Toyota Highlander vs Mazda CX-5: Which Years to Avoid
Toyota Highlander years to avoid are 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023; Mazda CX-5 years to avoid are 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019. Highlander logs 4,713 total complaints and 47 recall campaigns across 21 model years versus CX-5's 2,430 complaints and 8 recalls over 14 years. The CX-5 averages better fuel economy at 26.5 mpg combined versus 21.4 mpg for the Highlander.
Head to head
Toyota Highlander
- Model years
- 2005–2025 (21)
- NHTSA complaints
- 4,713
- Per model year
- 224
- Recall campaigns
- 47
- Years to avoid
- 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- Best years
- 2014, 2016, 2024, 2025
- Top problem area
- Transmission & Powertrain
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 21.4
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 4.8 ★
Mazda CX-5
- Model years
- 2012–2025 (14)
- NHTSA complaints
- 2,430
- Per model year
- 174
- Recall campaigns
- 8
- Years to avoid
- 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
- Best years
- 2017, 2022, 2024
- Top problem area
- Engine
- Avg. EPA combined MPG
- 26.5
- Avg. NHTSA overall rating
- 4.8 ★
Year by year
Complaint Index is relative within each model (0 = that model’s best year, 100 = its worst). Complaints and recalls are raw counts.
| Year | Highlander | CX-5 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | MPG | |
| 2005 | Good | 224 | 6 | 20 | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | Caution | 277 | 7 | 19.5 | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Good | 123 | 4 | 19.5 | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Avoid | 404 | 11 | 19.5 | — | — | — | — |
| 2009 | Caution | 134 | 9 | 20 | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Caution | 216 | 10 | 20 | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Good | 181 | 5 | 20 | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | Good | 182 | 2 | 20 | No verdict | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | Good | 207 | 3 | 20 | Good | 194 | 1 | 28 |
| 2014 | Best | 135 | 4 | 21 | Avoid | 377 | 3 | 27 |
| 2015 | Caution | 192 | 1 | 21 | Good | 133 | 3 | 27 |
| 2016 | Best | 110 | 2 | 21 | Avoid | 510 | 4 | 29 |
| 2017 | Caution | 267 | 3 | 22.5 | Best | 148 | 1 | 26.5 |
| 2018 | Caution | 265 | 4 | 22.5 | Avoid | 349 | 3 | 28 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 482 | 3 | 22.5 | Avoid | 270 | 2 | 27 |
| 2020 | Avoid | 315 | 4 | 23 | Caution | 106 | 0 | 26 |
| 2021 | Avoid | 517 | 4 | 23 | Caution | 146 | 0 | 25.5 |
| 2022 | Avoid | 249 | 5 | 23 | Best | 63 | 0 | 25 |
| 2023 | Avoid | 181 | 9 | 24 | Caution | 62 | 0 | 25 |
| 2024 | Best | 42 | 7 | 24 | Best | 44 | 0 | 25 |
| 2025 | Best | 10 | 4 | 24 | Good | 27 | 0 | 25 |
Complaint Index by year
Toyota Highlander
Mazda CX-5
Frequently asked questions
- Which Toyota Highlander years should I avoid?
- NHTSA data flags 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 as Avoid years. 2021 has the highest complaint index at 100 with 517 complaints, and 2019 follows close behind at index 95 with 482 complaints.
- Which Mazda CX-5 years should I avoid?
- NHTSA data flags 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019 as Avoid years. 2016 has the worst complaint index at 100 with 510 complaints, including 31 crashes and 10 fires reported.
- Does the Highlander or CX-5 have more recalls?
- The Highlander has 47 total recall campaigns across 21 model years while the CX-5 has 8 across 14 years, so the Highlander has logged more recall activity.
- Which gets better fuel economy, the Highlander or CX-5?
- The CX-5 averages 26.5 mpg combined versus 21.4 mpg for the Highlander across the years covered in this data.
- Are these complaint totals adjusted for how many were sold?
- No. NHTSA publishes no sales data, so these totals are not normalized per vehicle sold and can't be used to compare rates directly.