Is the Dodge Hornet more reliable than the Mazda CX-30?

No. The CX-30 holds a clear edge. Owners filed 21.7 complaints per 10,000 Hornets sold, against 5.7 per 10,000 CX-30s. The Hornet's complaints center on electrical faults that dealers often cannot fix, while CX-30 complaints spread across engine, brake, and other areas.

Which has more recalls, the Hornet or the CX-30?

The Hornet has more recalls in the federal records: 13 across its three model years, against 10 for the CX-30 across seven. That is a heavier recall load on a much shorter run. Owners also report waiting on back-ordered recall parts for the Hornet.

What are the most common Hornet problems?

Electrical faults lead the Hornet's list. Owners report door latches that fail, batteries that drain when the car sits, and total power loss with no restart. After a jump start, the center screen can stay dark. Steering, brake, and driver-assist complaints often trace back to the same electrical trouble.

Does the CX-30 have any serious safety complaints?

Yes. Owners report automatic emergency braking that stops the car with nothing ahead, and one owner says it happened 11 times. Others describe airbags deploying with no crash. Brakes and air bags have the most crash-linked reports, so test the braking on a drive before you buy.

Which model years of each car should I avoid?

On the Hornet, avoid 2024 and be careful with 2023, since both rank among its weakest years. On the CX-30, 2020 and 2021 rank weakest. Newer years with fewer complaints have mostly had less time to collect them, so check each car's recall status.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Dodge Hornet vs Mazda CX-30: Reliability Compared

Dodge Hornet

Mixed

More Reliable

Mazda CX-30

Good

Reliability favors the Mazda CX-30 over the Dodge Hornet by a clear margin. Hornet owners file far more complaints per car sold. The deciding fact is electrical trouble: Hornet reports include dead batteries, door latch failures, and sudden power loss that dealers often cannot fix.

How Do the Dodge Hornet and Mazda CX-30 Generations Compare?

Every used Hornet comes from a single US generation, which covers 2023 through 2025. The 2025 model year received a minor refresh, so the basic design is the same across all three years. Because the run is so short, all of these cars are recent, and none has had long to collect complaints. The CX-30 first generation, known as the DM, covers 2020 through 2024. Its oldest cars rank weakest, while its later years have been on the road less time. A CX-30 shopper gets the same basic design across the range, so the model year matters mainly for how many early problems were sorted out.

Verdict

The Mazda CX-30 is more reliable than the Dodge Hornet, scoring 67/100 vs 59/100.

On reliability, the clear edge goes to the Mazda CX-30. Owners filed far fewer complaints per car sold, and its recalls are spread over seven model years instead of three. The Hornet's trouble centers on electrical faults: failing door latches, drained batteries, and total power loss that can take steering assist and driver-assist systems down with it. Owners say dealers often have no fix. The CX-30 has serious reports of its own, but none of them show one failure dominating the model.

Key Differences

1Mazda CX-30 has 16.0 fewer complaints per 10k sold
2Mazda CX-30 scores 8 points higher in reliability
3Mazda CX-30 has 3 fewer total recalls

Category Scoreboard

0Dodge Hornet

—

3Mazda CX-30

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint Rate

Dodge Hornet vs Mazda CX-30: Which Is More Reliable?

Dodge Hornet vs Mazda CX-30 at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Dodge Hornet	Mazda CX-30
Reliability Score	59/100	67/100
Years Tracked	3	7
Total Recalls	13	10
Complaints per 10k Sold	21.7	5.7
Year Wins	0	3

What Are the Common Problems With the Dodge Hornet and Mazda CX-30?

Electrical trouble ties together most Hornet complaints. Door latches fail, batteries drain, and after a jump start the center screen can stay dark. Power steering can drop out along with stability control and forward collision warning. One driver-assist report ended in a crash when lane assist steered the car off the road. CX-30 complaints are more varied: low oil warnings with real oil loss, automatic emergency braking that stops the car with nothing ahead, airbags deploying without a crash, and transmissions that fail. Brakes and air bags are crash-linked on the CX-30 only. Back over prevention and forward collision avoidance are crash-linked on the Hornet only.

