The Lemon Index
The 2.5 L inline-4 in the Mazda CX-5, Mazda3 and Mazda6, model years 2014–2025. Owners filed 2,631 complaints about cars with it (matched by VIN); 22% name the engine, #16 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most).
Known issues, checked against owner complaints
Problems owners of cars with this engine name much more often than owners of the other 38 everyday engines we track (at least 1.5× the median, and 10+ complaints):
- Oil consumption. 72 of 2,631 owner complaints (2.7%) mention burning or losing oil, against a median of 0.5% for the other 38 everyday engines we track.
Cracked cylinder head- factory defect, causing oil to leak onto exhaust manifold. Smoke fills engine bay and cab through air vents, very high concern of engine bay fire. 2018 Mazda cx5 non turbo 2.5 sky active engine. Mazda knows of this defect and will not proved remedy.
2018 owner · NHTSA complaint 11769986
Also often talked about, but not standing out in complaints to NHTSA: cylinder deactivation (18 of 2,631, 0.7%, peers under 0.1%). That doesn't mean it never happens, only that owners rarely file it with the government.
What YouTube owners say Tone 0-100, higher = more praise than trouble.
Average owner tone 47/100 across 12 model years, from 165 videos about this engine and its cars (#95 of 165 engines with a YouTube study).
Most-watched videos
- Mazda 6 Wagon 2015 moose test [Good result] 2,564,138 views
- Mazda 6 2020 in-depth review | carwow Reviews 2,315,971 views
- Mazda CX-5 v Hyundai Tucson v Kia Sportage - which is the best affordable SUV? 2,157,290 views
- Mazda CX-5 | Brutally Honest Long Term OWNER Review 1,931,045 views
- The CX-5 is One of The Best Mazda Models! Is it Getting Old For 2023? 940,003 views
Counted from video titles and captions: praise words against trouble words, weighted by views. Videos only count when the title names this engine or a car that had only this engine in those years.
Cars with this engine Tap a year for that car's full report.
- Mazda CX-5201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
- Mazda3201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
- Mazda620142015201620172018
Model years from NHTSA VIN decoding of owner complaints. Only years we have a car page for.
Owner complaints by model year
Counts of complaints filed so far. Older cars have had longer to collect them, and popular cars draw more because more were sold: no one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car rate. Compare the shares below instead.
By car
| Car | Model years matched | Complaints | Name the engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mazda CX-5 | 2014–25 | 1,919 | 25% |
| Mazda3 | 2014–25 | 368 | 11% |
| Mazda6 | 2014–21 | 344 | 15% |
“Name the engine” = the share of that car's VIN-matched complaints that list the engine as a problem area.
What owners complain about
Share of this engine's complaints that name each area (one complaint can name several).
What owners write
| Complaints that | Count | Share | Median, other everyday engines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Say the engine stalled, shut off or lost power | 282 | 11% | 14% |
| Mention fire, flames or smoke | 191 | 7.3% | 3.2% |
| Mention an oil leak | 172 | 6.5% | 0.5% |
| Say the engine knocked, seized or failed | 77 | 2.9% | 2.7% |
| Mention coolant loss or overheating | 73 | 2.8% | 1.2% |
| Mention burning or losing oil | 72 | 2.7% | 0.5% |
| Mention the turbo | 36 | 1.4% | under 0.1% |
| Mention a lifter, rocker or ticking | 23 | 0.9% | 0.3% |
| Mention cylinder deactivation (AFM / DFM / VCM / MDS) | 18 | 0.7% | under 0.1% |
| Mention a head gasket | 17 | 0.6% | 0.1% |
Counted from the owner's own words in each complaint (all of the car, not only the engine). A share, not a failure rate.
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 7,500 and 54,900 miles; the middle report was at 29,950 miles (1,128 complaints with a mileage).
Recalls that name this engine 1
14V173000 Apr 2014 Electrical System Mazda6 2014, 2015; Mazda3 2014
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Mazda3 vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through December 18, 2013, and model year 2014-2015 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured May 20, 2013, through December 4, 2013, and both equipped with a 2.5L engine and a regenerative engine braking system. When driving the affected vehicles in heavy rain or in deep puddles, the alternator belt may slip causing the Power Control module (PCM) to incorrectly assume failure of the charging system.
Fix. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on May 19, 2014. Owners may contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 7314D.
NHTSA recalls on these cars and model years whose text names this engine (its size or name). The rest (brakes, air bags, wiring ...) are on each car year's page.
In owners' words
Cylinder head cracked. Leaking oil all over engine exhaust and everything below. Severe fire hazard.
2019 owner · NHTSA complaint 11777312
Three times, last time 3 days after expensive rebuild, clutch hydraulic! Llnkage failed, burning out clutch. Clutch master cylinder also controls braking, very bad design. Most have separate master cylinders. Braking impacts clutch! State lemon law should apply.
