Is the Honda Civic more reliable than the Mazda CX-5?

No. The CX-5 has a clear edge. It has far fewer recalls, 11 against 37 across nine model years, and a lower chance that a repair is major, 8% against 10%. The Civic wins on yearly repair cost and shop visits, but not on overall reliability.

Which has more recalls, the Civic or the CX-5?

The Civic has more. Federal recall records show 37 recalls across nine model years for the Civic and 11 for the CX-5. Check any used car by VIN, because owners say lookups by VIN and by model year sometimes disagree.

Which costs less to repair, the Civic or the CX-5?

The Civic costs less. Independent repair-cost data estimates $368 a year for the Civic and $447 for the CX-5, a gap of about $395 over five years. The Civic also averages 0.2 unscheduled shop visits a year, against 0.3 for the CX-5.

What is the biggest problem with the Mazda CX-5?

Cracked cylinder heads. They leak oil onto the hot exhaust side, and owners report a burning smell, white smoke, or oil on the ground. Failures cluster between about 30,000 and 80,000 miles, and repair quotes reach $8,000. Many cars show no warning light until oil runs low.

What steering problem do Honda Civic owners report?

The wheel turns stiff, sticky, or notchy, most often at highway speeds during small lane corrections. It resists, then breaks free and overshoots. Reports usually begin between roughly 4,000 and 11,000 miles. Steering is the Civic's largest complaint area, with 58 crash-linked reports.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Honda Civic vs Mazda CX-5: Reliability Compared

Honda Civic

Good

More Reliable

Mazda CX-5

Excellent

Between the Honda Civic and Mazda CX-5, the CX-5 is clearly more reliable, with 11 recalls across nine model years to the Civic's 37. The Civic costs less to repair each year. Its steering and air bag complaints also include many crash-linked reports.

How Do the Honda Civic and Mazda CX-5 Generations Compare?

Most used Civics a shopper sees from 2018 to 2021 belong to the tenth generation, which ran from 2016 to 2021. The eleventh generation began with the 2022 model year, which ranks among the weakest years. For the CX-5, the second generation ran from 2017 to 2025 and received a facelift for 2022. That year ranks among its strongest, while the 2018 and 2019 models, built before the facelift, rank weakest. The third generation started with the 2026 model year, so it has the shortest track record of any CX-5 year.

Verdict

The Mazda CX-5 is more reliable than the Honda Civic, scoring 83/100 vs 78/100.

On reliability, the CX-5 has a clear edge. Federal recall records show 11 recalls across nine model years for the Mazda, against 37 for the Honda. The CX-5 also has a lower chance that a repair turns out major. The Civic does win on cost, with a smaller yearly repair bill and fewer unscheduled shop visits. The CX-5's weak spot is concentrated: cracked cylinder heads that can lead to repair quotes up to $8,000.

Key Differences

1Honda Civic costs $79 less per year to repair
2Mazda CX-5 has 26 fewer total recalls
3Mazda CX-5 scores 5 points higher in reliability

Category Scoreboard

3Honda Civic

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3Mazda CX-5

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair RiskSafety Rating

Honda Civic vs Mazda CX-5: Which Is More Reliable?

Honda Civic vs Mazda CX-5 at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Honda Civic	Mazda CX-5
Reliability Score	78/100	83/100
Years Tracked	9	9
Total Recalls	37	11
Complaints per 10k Sold	4.8	5.6
Annual Repair Cost	$368/yr	$447/yr
Repair Frequency	0.2/yr	0.3/yr
Major Repair Risk	10%	8%
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2026 NHTSA	2026 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	1 (3 tied)	5 (3 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Honda Civic and Mazda CX-5?

Steering that turns stiff, sticky, or notchy at highway speed, then breaks free and overshoots, dominates Civic complaints. Fuel pump trouble adds sudden power loss and stalling, and some owners report air bags that fail to deploy in serious crashes. Steering and air bags carry the most crash-linked reports. On the CX-5, the main failures are cracked cylinder heads leaking oil onto the hot exhaust, ghost-touch screen faults, and early transmission failure. Its service brakes area has crash-linked reports tied to the smart brake and radar system, and the Civic has no such area. The CX-5 has no steering or air bag area among its main problems.

