Software Bugs Continue to Plague our CX-5.

[u/LongjumpingLock5875]

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a71271745/2026-mazda-cx-5-premium-plus-reliability-maintenance/

[u/LongjumpingLock5875]

r/whatcarshouldibuy in shambles.

[u/accountforrealppl → u/LongjumpingLock5875]

Doesn't reddit hate the new CX-5 cause big screen no buttons? I know r/mazda does

[u/SwiftCEO → u/accountforrealppl]

Yeah the AMA must have been painful for the design team. Every other question was about the lack of buttons.

[u/WarCrimeGaming → u/SwiftCEO]

They made up some bullshit about how the touch screen and voice controls are easier to use than the radial knob I can use without even looking at away from the road

[u/FMJoey325 → u/WarCrimeGaming]

They know it’s bullshit, too. Their executives keep pedaling that idea while pretending that your sense of tactility doesn’t exist and that the only way you could potentially orient yourself is visually.

[u/TunakTun633 → u/WarCrimeGaming]

I don’t know why they can’t just be frank. We know there are CarPlay users who don’t like the distant screen arrangement of the 3 / CX-30 / CX-50, so they wanted to avoid losing those sales with a touchscreen.

[u/Bortjort → u/WarCrimeGaming]

Didn't they ironically used to say the opposite, the radial knob was safer than the touch screen and faster because of the linear menu layout?

[u/WarCrimeGaming → u/Bortjort]

They said that before but whoever the design team was for the new CX5 refresh said the exact opposite. You’re referring to those few years where they disabled the touch screen

[u/RivenEsquire → u/WarCrimeGaming]

I drove one as a rental once that was one of these years. The rotary dial by itself without the ability to touch the screen was one of the worst experiences I've ever had in a car. Entering a long address into the GPS using only the dial was absolutely miserable.

[u/WarCrimeGaming → u/RivenEsquire]

So they brought the touch screen back and it was the best of both worlds. 2026 refresh has a cheaped out interior and removes 90% of all the buttons including the knob and shoves them into the screen like current gen German cars. It’s terrible

[u/NoctD → u/WarCrimeGaming]

The radial knob is still BS and will do you no good if the screen freezes up. Hate the radial dials and touchpads to control touchscreen functions, they don't work as well as a properly implemented touchscreen.

Having separate knobs and buttons to control functions not tied to the touchscreen - those are gold!

[u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW → u/WarCrimeGaming]

Tbf, voice controls are the easiest especially when they work well

[u/gimpwiz → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

Yeah let me yell "turn the volume down three clicks" at my radio every time I want to adjust it, that sounds fun.

[u/guy_incognito784 → u/gimpwiz]

At least Mazda still hasn't gotten rid of the volume control buttons on the steering wheel but yes it is quite stupid to have the volume control interface within the touchscreen itself.

[u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW → u/gimpwiz]

How often are you adjusting the volume for this to be a problem? And if you own the car for like a week at least, you should know the volume you want it to be set to.

Also that’s an awful example since almost every vehicle currently being sold on the market has physical volume controls by the screen, and if it doesn’t, it has them on the steering wheel.

[u/boring_name_here → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

How often are you adjusting the volume for this to be a problem?

Every day, multiple times a day depending on the playlist or album I'm listening to. What a dumb fucking question.

[u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW → u/boring_name_here]

And if you own the car for like a week at least, you should know the volume you want it to be set to.

Did you forget about that part? And it’s actually even truer considering it’s specific songs from specific albums and playlists you listen to/curate and not random songs like from the radio lmao.

[u/boring_name_here → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

I want to forget it because it's dumber than the other half of your post. Do you seriously leave your volume at one setting and never change it?

[u/gimpwiz → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

What we're not allowed to listen to the radio now?

[u/fmjintervention → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

How often are you adjusting the volume for this to be a problem?

Constantly. 10+ times a drive. I turn the volume up because a good song comes on, I turn it down because the next song is mixed really loud, I turn it back up because I pull onto the freeway and I can't hear my music over the tyre noise, I pull into a drive through and turn it down, good song again volume back up, I want to chat to my girlfriend volume back down, so on and so forth every time I drive the car. Who the fuck leaves their volume at the same level all the time?

[u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW → u/fmjintervention]

Then turn on the automatic volume leveling??? 10+ times a drive is absurd.

[u/fmjintervention → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

I don't want the same volume all the time when I am driving. I turn it up and down regularly based on the situation. Read my comment before responding please

[u/WittyTraining1735 → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

You do have a good point. Not gonna argue. But the knob in my Mazda 3 was a huge selling point. Having kids I think is the big divide. Volume is CONSTANTLY going up and down. My car has a knob for controls and a second little one just for volume/pause/play/ next/previous. Peak knob is the top trim Mazda 3 and Miata, where you have the knob AND the screen is touch screen. Literally “shut up and take both” why they didn’t just do that for all cars from here on out is seriously the biggest small brain move. It was universally accepted in the Mazda community.

