2012 Mazda CX-7 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other CX-7 years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 6th of 7 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 39 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Mazda CX-7. That ranks 6th out of 7 CX-7 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (14 complaints, 36%), typically at around 88,000 miles. Complaints mention 4 crashes, 2 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 39owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 4complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Mazda CX-7 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 14 | 36% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 12 | 31% | 119,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 18% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 5 | 13% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 8% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 8% | 106,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 8% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 5% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 5% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 5% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 5% | 50,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 3% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% | 14,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 3% | 123,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Mazda CX-7 recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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 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.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been 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 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6, 2011-2012 CX-7, and 2011-2015 CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Mazda6, 2010-2012 CX-7, and 2010-2015 CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these 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.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2012 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 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), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Mazda is recalling certain 2009 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Mazda is recalling certain 2007-2008 CX-7 and CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began October 4, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 17V-012.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint
Problem: 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 snowy roads that have been treated, the ball joint may corrode and separate from the lower control arm, resulting in a loss of steering control.
Risk: A loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. As a priority, Mazda will first address all affected 2007-2008 vehicles as well as 2009-2011 vehicles currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia. West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The remaining vehicles will be addressed as parts are available. The recall began September 20, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9716H.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
No matter the bulbs I use, the headlights are always dim. This is incredibly unsafe for night driving.
There is excessive rust on this MAZDA. We drive in NYC, and i believe due to the close proximity to the ocean this Mazda was not properly prepared.
The headlights are too dim for safe night driving. Bulbs also fail yearly. This is a common problem reported with 2012 MAZDA CX7
The vehicle would not start, would stall out and turn off while driving. The driver's side window will not move up or down. The car would start with jumper cables, idle for a few minutes, then go completely dead, no lights, no buzz, no nothing as soon as it was put into reverse. The car has a new…
No accidents has happened, but the low beam headlights keep blowing out. I have to have them replaced every 3-6 months. Obviously there is a problem. Upon doing search on internet, i notice several complaints on this problem. Lights are not cheap and very frustrating when you are driving at night…
Other Mazda CX-7 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 CX-7 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 39 | 4 |
| 2011 CX-7 | 153 | 4 |
| 2010 CX-7 | 155 | 5 |
| 2009 CX-7 | 65 | 5 |
| 2008 CX-7 | 191 | 4 |
| 2007 CX-7 | 528 | 4 |
See all Mazda CX-7 problems by year, every Mazda model, or the Mazda VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Mazda CX-7?
Owners most often report suspension, air bags, exterior lighting problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 14 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Mazda CX-7?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Mazda CX-7 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other CX-7 model years, the 2012 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.