Honda Civic vs Mazda CX-5 common problem areas comparison
Component	Honda Civic	Mazda CX-5
STEERING	2.5Low	0.1Very Low
ENGINE	0.1Very Low	1.5Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0.3Very Low	0.7Very Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0.3Very Low	0.7Very Low
POWER TRAIN	0.1Very Low	0.6Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	0.3Very Low	0.1Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.1Very Low	0.3Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	0.2Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.1Very Low	0.2Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.2Very Low	—None
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
STRUCTURE	—None	0.2Very Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	0.1Very Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	—None	0.1Very Low
SEATS	—None	—None
LANE DEPARTURE	—None	—None
TIRES	—None	—None
SEAT BELTS	—None	—None
SUSPENSION	—None	—None
WHEELS	—None	—None
PARKING BRAKE	—None	—None
VISIBILITY	—None	—None

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

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Honda Civic or Mazda CX-5?

Repair bills favor the Civic. Independent repair-cost data puts it at $368 a year against $447 for the CX-5. Over five years, that gap comes to about $395. The Civic also averages 0.2 unscheduled shop visits a year to the CX-5's 0.3. The CX-5 does better on severity, with an 8% chance that a repair is major, compared with 10% for the Civic. Its cracked cylinder heads are the costly exception.

How Does Honda Civic vs Mazda CX-5 Reliability Compare by Year?

Honda Civic vs Mazda CX-5 year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Honda Civic	Mazda CX-5	Edge
2026	94/1000R / 7C	94/1000R / 0C	Tie
2025	84/1005R / 49C	82/1003R / 25C	Honda Civic
2024	81/1005R / 131C	84/1001R / 53C	Mazda CX-5
2023	74/1007R / 315C	81/1002R / 96C	Mazda CX-5
2022	66/1003R / 935C	87/1000R / 50C	Mazda CX-5
2021	81/1003R / 118C	83/1000R / 129C	Mazda CX-5
2020	78/1008R / 405C	86/1000R / 94C	Mazda CX-5
2019	75/1002R / 356C	75/1002R / 229C	Tie
2018	71/1004R / 605C	71/1003R / 310C	Tie

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Honda Civic scored 81/100 and the 2022 Mazda CX-5 scored 87/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Honda Civic vs the Mazda CX-5?

Pick the CX-5 if you want fewer recalls and a lower chance of a major repair, and you can accept one known risk. Cylinder head cracks cluster between about 30,000 and 80,000 miles, so ask for service records and look for oil leaks or a burning smell. Target the 2022 model year, which ranks among the strongest. Avoid 2018 and 2019, the weakest years. Treat 2026 as unproven, since it has had little time to collect complaints. Pick the Civic if you want the lower yearly repair bill and fewer unscheduled shop visits. Test the steering at highway speed for stickiness before you buy, and confirm every recall has been completed by VIN. Avoid 2022 and 2018, the weakest years. The 2025 and 2026 models rank strongest, but that partly reflects how little time they have had to collect complaints.

Honda Civic vs Mazda CX-5: Common Questions

Is the Honda Civic more reliable than the Mazda CX-5?: No. The CX-5 has a clear edge. It has far fewer recalls, 11 against 37 across nine model years, and a lower chance that a repair is major, 8% against 10%. The Civic wins on yearly repair cost and shop visits, but not on overall reliability.
Which has more recalls, the Civic or the CX-5?: The Civic has more. Federal recall records show 37 recalls across nine model years for the Civic and 11 for the CX-5. Check any used car by VIN, because owners say lookups by VIN and by model year sometimes disagree.
Which costs less to repair, the Civic or the CX-5?: The Civic costs less. Independent repair-cost data estimates $368 a year for the Civic and $447 for the CX-5, a gap of about $395 over five years. The Civic also averages 0.2 unscheduled shop visits a year, against 0.3 for the CX-5.
What is the biggest problem with the Mazda CX-5?: Cracked cylinder heads. They leak oil onto the hot exhaust side, and owners report a burning smell, white smoke, or oil on the ground. Failures cluster between about 30,000 and 80,000 miles, and repair quotes reach $8,000. Many cars show no warning light until oil runs low.
What steering problem do Honda Civic owners report?: The wheel turns stiff, sticky, or notchy, most often at highway speeds during small lane corrections. It resists, then breaks free and overshoots. Reports usually begin between roughly 4,000 and 11,000 miles. Steering is the Civic's largest complaint area, with 58 crash-linked reports.

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Decided between Honda Civic and Mazda CX-5? Run a VIN check before you buy — uncover hidden accidents, title issues, and open recalls.

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How we score the Honda Civic and Mazda CX-5

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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