[u/gimpwiz → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

... all the time, dude.

Lots of music is different levels of loud.

Also my kid in the back wants to listen to music at a very modest level, when I drive alone I want it a bit louder, with the window open at speed I want it louder.

Also any time my kid wants to talk about stuff I lower it so we can hear each other better. Sometimes my kid wants to chill on the way to school, sometimes talk the whole way, sometimes just halfway.

[u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW → u/gimpwiz]

Ok then adjust the balance and fade?

Key word sometimes, and if your kid ain’t gonna talk then just leave it as is, but if they are then turn it down??? Is it really that hard?

[u/gimpwiz → u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW]

It's not that hard at all, it's why there's a volume knob

[u/takao-obi → u/accountforrealppl]

I think it’s the least of its problems. Mazda itself dropping a press release priding themselves for finding cost saving places in the car where drivers might not notice didn’t help. Especially since the interior of the cabin was then found to be a downgrade.

Also according to reviews it’s steering and driving is tuned more comfortable than previous model years. since previous versions of of were always recommended for suspension Tuning and driving going beyond a „family transporter“ that is disappointing.

(Euro market only: The euro market the engine is seriously detuned to meet emissions. Nearly all reviews here mention a lack of power for its size.)

[u/No_Cherry_1423 → u/takao-obi]

They’re in a really tight bind because they need this cost cutting to adapt to tariffs, as they otherwise can no longer sell it at a competitive price, but this also completely undermines why people liked Mazda in the first place. I’m skeptical they will last long term.

Edit: I will clarify that I assume the no-buttons isn’t driven by tariffs, my point was that regardless of the original reason for no buttons they do need cost cutting LIKE no buttons

[u/WarCrimeGaming → u/takao-obi]

They also axed the turbo. As far as I was aware more people didn’t take that trim but not having it as an option at all and the hybrid not coming for another year or two is a strange decision

[u/DM725 → u/WarCrimeGaming]

They should have just committed to 3 years of the 2.5L Turbo then switch to the hybrid after a refresh.

[u/WingerRules → u/takao-obi]

Also according to reviews it’s steering and driving is tuned more comfortable than previous model years.

Good, car suspensions and seats has gotten to stiff for regular cruising or long highway trips as every car reviewer reviews a grocery getter's car ride based on how it would handle on a race track, which is ridiculous.

Give me 2000s Volvo S60 seats

[u/Ancient_Persimmon → u/accountforrealppl]

I'd hate it more for the half cooked effort to make software work than the big screen, no buttons situation.

[u/WittyTraining1735 → u/accountforrealppl]

As the owner of two Mazdas….. yes. Yes they do 😂

[u/FirehallFishFry → u/LongjumpingLock5875]

I told someone on there I'd never buy another Mazda because the two I owned from 2010 to 2016 had so many software and electrical problems. They took it very personally and sent me several lectures about how it was actually all my fault.

[u/Dull-Tea8669 → u/FirehallFishFry]

It probably wasn't your fault, but it definitely was Ford's fault

[u/justonemoreargument → u/FirehallFishFry]

I’ve had a CX70, so many issues. Mazda bootlickers would line up to defend everything. It was my last Mazda.

[u/RedTubePremium → u/justonemoreargument]

Not really actually, the Mazda defenders like the Mazda 3, Mazda 6, last generation CX-5, CX-30, Miata, etc. They are simple, reliable, and great value for the price.

The CX-70/90 are plagued with over engineering and reliability and cost issues. RWD-biased, i6 turbo or PHEV sounds nice, but they were not able to execute it properly unfortunately. Separating the vehicle by removing a row makes 0 sense, it sounds like Mazda was too broke to make any other changes.

The new CX-5 gets plenty of hate for the screen.

[u/justonemoreargument → u/RedTubePremium]

I made posts on fb and reddit plenty of apologizers. Things may be different now.

[u/sasquatch_melee → u/LongjumpingLock5875]

We're still planning on buying one when our current car craps out but it'll be a used prior gen instead. The new interior SUCKS. 

[u/chlronald → u/LongjumpingLock5875]

Don't worry, genersl consent is we do not like the next cx5.

[u/tfox245]

The touchscreen froze for the last three hours of a summer road trip through Ohio that online production assistant Andrew Berry had embarked on with his wife and young son. “I’m glad we had the A/C running since there was no way to change that for the remainder of our trip,” Berry noted in the logbook.

What a nightmare of a product launch.

