Which Mazda CX-30 years should you avoid?

2021 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Mazda CX-30 model year measured over an identical 60-month window.

What is the best year for the Mazda CX-30?

2020 is the best-scoring Mazda CX-30 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 84.6 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

How many recalls does the Mazda CX-30 have?

7 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Mazda CX-30 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

Which Mazda CX-30 years to avoid

Across 2 scored model years, the 2021 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Mazda CX-30 Full report

Grade 2020–2021

2021 vs model median 1.7×

Model median3× median

Engine 47

Electrical 12

Lights & Visibility 10

Avoid

2021

Best

2020 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Mazda CX-30
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2020	0.32×	32	B
2021	1.68×	120	D
2022 P	0.86×	52	B
2023 P	0.84×	42	B
2024 P	0.63×	46	B
2025 P	0.65×	48	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2020 B 32 reports · median 3,950 mi

Brakes 6

I was driving car on.the highway and as I prepared to exit I braked and the car hesitated for 2 seconds before brakes engaged. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Engine 4

I bought mazda CX30 in 2020 and the battery already starts to fail. The engine light and the battery light are on suddenly when I was driving. Then, after a while, when I restart the engine and it starts to work again. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Fuel System 4

My experience at sansone mazda was an absolutely nightmare. First off they had me in a lease of 10k down for a payment of 200$ a month, silly me. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

2021 D 120 reports · median 17,725 mi

Engine 47

The contact leased a 2021 mazda cx-30. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start up after multiple attempts with several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Electrical 12

The contact owns a 2021 mazda cx-30. The contact stated while driving 3 MPH, the vehicle loss motive power. The contact stated that the low voltage 12-v charge warning light was illuminated. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Lights & Visibility 10

Manufacturing defect in the windshield glass: distorted/warped windshield glass causing waves/ripples. Result: impaired visibility when operating vehicle and rapid eye fatigue. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

12 crash · 14 injuries

The best year for the CX-30

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring CX-30 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 84.6 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Best-scoring model years
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2020	0.32×	32	B
2021	1.68×	120	D

Recalls

7 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
25V357000	AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE	2024, 2025	171,412
20V346000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER	2020	24,037
21V086000	STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE	2020, 2021	13,857
20V347000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS	2020	12,097
23V275000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE	2022, 2023	2,410
24V649000	LANE DEPARTURE: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2024	672
21V101000	TIRES:VALVE	2021	599

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 17,725 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Mazda CX-30 years should you avoid?: 2021 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Mazda CX-30 model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Mazda CX-30?: 2020 is the best-scoring Mazda CX-30 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 84.6 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Mazda CX-30 have?: 7 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Mazda CX-30 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 CX-30

Complaints in window: 120
Severity-weighted: 170
Model median (weighted): 101
vs model median: 1.68×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 2
Open investigations: 0

Score 52.9 D