Which Mazda Mazda5 years should you avoid?

No Mazda Mazda5 model year in 2010–2013 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2010 and 2013.

What is the best year for the Mazda Mazda5?

2012 is the best-scoring Mazda Mazda5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 79.5 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

How many recalls does the Mazda Mazda5 have?

2 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Mazda Mazda5 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

Which Mazda Mazda5 years to avoid

No Mazda Mazda5 model year in 2010–2013 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2010 and 2013, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Mazda Mazda5 Full report

Grade 2010–2013

2010 vs model median 1.0×

Model median3× median

Tires & Wheels 6

Airbags & Restraints 5

Fuel System 2

Weakest

2010 · 2013

Best

2012 · 2013

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 Mazda5
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	1.02×	25	B
2012	0.72×	20	B
2013	1.00×	20	B

What owners report

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

2010 B 25 reports · median 18,205 mi

Tires & Wheels 6

Since I purchased the vehicle in april 2010, I have had to return it to the dealership 2 times (june 15-june 19, 2010 and august 2 - august 20, 2010) for the same safety issue: a defective fuel pump. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Airbags & Restraints 5

2010 mazda 5 passenger airbag light stays on indicating the air bag will not deploy in the event of an accident. Passenger's weight is 99 lbs. Manual has 66 lbs as minimum weight to activate airbag. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Fuel System 2

2010 mazda 5. Consumer states that she believes the vehicle her vehicle is a lemon the consumer stated since she purchased the vehicle, she had to return it to the dealer twice for the same safety issue; a… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

2013 B 20 reports · median 38,000 mi

Body & Interior 6

Mazda headrests tilt too far forward. We were ready to buy a mazda5 but when my wife got behind the wheel in the test drive the headrest pushed her head forward; cannot adjust tilt. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Brakes 4

The contact owns a 2013 mazda 5. While parked with the emergency brake engaged, the vehicle rolled away. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a fence. The failure occurred twice. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Steering 3

Power steering malfunction: upon starting the vehicle (in the parking lot of my job, to go home) the power steering malfunction light lit up in the dashboard. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

4 crash · 1 injuries

The best year for the Mazda5

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

2012 is the best-scoring Mazda5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 79.5 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Best-scoring model years
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2012	0.72×	20	B
2013	1.00×	20	B
2010	1.02×	25	B

Recalls

2 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
16V644000	STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE	2012, 2013	580,455
10V600000	FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2010	16,200

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 2010 were reported at a median of 18,205 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Mazda Mazda5 years should you avoid?: No Mazda Mazda5 model year in 2010–2013 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2010 and 2013.
What is the best year for the Mazda Mazda5?: 2012 is the best-scoring Mazda Mazda5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 79.5 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Mazda Mazda5 have?: 2 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Mazda Mazda5 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 2010 Mazda5

Complaints in window: 25
Severity-weighted: 32.5
Model median (weighted): 32
vs model median: 1.02×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 1
Open investigations: 0

Score 72.1 B