2016 Mazda CX-5 · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 69owner reports
- 29,133median miles
- $900median quote
- 6involved a crash
Newest report Jul 30, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
69 of the 510 complaints on this car describe brake wear. Only headlights is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 69 reports
Brake wear on other CX-5 years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Brake reports cover a wide spread of symptoms. Grinding or squealing is common, and so is a pulsing pedal or a shake through the car when stopping. Others describe pads and rotors worn out long before they expected, a brake warning light, or a pedal that goes soft or sinks toward the floor. The most serious ones say the car didn't stop in time.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the pads and rotors (24 reports), the caliper (16 reports) and the ABS module (8 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2016 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
What owners paid
10 of the 69 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $500 to $1,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 15,000 and 40,000 miles, from the 52 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 11 service bulletins or notices for the 2016 Mazda CX-5 that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Some vehicles exhibit brake related concerns such as brake noise, brake judder or brake dragging. If you encounter a customer complaint for any one of these symptoms, refer to the following information to understand why symptoms may occur, and to better ...
Front Brake Noise Symptom 1: Some vehicles may exhibit a click noise when first moving forward or reverse from a stop OR when first applying the brakes while moving forward at slow speeds.
Some vehicles may exhibit a squeak noise from the rear brakes while braking lightly and occurs more frequently when driving at slow speeds. The noise is caused by poor contact between the guide plate and the mounting support.
Some vehicles may exhibit a squeak noise from the rear brakes while braking lightly. The squeak noise may occur more frequently when driving at slow speeds. The noise is caused by poor contact between the guide plate and the mounting support.
7 more on the 2016 Mazda CX-5 page.
What owners wrote
“my brake light and my emergency brake light stays on and they blink constantly while the engine is turned on. they have been like that for at least a year. both my brakes and the emergency brake both work but I cant get the lights to go out.”
Filed May 12, 2025
“After having brakes serviced brake lights continue to come on. After research from many other complaints they are saying itâs the emergency parking that needs replaced? We shouldnât have to replace this every time the brakes are replaced.”
Filed Aug 27, 2024
“Back brakes arent gripping, caliper isnât working been changed quite a few times. Either the abs or electric brakes”
Filed Aug 9, 2024
“2nd time in 40k miles right rear caliper locked up mechanic suggest getting both left and right replaced figuring if one failed its only a matter of time, calipers should last 10 years and 2nd replacement in 4 years, this is a bad safety issue”
Filed Sep 28, 2023 · 40,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 6 of 69 reports involved a crash and 2 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Headlights too dim or fail 88 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 41 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 30 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 25 reports