2005 Mazda Mazda6 Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Caution The 2005 Mazda Mazda6 has a Complaint Index of 50 and ranks 9th of 17 model years, earning a Caution verdict. Airbags account for 52% of its 147 complaints, and 3 do-not-drive recalls cover frontal and side airbag inflators.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 50/100
- #9 of 17 Mazda6 years
- Verdict
- Caution
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 147
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 3
- 3 Do Not Drive
- Crashes
- 12
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 5
- Injuries
- 10
- Top issue
- Airbags
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 21
- 18.5 city / 25.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 10 / 0
Top 2005 Mazda Mazda6 problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Airbags76 (52%)
- Engine20 (14%)
- Electrical System19 (13%)
- Transmission & Powertrain19 (13%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires8 (5%)
- Brakes7 (5%)
- Other7 (5%)
- Structure & Body7 (5%)
- Visibility & Wipers3 (2%)
- HVAC2 (1%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Frontal or side airbags fail to deploy in moderate-to-high speed crashes, including a t-bone and a rollover.
- Vehicles catch fire near the B-post or while parked, in one case spreading to a nearby apartment building.
- Headlamps melt from heat buildup and intermittently fail, sometimes replaced more than once under warranty.
- Seat mounting pins shear off in a rear-end collision, letting front seats slide forward and causing injury.
- Transmission drops gears on its own and shifts harshly, sometimes requiring a software recalibration.
- An engine failed and needed replacement shortly after purchase, at low mileage.
2005 Mazda Mazda6 recalls
3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 19V781000Oct 31, 2019Airbags47,006 vehiclesDo Not Drive
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2005 MPV, 2004 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 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 degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V130, 14V362, 14V773 and 15V869.
- NHTSA 18V402000Jun 15, 2018Airbags308,591 vehiclesDo Not Drive
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 and 2004 MPV vehicles nationwide. Mazda is also recalling 2005-2006 MPV vehicles in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. On July 9, 2019 this recall was expanded to include certain 2004-2011 RX-8 vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-354 but have not yet been repaired. 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 event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018. Mailing to the affected RX-8 owners began July 6, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: With the addition of the RX-8 vehicles, this recall fully supersedes recall 16V354.
- NHTSA 17V474000Jul 26, 2017Airbags308,992 vehiclesDo Not Drive
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2008 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on September 12, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1417G. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V-382.
2005 Mazda Mazda6 fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 18.5 MPG
- Highway
- 25.5 MPG
- Combined
- 21 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $3,100
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2005 compared with other Mazda6 years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2005 Mazda Mazda6 reliable?
- NHTSA data give it a Complaint Index of 50, ranking 9th out of 17 model years, with a Caution verdict based on owner complaints and recalls.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2005 Mazda Mazda6?
- Airbags are the top complaint area, making up 52% of the 147 complaints, with issues including non-deployment and inflator defects that led to 3 do-not-drive recalls.
- Does the 2005 Mazda Mazda6 have a recall?
- Yes, it has 3 recalls, all do-not-drive campaigns tied to defective frontal and side airbag inflators.
- What mileage do problems typically show up at on the 2005 Mazda6?
- The median mileage at failure across all complaints is 58,000, though airbag-related failures show a higher median of 88,000 miles.
- How does the 2005 Mazda6 compare to other years?
- Its Complaint Index of 50 is better than 2007-2011 (rated Avoid, indexes 75-100) but worse than 2015-2021, which mostly earn Good or Best verdicts.