First Time Mazda Owner Question For Long Time Owners

So we all know the durability and reliability of Toyota and Honda. I also saw on YouTube where Mazda is not that popular in the US. So for long time real world owners of Mazda, over time how do they hold up? Thanks.
 
I am on my fourth Mazda. I have had them all (except the newest one) for approximately 9 years each. I have had no problems with any of them. (94 Mazda Navajo, 03 Mazda Tribute, 2013 Mazda CX-5, 2020 Mazda CX-5)
 
So we all know the durability and reliability of Toyota and Honda. I also saw on YouTube where Mazda is not that popular in the US. So for long time real world owners of Mazda, over time how do they hold up? Thanks.
IMO Mazda has been having up and downs on reliability and durability in its history. Efficiency and reliability on rotary engines almost killed Mazda during the oil crisis in 1970’s. Reliability problems, especially on rotary engines, also made Mazda suffered bad reputation during 1990’s, while Toyota and Honda were building up their good reputation. The (Ford) V6 on gen-1 CX-9, and 2.3L turbo on CX-7 also suffered reliability issues in 2000’s. Not until Mazda came up SkyActiv Technology, the reliability seems getting better and more consistent, and hopefully Mazds can keep up this for long.

But the reputation, once been built, sometimes is hard to turn it around. Too many friends and family who bought Mazda before, swear they’d never come back to get another Mazda.
 
No problems in five years except for the headlight recall
If you're shopping for a new car reliability doesn't matter since there's warranty
If you're shopping for a used car the brand reliability doesn't matter, look up the particular model/year complaints/repairs stats, they are searchable available online
And the funny thing about cars is that even the most reliable ones still can kill you, I once was happily driving a super reliable honda crv until its airbag was recalled for shooting metal particles right in the drivers face. There were many brands guilty though.
 
IMO Mazda has been having up and downs on reliability and durability in its history. Efficiency and reliability on rotary engines almost killed Mazda during the oil crisis in 1970’s. Reliability problems, especially on rotary engines, also made Mazda suffered bad reputation during 1990’s, while Toyota and Honda were building up their good reputation. The (Ford) V6 on gen-1 CX-9, and 2.3L turbo on CX-7 also suffered reliability issues in 2000’s. Not until Mazda came up SkyActiv Technology, the reliability seems getting better and more consistent, and hopefully Mazds can keep up this for long.

But the reputation, once been built, sometimes is hard to turn it around. Too many friends and family who bought Mazda before, swear they’d never come back to get another Mazda.
This mechanic on YouTube said the same thing verbatim. But he actually gave the 2017 CX 5 high marks for the same reasons you stated along with them I believe making their own transmissions.
It’s a blast driving this thing in manual.
 
119K trouble free miles on our 2016 CX5 GT. Other than normal maintenance items have never put a dime into it. Still runs and drives great. I haven't taken it in for the headlight recall since my daylight running lights still work great. Maybe someday.
 
Consumer Retorts and JD Powers have rated Mazda at or near the top of the list for reliability in recent years. Toyota has stayed good, but meanwhile, Honda has gone down to middle of the pack in recent years.

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Have owned 4, currently have 2. Never any problems beyond normal wear and tear.
Heading into 6 years on my 2016 CX-5, bought in Apr 2015 and zero problems.
Too early to report on the 2019 CX-5 GTR.
 
I owned a '08 CX9 for 7-8 yrs. (yes, lots of Ford parts in it)
Now I own three Mazdas in my household. '14 Mazd3, 16' Mazda6, 17 CX5.
They are as solid as any other Japanese vehicles I ever owned.
(used to be a Honda/Acura fan .. owned four)

I typically own vehicles for 7-8 yrs.
The pre-gen CX9 had bad influence from Ford. Mazda really had no choice back then. It was on the verge of bankruptcy. Ford saved their backend by owning 33% (or was it 31%). Anyway, enough shares to claim Mazda being part of Ford.

My pre-gen CX9 has the following major parts from Ford.
Engine: Ford, modified by Mazda (on the intake)
Transfercase: Ford, lots of owners reported failure.
Luckily transmission was from Aisin (owned by Toyota).
Transmissions from Ford are infamous.... my personal opinion.
When Ford owned Mazda, the reliability of Mazda vehicle went really down.
Poor/cheap materials/parts were used.

Looking back, Mazda made two mistakes in the past.
(1) Heavy investment in rotary engine.
Out of passion of this small company managed by ex-engineers.... That is Mazda.
Who knows, they might use it on the MX-30 as a generator ... perfect for it.
(2) Owned by Ford: really no choice. The alternative was bankruptcy.

I will buy another Mazda again if a choice exists.

Have you looked at reliability of Honda/Acura lately?
Transmission of Honda (ZF 8-speed), and the fuel pump blade issue/recall.

Subjectively, Mazda designs much better looking vehicles than Honda/Toyota.
 
I owned a '08 CX9 for 7-8 yrs. (yes, lots of Ford parts in it)
Now I own three Mazdas in my household. '14 Mazd3, 16' Mazda6, 17 CX5.
They are as solid as any other Japanese vehicles I ever owned.
(used to be a Honda/Acura fan .. owned four)

I typically own vehicles for 7-8 yrs.
The pre-gen CX9 had bad influence from Ford. Mazda really had no choice back then. It was on the verge of bankruptcy. Ford saved their backend by owning 33% (or was it 31%). Anyway, enough shares to claim Mazda being part of Ford.

