
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