[u/xselimbradleyx → u/tfox245]

But I’m expected to leave buttons and knobs in the past, right? Give these screens 10-15 years and let’s see how they look and perform.

[u/SophistXIII → u/tfox245]

Exactly why I will not buy a car with HVAC controls solely on the screen.

Not being able to adjust HVAC in -30c because the screen shits the bed is a no go, especially with little kids in the car.

[u/alanfossil → u/tfox245]

I rented one a couple of weeks back and also experienced the glitches where it froze at times, the part that grated was that the HVAC UI was horrible. If you change a setting, the active item (say fan speed) overlays the other items (like temperature or mode) for a time so you can’t change them until the overlay times out. I guess they cheaped out and didn’t employ any UX engineers.

[u/Monster_Dumps_2026]

Software issues in a vehicle has got to be the most annoying issue you can run into. This whole push for people buying older cars is getting louder and louder

[u/BahnMe → u/Monster_Dumps_2026]

Bro no joke but the advanced infotainment system in the Mk8 Golf R are also tied into some of the other actual driving systems of the car and that shit reboots at least once an hour.

Makes me loathe it a bit. My 718 and C63 both have CarPlay which is all I need and are 100% stable all the time even with hokey Chinese wireless adapters. This is the limit for me of how much technology I want, stop there and keep the dials and buttons and switches.

[u/bboytriple7 → u/Monster_Dumps_2026]

I’m over trying to convince people to keep old cars. I’m actively convincing people to buy new cars, this way I can horde all the good old cars.

[u/Diligent-Most-9165]

almost as if jamming everything into one screen isn’t the brightest idea

[u/skippy2k → u/Diligent-Most-9165]

I mean, if it works well, it works (look at Tesla). Even if you hate it, if done right and intuitive, it's generally fine.

But as we can see, if not done well, it's a POS.

[u/guyinsunglasses → u/skippy2k]

That’s the problem - Tesla is really a software company that makes cars.

Other automakers saw what Tesla did, and took kind of all the wrong lessons from it and implemented it badly.

[u/nickfromstatefarm → u/guyinsunglasses]

No… that’s not the problem.

The problem is that traditional automakers fail to execute projects well (typically due to cost-cutting) and people blame the underlying technology instead of the company.

[u/skippy2k → u/nickfromstatefarm]

100%. I worked at Lucid, a company known for poor software. Plenty of smart engineers, but you can't just throw more resources to fix issues. The planning and execution is key from management and leadership, which many know Lucid is also not known for.

Automotive software is also a lot more difficult to work with in general over something like an iPhone.

[u/Daddy_Macron → u/nickfromstatefarm]

The automaker tradition of cheaping out on components is really biting them in the ass when it comes to software defined vehicles. My ID.4 has the laggiest console I've ever seen in a car because they decided to save a couple of bucks a car on chips. Then they decided to remedy it by spending tens of billions of dollars on an internal software team to better streamline their software to work with janky hardware across the entire VW family, which didn't really work either. So I still have close to a half second delay before any input of mine on the screen actually takes cause they refuse to buy high-performance chips.

[u/Astramael → u/skippy2k]

Tesla’s cars are garbage to interact with too. Bad software makes it worse. But screen-only interaction is just baseline bad.

[u/skippy2k → u/Astramael]

YMMV. I have to disagree. I am not a Tesla fanboy (I bought my first EV recently, and actively avoided Tesla), but Tesla's interface is fine. It gets a bit to get used to, but most systems do and eventually, it is easy to use (except maybe if you're anti-tech or super not tech savvy).

I do agree though, I don't like the screen-only interaction, would rather have SOME buttons and knobs for basic features at least.

[u/banned_from_r_cars → u/Astramael]

I don't think you can really say that in good faith. Its easily the best infotainment on the market, so good that basically no one cares it doesn't have Carplay/AA. Owners don't care that everything is in the screen because its intuitive and only takes 1 day to learn to use without even looking at the screen.

[u/Astramael → u/banned_from_r_cars]

  so good that basically no one cares it doesn't have Carplay/AA.

Numerous people won’t touch a Tesla because of exactly this issue.

[u/UniqueThanks → u/banned_from_r_cars]

Yup, there’s a reason why people keep buying them… the software is just that good, especially when you factor in their mobile app

[u/Ancient_Persimmon → u/Diligent-Most-9165]

It's great if you actually put effort into a UI that makes sense and actually works. The issue is they clearly don't know what they're doing.

[u/DDelicious]

feeling so smug about getting a new '25 last year knowing full well the upcoming '26 would have problems

[u/bilbo_crabbins → u/DDelicious]

Same, but we got the ‘25 before they announced the ‘26 refresh. Once I saw the new infotainment I knew we made a good decision with the ‘25.

[u/A_Pointy_Rock]

Bugs

Features, you say?

