AI Damage2010 Mazda Mazda5: common problems
Owners of the 2010 Mazda Mazda5 filed 57 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and engine. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 57
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 23% of all complaints
- 2 Engine 14% of all complaints
- 3 Tires 12% of all complaints
- 4 Structure 11% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 9% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel/propulsion system 5% of all complaints
- Air bags: 13 complaints (23% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 8 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 7 complaints (12% of all).
- Structure: 6 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 5 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 57 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Child seat | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The other vehicle had rear bumper damage but the Mazda 5 immediately had smoke and flames under the hood. Thankfully, all four occupants immediately exited the vehicle to safety. The Mazda 5 quickly burned completely.
After the initial collision I then fought my way through trees realizing I had no brakes I slammed down the brakes and landed on some tree stubs 150 ft away from the crash site. My airbags never deployed.
On several occasions, most of which happened while in motion, my vehicle has stalled out of the blue with no warning. It seems to mostly happen when Iâm slowing down or when Iâm making a right hand turn and try to accelerate, suddenly thereâs no power to the engine.
My check engine light came on. We took it to a mechanic who hooked it up to the computer. It read DTC p2096. When the mechanic looked it up, he noticed that there was a recall issued previously on this specific problem. The description said Target EF feedback system to lean- manual and automatic transmission.
The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to tire shop for assistance. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.
While driving the car started lurching when accelerating. I noticed somebody else mentioned this recently when their car reached 180,000, which is when mine started doing the same thing. When this started happening my transmission light and my traction control light came on and my car was no longer operable.
Sudden loss off power steering which left me without the ability to turn steering wheel. After approximately 90 secs power steering returned to normal. Exited expressway and checked power steering fluid levels. Fluid levels were correct according to manufacturer recommendation.
Door latch is freezing and will not open or close rear sliding doors. Door will start to operate normally once car is driven into a heated garage and returns to above freezing temperatures.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 5,000 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 14% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mazda5 has 32 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 57, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Mazda Mazda5?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, engine, tires. Total complaints: 57. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbag warning light (14%), knocking, grinding or other noise (9%), warning lights, check engine (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2010 Mazda Mazda5?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2010 Mazda Mazda5 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2010 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.