Dodge Hornet vs Mazda CX-30 common problem areas comparison
Component	Dodge Hornet	Mazda CX-30
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	6.8Average	0.8Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	2.5Low	0.4Very Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1.8Low	0.7Very Low
ENGINE	1.3Low	1.2Low
BACK OVER PREVENTION	2Low	—None
STEERING	1.8Low	0.1Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	1.5Low	0.2Very Low
POWER TRAIN	0.5Very Low	0.3Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.5Very Low	0.1Very Low
AIR BAGS	—None	0.3Very Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	—None	0.3Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	—None	0.2Very Low
SUSPENSION	—None	0.1Very Low
LANE DEPARTURE	—None	0.1Very Low
WHEELS	—None	0.1Very Low
SEATS	—None	0.1Very Low

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

How Does Dodge Hornet vs Mazda CX-30 Reliability Compare by Year?

Dodge Hornet vs Mazda CX-30 year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Dodge Hornet	Mazda CX-30	Edge
2025	64/1002R / 1C	68/1001R / 22C	Mazda CX-30
2024	54/1007R / 60C	68/1002R / 23C	Mazda CX-30
2023	59/1004R / 25C	68/1001R / 20C	Mazda CX-30

Best years to cross-shop: The 2023 Dodge Hornet scored 59/100 and the 2024 Mazda CX-30 scored 68/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Dodge Hornet vs the Mazda CX-30?

Pick the CX-30 if you want the lower risk of repeat shop visits. Aim for 2024, which sits among its strongest years, and be wary of 2020 and 2021, its weakest. A 2026 also ranks among the strongest, but it is the newest year and has had the least time to collect complaints. On a test drive, watch for sudden braking with nothing ahead, and check the oil level and ask about oil top-ups. Pick the Hornet only if its styling or price wins you over and you accept more risk. Skip 2024, which ranks among its weakest years, and treat 2023 with care because it appears on both the strongest and weakest lists. A 2025 ranks well, but it is also the newest, so it has had less time to collect complaints. Run the VIN through the federal recall site yourself, because one owner's dealer said a repair was done while the site still showed it open. Test the door latches, the rear camera, and the driver-assist features before you buy.

Dodge Hornet vs Mazda CX-30: Common Questions

Is the Dodge Hornet more reliable than the Mazda CX-30?: No. The CX-30 holds a clear edge. Owners filed 21.7 complaints per 10,000 Hornets sold, against 5.7 per 10,000 CX-30s. The Hornet's complaints center on electrical faults that dealers often cannot fix, while CX-30 complaints spread across engine, brake, and other areas.
Which has more recalls, the Hornet or the CX-30?: The Hornet has more recalls in the federal records: 13 across its three model years, against 10 for the CX-30 across seven. That is a heavier recall load on a much shorter run. Owners also report waiting on back-ordered recall parts for the Hornet.
What are the most common Hornet problems?: Electrical faults lead the Hornet's list. Owners report door latches that fail, batteries that drain when the car sits, and total power loss with no restart. After a jump start, the center screen can stay dark. Steering, brake, and driver-assist complaints often trace back to the same electrical trouble.
Does the CX-30 have any serious safety complaints?: Yes. Owners report automatic emergency braking that stops the car with nothing ahead, and one owner says it happened 11 times. Others describe airbags deploying with no crash. Brakes and air bags have the most crash-linked reports, so test the braking on a drive before you buy.
Which model years of each car should I avoid?: On the Hornet, avoid 2024 and be careful with 2023, since both rank among its weakest years. On the CX-30, 2020 and 2021 rank weakest. Newer years with fewer complaints have mostly had less time to collect them, so check each car's recall status.

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How we score the Dodge Hornet and Mazda CX-30

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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