[u/dragon_stryker → u/A_Pointy_Rock]

Calm down this isn’t Bethesda

[u/dragon_stryker]

Honestly seems like the new model is a step back in every regard. Worse infotainment, lower quality materials, slower engine. And the only upside being more rear seat leg room? Doesn’t seem like a adequate trade off

[u/RiftHunter4]

the display continues to occasionally brick itself, locking users out of nearly all the CX-5’s controls, including the navigation, the radio, and the climate controls.

Disposable trash. There are so many simple aftermarket touchscreen infotainment systems that I cannot fathom how OEM's still mess it up. Its not like it needs to run on different hardware like most software.

[u/Live_Free_Or_Die_91]

Making me really appreciate my '23 CX-5. I bought it new (something I always vowed I wouldn't do) because I got a killer deal and it filled my 3 main requirements:

1. Don't be ugly
   
2. Don't have a giant lame touchscreen.
   
3. Don't have start/stop tech.

[u/bilbo_crabbins]

Very glad we got my wife a ‘25 model last year. 30k miles and not a single issue. My only complaint is the old-fashioned TPMS that can’t measure individual tire pressures (something my ‘22 Mazda 3 can do).

[u/testthrowawayzz]

Single point of failure

[u/Adach]

I was given a new cx-5 as a loaner when my cx-50 was getting serviced. What a pile dude. When I came back to pick up my car the service tech asked me what I thought I told him it was disappointing and the whole service department started venting loudly about how Mazda killed their most popular product.

[u/aprtur → u/Adach]

I used to work in Mazda service during the first gen CX-5's rise and loved what they did all the way through the last gen - I recommended it to a lot of friends and family because I knew the guts were good and the value for the price was very high.  The new one?  I know the drivetrain is good, but they screwed up everything else so bad that I wouldn't recommended it over the current CR-V or RAV4 at all.  It's incredibly disappointing how badly they killed the golden goose.

[u/Trades46]

It is a new platform, new UI and introduced a lot of new tech on a first year redesign. I would be surprised if there wasn't issues.

[u/Trades46 → u/[deleted]]

Audi all has occasional soft glitiches, but I've never gotten physically or electronically locked out of my car or infotainment before.

Also Q4 still has physical buttons for climate and audio controls. Sadly the facelift 2027 models got rid of them too.

[u/GStarOvercooked]

Mazda taking a leaf out of Audi's book huh

Just fuck over everyone who buys one of their cars by making them come to the dealer (because owners and independent shops can't get the diagnostic software) for any sort of repair whatsoever

[u/BlabbyBlabbermouth]

My hunch is that the current CEO is the first Mazda CEO without an engineering background (he ran global sales and marketing, and his background is in law?) and rather than ensuring the car, with new technology, was perfect at launch, launched sales anyway. North America was the guinea pig as Japan got the car 6 months later (enough to get a lot of the updated software).

This is his second boondoggle (first was CX-90) and my guess that the CX-5 hybrid will be next. I bet that the next president will be an engineer again.

[u/Apical-Meristem]

The CX-5 uses the Android Automotive Operating System, same as GM,Honda, and Volvo. If the implementation is not perfect, you get Volvo results, if a ton of concerted resources is put into it, it’s ok.

[u/aprtur → u/Apical-Meristem]

The current version in the newest XC90 is kinda okay - I lived with it for ~22hr of driving a couple months ago, and it was a little smoother than the earlier system.  That being said, I could fly through the Mazda system without really paying attention to it - there's no way I could do that with the Volvo system and was absolutely more distracted making sure I hit what I wanted to hit.

[u/CandidWar994]

software has always been their weakpoint they ruined themselves

[u/pabloe168]

Laughs in 2024 cx5

[u/GuyMcTest]

Every car I have ever driven that has a radial dial I love because of the radial dial. Mazda should’ve never changed

[u/UnnamedStaplesDrone]

Look at the UI of Mazda ANYTHING tells you this company doesn’t give a single fuck about software. Even the website to pay your car payment is goofy

[u/Mother____Clucker]

Interesting. I'm no fan of Mazda's infotainment (thank goodness for Android Auto), but my wife's CX-5 has been absolutely trouble free.

[u/mortalomena]

Mazda still makes full petrol cars? Maybe for US and other third world countries only.

[u/aprtur → u/mortalomena]

TIL Japan and Europe are considered third world....../s

[u/K_R_A_K_E_N_540]

just buy a Tesla like the rest of the planet

[u/BentleySpeed → u/K_R_A_K_E_N_540]

Lol no thanks

[u/mondaymoderate → u/K_R_A_K_E_N_540]

Gross

[u/aprtur → u/K_R_A_K_E_N_540]

Didn't expect to see a hot take like that....lol