2025 owner · NHTSA complaint 11776571
Cracker cylinder head at only 68,000 miles on it. No warning came on, only reason we knew it started was oil leaking really bad
2018 owner · NHTSA complaint 11775519
Against the other everyday engines
| Engine | Years | Complaints | Name the engine | Stalled or lost power | Burning oil | Recalls naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 EcoBoost | 2014–25 | 5,622 | 66% | 15% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 6.2 V8 (Gen V) | 2014–25 | 7,219 | 65% | 24% | 2.2% | 2 |
| 2.4 Theta II | 2010–22 | 21,551 | 51% | 20% | 8.1% | 8 |
| 2.4 Ecotec | 2010–17 | 6,096 | 51% | 21% | 18% | 0 |
| 3.0 EcoDiesel | 2014–23 | 2,871 | 50% | 24% | 0.2% | 7 |
| 3.3 Lambda II | 2013–21 | 3,254 | 50% | 17% | 5.9% | 2 |
| 2.0 EcoBoost | 2012–25 | 9,735 | 48% | 12% | 0.1% | 0 |
| 2.0T Theta II | 2011–22 | 3,325 | 44% | 18% | 4.8% | 2 |
| 1.4 Turbo | 2011–22 | 3,926 | 39% | 17% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 2.4 Tigershark | 2014–22 | 9,631 | 35% | 34% | 4.5% | 5 |
| 1.5 Turbo | 2016–25 | 4,471 | 33% | 27% | 0.3% | 1 |
| EA888 2.0T | 2009–25 | 7,443 | 29% | 16% | 3.7% | 5 |
| A25A | 2018–25 | 2,979 | 26% | 12% | under 0.1% | 1 |
| 1.5 Turbo | 2017–22 | 6,390 | 26% | 14% | 0.2% | 0 |
| J35 V6 | 2003–25 | 24,038 | 24% | 14% | 0.9% | 4 |
| Skyactiv-G 2.5 | 2014–25 | 2,631 | 22% | 11% | 2.7% | 1 |
| 2.7 Turbo | 2019–25 | 1,090 | 22% | 12% | 0.5% | 0 |
| 2AZ-FE | 2001–09 | 7,176 | 22% | 3.7% | 8.6% | 0 |
| 5.4 Triton | 2005–14 | 3,952 | 21% | 15% | 0.1% | 3 |
| 5.7 HEMI | 2003–24 | 23,895 | 19% | 23% | 0.1% | 6 |
| QR25DE | 2002–20 | 16,161 | 19% | 14% | 1.5% | 4 |
| 5.3 V8 (Gen V) | 2014–25 | 13,191 | 18% | 13% | 0.5% | 3 |
| 3.6 Pentastar | 2011–25 | 34,634 | 18% | 16% | 0.4% | 9 |
| 2.3 EcoBoost | 2015–25 | 3,975 | 16% | 9.9% | 0.1% | 12 |
| 3.8 Lambda II | 2020–25 | 4,423 | 16% | 8.0% | 5.6% | 0 |
| FB20 | 2012–25 | 2,336 | 15% | 8.2% | 1.7% | 0 |
| 3.6 V6 | 2009–23 | 14,214 | 14% | 14% | 0.1% | 1 |
| K24 | 2002–19 | 15,062 | 14% | 5.1% | 1.6% | 0 |
| 2GR-FKS | 2016–24 | 3,758 | 12% | 11% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 3.5 Cyclone V6 | 2007–19 | 21,313 | 12% | 11% | 0.1% | 0 |
| VQ35 V6 | 2002–25 | 12,613 | 12% | 11% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 3UR-FE | 2007–21 | 1,377 | 12% | 8.8% | 0.4% | 0 |
| FB25 | 2011–25 | 9,853 | 11% | 6.2% | 1.5% | 0 |
| 2AR-FE | 2009–18 | 4,673 | 11% | 6.6% | 1.3% | 1 |
| 2GR-FE | 2005–18 | 8,680 | 10% | 3.5% | 0.3% | 0 |
| 3.8 V6 | 2007–11 | 7,877 | 9% | 17% | 0.5% | 0 |
| 5.3 V8 (Gen IV) | 2007–14 | 9,241 | 8% | 4.5% | 1.3% | 0 |
| 1GR-FE | 2003–24 | 5,757 | 7% | 4.0% | under 0.1% | 0 |
| 4.8 V8 | 2007–13 | 726 | 6% | 4.8% | 0.1% | 0 |
Shares of each engine's own complaints, matched by VIN. They show what owners complain about, not how often engines break.
Quick answers
Is the Mazda Skyactiv-G 2.5 reliable?
No one reports sales by engine, so there's no per-car score. Of the 2,631 complaints owners filed about cars with it, 22% name the engine, #16 of the 39 everyday engines we track (1 = the most). 72 (2.7%) mention burning or losing oil, against 0.5% for the other engines.
What cars have the Mazda Skyactiv-G 2.5?
In our data: the Mazda CX-5, Mazda3 and Mazda6, model years 2014–2025, matched by the VIN in each owner complaint.
What are the most common Skyactiv-G 2.5 problems?
In owner complaints to the government: engine, electrical, brakes.
How many recalls name the Skyactiv-G 2.5?
1 NHTSA recall on these cars names it.
Complaints: NHTSA owner complaints filed under each car's own NHTSA names (the same ones its car pages count), all years filed, one per complaint number. Engine: decoded from the complaint's VIN with NHTSA's vPIC decoder (displacement, cylinders, engine model, turbo, hybrid) and the engine maker's model years; a VIN that doesn't decode to exactly one engine is left out. Older cars have had more years to collect complaints, and popular cars draw more because more were sold. Source: NHTSA owner complaints (FLAT_CMPL + COMPLAINTS_RECEIVED_2025-2026), received through 20261111; engines: NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder (batch); NHTSA recalls API. Engine names and model years: Mazda.