My pre-gen CX9 has the following major parts from Ford.
Engine: Ford, modified by Mazda (on the intake)
Transfercase: Ford, lots of owners reported failure.
Luckily transmission was from Aisin (owned by Toyota).
Transmissions from Ford are infamous.... my personal opinion.
When Ford owned Mazda, the reliability of Mazda vehicle went really down.
Poor/cheap materials/parts were used.

Looking back, Mazda made two mistakes in the past.
(1) Heavy investment in rotary engine.
Out of passion of this small company managed by ex-engineers.... That is Mazda.
Who knows, they might use it on the MX-30 as a generator ... perfect for it.
(2) Owned by Ford: really no choice. The alternative was bankruptcy.

I will buy another Mazda again if a choice exists.

Have you looked at reliability of Honda/Acura lately?
Transmission of Honda (ZF 8-speed), and the fuel pump blade issue/recall.

Subjectively, Mazda designs much better looking vehicles than Honda/Toyota.

The Mazda was next to the Ford dealer I went to see what they had to offer. Then I decided to go over to the Mazda side I saw the CX 5 was drawn by the color as I really wanted pearl white. When I drove it I immediately fell in love with the handling.
I pulled the trigger. I really do like this vehicle thanks(y)
FDFE76A3-D1DE-4F8A-9211-F414970442CB.jpeg
 
Consumer Retorts and JD Powers have rated Mazda at or near the top of the list for reliability in recent years. Toyota has stayed good, but meanwhile, Honda has gone down to middle of the pack in recent years.
When rating 2020s, Consumer Reports doesn't have a lot of data. It depends on the timing of their member surveys which are the primary inputs to the ratings.

Regardless, when they first review a vehicle not long after it is released they plunk a reliability rating on it. How do they do that? From comments in their reports I gather they go by the prior record of a refreshed model. If it is a new generation of a model or an entirely new model, they will base the rating on that manufacturer's past record in introducing new generations or models which are typically not as reliable as when a generation ages.

Consequently, a manufacturer with few or no new generations in a year will tend to score higher that year. If the manufacturer has several new generations or models the manufacturer would tend to score lower that year.

Anyway, I've noticed Honda slipping over the last few years.
 
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81k miles, one owner ‘13 CX-5 Sport. No issues. Only additional money spent is on required maintenance. Most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned.
 
So we all know the durability and reliability of Toyota and Honda. I also saw on YouTube where Mazda is not that popular in the US. So for long time real world owners of Mazda, over time how do they hold up? Thanks.
Consumer Reports has the CX-5 rated 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 overall for every year since its introduction in 2013. 5 out of 5 every year for engine, trans and electical.

5 out of 5 overall in 2018 and 2019, which is probably why they gave the 2020 a 5 out of 5 shortly after release. No recalls on the 2020 as far as I can tell, so that's a positive sign. With a minor refresh for 2021, which may be limited to the 10" touch screen on some trims, expect a 5 out of 5 repeat for the new ones unless that new touch screen is buggy. I swear, more and more people care more about their screens than the 10's of thousands of $ worth of technology that makes the car go.

The biggest complaints over the years were a 1 out of 5 worst rating for in-car electronics in 2014 and 2 out of 5 for in-car electronics and power equipment in 2016. Was there a new touch screen system in 2016?
 
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By the way, for anybody shopping for a vehicle I would highly recommend subscribing to Consumer Reports On-Line. The reports are way more detailed than anything you'll find in the magazine. The road test reports are pretty comprehesive and would provide a good guide for what to look for in the test drive.
 
I own an '09 CX7. Bought it from my mom 3 years ago. She was original owner. Has 93k miles on it. It's been reliable for me. I keep up with regular maintenance, & I'm not hard on it. It's also been stored in a garage or carport most of its life. In recent years, as another poster pointed out, Consumer Reports has given it consistently high marks.

Take good care of your Mazda, & she'll take good care of you.
 
The biggest complaints over the years were a 1 out of 5 worst rating for in-car electronics in 2014

Yep - and I have to agree with that on our 2014. It wasn't a reliability issue though, just piss-poor design. The USB port took minutes to 'read' the USB every time you started the car, and always started at the 'first' track, no matter what you were playing before. Jeez.

They did eventually do a recall/TSB where they replaced the Bluetooth (and USB) module for free under warranty. But by that time I'd given up and replaced with an aftermarket radio.
 
Yep - and I have to agree with that on our 2014. It wasn't a reliability issue though, just piss-poor design. The USB port took minutes to 'read' the USB every time you started the car, and always started at the 'first' track, no matter what you were playing before. Jeez.
When it comes to Consumer Reports reliability, it is to some degree in the eye of the consumer beholder who answers the questions. Survey respondants are asked to "categorize problems by level of severity according to cost, safety, failure or time without a vehicle."


Maybe some folks did drop the vehicle at the dealer looking for a fix to your problem, or asked to have it checked out during an oil change causing an additional time suck that would qualify under CR criteria. But I think it is reasonable to dock reliability even if one regards it as "it is what it is". I think it is reasonable to dock reliability if something does not perform within the range of reasonable expectations. Otherwise, you'd give the thing 5 out of 5 for reliability and CR would need a whole other set of criteria like "reliably functioning in an inferior way" which would probably leave a lot of peoples scratching their heads.

Until I read that link I was not aware of CRs follow-up testing. I imagine they're looking for "user error".
 
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