MAZDA CX-7 · model year

2011 MAZDA CX-7

199 NHTSA complaints, 10 crash reports, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2011MAZDACX-7 carries 199 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 10 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2011 CX-7 is suspension with 50 filings, followed by air bags (41) and exterior lighting (37). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 21 investigation files overlapping the 2011 CX-7, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

199
Complaints
10
Crashes
0
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

199 filings

Crashes Reported

10 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SUSPENSION50
AIR BAGS41
EXTERIOR LIGHTING37
STEERING16
POWER TRAIN7
UNKNOWN OR OTHER6
ENGINE5
SERVICE BRAKES5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5
VISIBILITY/WIPER4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
STRUCTURE:BODY3
WHEELS3
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2

Recalls (4)

19V78200031/10/2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012 CX-7, CX-9, and 2009-2012 Maza6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant deg

17V42900029/06/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Mazda6, and 2007-2011 CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the

18V71700012/10/2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan),

16V59300011/08/2016

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Mazda CX-7 vehicles manufactured February 14, 2006, to May 9, 2012. In the affected vehicles, water may enter the front suspension ball joint fittings. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as from driving on

Recent Complaints

20260105EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Mazda has messed up headlights and it is very dangerous. I have to drive with high beams on continuously! The low beams point straight down to the road, looks like even with the bumper, you cannot see anything. It looks like you don’t have lights on. Took it to dealer and they say it’s the housing and it’s a Mazda thing and don’t do anything to fix it. I have tried every bulb available for Mazda and nothing helps. They need to fix this. I see SEVERAL owners with the same complaints! Please don’t overlook this as it is very dangerous and may cause deaths.

20251127AIR BAGS

My mechanic told me to check with Mazda as there might be a recall that has not been taken care of yet. I called Mazda and they told me there were 3 recalls (2 of which my mechanic already fixed) and the airbag recall. Told me not to drive, but would not provide any vehicle to use and would not set an appointment until December 8th, 2025.

20250310AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2011 Mazda CX-7. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V429000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact called an independent mechanic, but no assistance was provided. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer declined to tow the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20240930EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I can not see at night. I have replaced the bulbs several times, and tried the most expensive bulbs. Nothing helps. You can only see with the high beams on, and that’s not safe for other drivers

20240814AIR BAGS

Recall on air bag throwing metal

20240813AIR BAGS

I called Mazda to report that my air bag warning light came on and they told me it had been replaced on Jan 8, 2019 and was not under recall. Not sure what to do as light stays on all the time while driving.

20240414EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The headlights are UNSAFE! Extremely dim. We have replaced the bulbs and gotten great LED lights but the issue is still there. Sometimes I feel like my lights aren’t even on but they are, I cannot see. Please can you fix this. They just keep getting worse. I would have to drive with high beams on just to be safe. I don’t drive at night in my car if I don’t absolutely need to because of this issue.

20240213VISIBILITY/WIPER

During a rainy evening I could not see with the wipers on max speed and the headlights on low beam. I couldn't see the road unless a car was in front of me or I turn on my high beams. My son was in the car with me and several times I had to go at a crawling speed and still barely stayed on the road because of low visibilty. This has happened more than once and I feel unsafe driving now because I feel like I'm driving with no lights on at all these days without rain and rain makes it 10x worse.

20240213EXTERIOR LIGHTING

During a rainy evening I could not see with the wipers on max speed and the headlights on low beam. I couldn't see the road unless a car was in front of me or I turn on my high beams. My son was in the car with me and several times I had to go at a crawling speed and still barely stayed on the road because of low visibilty. This has happened more than once and I feel unsafe driving now because I feel like I'm driving with no lights on at all these days without rain and rain makes it 10x worse.

20230222EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Just bought this car used and the very first night I realized that the headlights are very very very dim. After online research, it seems this is a common issue with make model&year.

20230216EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Low beam headlights are so poor that they barely illuminate the roadway when driving at night. I've replaced them with Sylvania Silverstar Max bulbs as well as tried LED bulbs and neither help. Makes the car almost worthless to drive at night due to the limited visibility. It has slowly gotten worse since my purchase of the vehicle in 2016.

20230216VISIBILITY/WIPER

Low beam headlights are so poor that they barely illuminate the roadway when driving at night. I've replaced them with Sylvania Silverstar Max bulbs as well as tried LED bulbs and neither help. Makes the car almost worthless to drive at night due to the limited visibility. It has slowly gotten worse since my purchase of the vehicle in 2016.

20220824LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Transmission went out at 150,232 Also car has a lot blond spots

20220824ENGINE

Transmission went out at 150,232 Also car has a lot blond spots

20220824UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Transmission went out at 150,232 Also car has a lot blond spots

20211126EXTERIOR LIGHTING

We purchased a set of headlights and taillights via Amazon from Perde on 12/8/20 after verifying they would fit the vehicle-confirmed with the description provided online. The product that was delivered is defective and presents a fire/electrical safety concern. We installed them, which we had issues initially with the turn signals. While we worked to figure that piece out, we left in the new ones as the ones we had to replace were in worse shape. About a month after they were installed we noticed the headlights weren't working so replaced the bulbs-one of which appeared to be burned/melted. We thought this was a fluke, replaced the bulbs and this worked for a little while. Then about another month passes, my son was pulled over by the police due to both taillights being out. This also presents a safety issue with other drivers on the road not being able to see the vehicle at night. When we inspected the taillights, we found that both taillights bulbs had also burned/melted and

20211109EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Low beam headlights burn out every 6 months, no matter the quality of bulb. Casings are discolored on the inside and light doesn't project beyond about 4 feet, doesn't reach the car bumper in front of me. Cannot be corrected with lens cleaning kits or improved with brighter bulbs. Very dangerous. I cannot see in low light or dark at all. I've had this car since 2013 and it gets progressively worse. Many forums online with same issue reported.

20210303AIR BAGS

THIRD OWNER OF VEHICLE. GOT A NOTICE FROM NHTSA AND MAZDA DUE TO REGISTRATION OF NEW TO US VEHICLE ON FEBRUARY 25, 2021. SET UP APPOINTMENT ON FEBRUARY 26, 2021 WITH NELSON MAZDA OF COOL SPRINGS FOR 10:15 A.M. ON MARCH 3, 2021. I INFORMED THE PERSON THAT THERE WERE TWO RECALLS, BUT I ONLY WANTED THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL DONE BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY REPLACED THE BAD PARTS ON THE OTHER RECALL WITH FAR SUPERIOR AFTERMARKET PARTS AND THEREFORE DIDN'T NEED/WANT THE OTHER RECALL WHICH WAS FOR DEFECTIVE BALL JOINTS. MY WIFE DROPPED OFF THE VEHICLE FOR THE AIRBAG RECALL. THEY INFORMED US A LITTLE WHILE LATER THAT WE HAD TO GET BOTH RECALLS DONE OR THEY COULDN'T DO EITHER BECAUSE THEY WOULD GET FINED BY MAZDA. I TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT I ALREADY REPAIRED THE BALL JOINT ISSUE TO MY LIKING AND THAT THE BAD PARTS WERE NO LONGER ON THE VEHICLE. I WOULD SIGN OFF ON IT. HE SAID THEY COULDN'T DO EITHER. I ASKED HIM IF WAS THE REFUSING TO DO THE AIRBAG RECALL THAT HAS PROVEN TO BE DEADLY AND SEND M

Mileage: 241,000

20200625AIR BAGS

TOOK MY CAR TO GET A ALIGNMENT DUE TO THE SHAKING OF THE WHEEL WHEN COMING TO A STOP, WHEN TAKING MY CAR TO BE LOOK AT, I WAS ADVISED THAT THE CONTROL ARM OF MY CAR WAS BAD, IN WHICH I WASN'T AWARE OF. ON MAY 1ST I HAD THE CONTROL ARM REPLACED. NOW I RECEIVED LETTERS AN CALLS ABOUT THE AIRBAG RECALL. ON JUNE 15TH TOOK MY CAR TO JAKE SWEENEY MAZDA AFTER RECEIVING A CALL ABOUT THE RECALL. WHILE IN THE WAITING ROOM WAITING FOR THE AIRBAG TO BE REPAIRED, THE SERVICE PERSON [XXX] CAME BACK OUT AND TOLD ME THAT I HAD ANOTHER RECALL FOR THE LOWER CONTROL ARM OF THE CAR, IN WHICH I JUST HAD REPAIRED ON MAY 1ST, UNAWARE OF THE RECALL, WHICH I FOUND OUT ON JUNE 15TH. AFTER EXPLAINING TO THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED, HE TOLD ME THAT HE NEEDED TO STILL FIX WHAT HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE, WITH THE UPDATED PARTS. ON JUNE 16TH, I SUBMITTED MY REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST ON JUNE 18TH I RECEIVED AN E-MAIL BACK STATING THAT ALL REPAIRS DONE BY THIRD PARTY WOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY. I TRIED CALLING AND SPEAKING WITH AN

20200625UNKNOWN OR OTHER

TOOK MY CAR TO GET A ALIGNMENT DUE TO THE SHAKING OF THE WHEEL WHEN COMING TO A STOP, WHEN TAKING MY CAR TO BE LOOK AT, I WAS ADVISED THAT THE CONTROL ARM OF MY CAR WAS BAD, IN WHICH I WASN'T AWARE OF. ON MAY 1ST I HAD THE CONTROL ARM REPLACED. NOW I RECEIVED LETTERS AN CALLS ABOUT THE AIRBAG RECALL. ON JUNE 15TH TOOK MY CAR TO JAKE SWEENEY MAZDA AFTER RECEIVING A CALL ABOUT THE RECALL. WHILE IN THE WAITING ROOM WAITING FOR THE AIRBAG TO BE REPAIRED, THE SERVICE PERSON [XXX] CAME BACK OUT AND TOLD ME THAT I HAD ANOTHER RECALL FOR THE LOWER CONTROL ARM OF THE CAR, IN WHICH I JUST HAD REPAIRED ON MAY 1ST, UNAWARE OF THE RECALL, WHICH I FOUND OUT ON JUNE 15TH. AFTER EXPLAINING TO THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED, HE TOLD ME THAT HE NEEDED TO STILL FIX WHAT HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE, WITH THE UPDATED PARTS. ON JUNE 16TH, I SUBMITTED MY REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST ON JUNE 18TH I RECEIVED AN E-MAIL BACK STATING THAT ALL REPAIRS DONE BY THIRD PARTY WOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY. I TRIED CALLING AND SPEAKING WITH AN

Compare 2011MAZDACX-7 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2011 MAZDA CX-7 have?
The 2011 MAZDA CX-7 has 199 NHTSA complaints, 10 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2011 MAZDA CX-7?
The 2011 MAZDA CX-7 received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2011 MAZDA CX-7?
Yes, the 2011 MAZDA CX-7 has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2011 MAZDA CX-7?
The most-complained component for the 2011 MAZDA CX-7 is SUSPENSION with 50 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and EXTERIOR LIGHTING.
Is the 2011 MAZDA CX-7 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2011 MAZDA CX-7 has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.