2016
New 2020
Used 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

Mazda 6 Change Vehicle

The Mazda6 provides a sporty alternative to the conventional humdrum midsized sedan. A coupe-like silhouette stands out with eye-catching looks. You probably won't be bored driving the car, either. Quick, responsive steering contributes to agile handling. But the 6 isn't all about flash.
Alerts
There is 1 recall on this vehicle. Learn More.
2016
New 2020
Used 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

Mazda 6

Reliability
See All
Owner Satisfaction
See All
Crash and Rollover Tests
IIHS Front Moderate Overlap Good
IIHS Front Small Overlap, Driver Good
IIHS Side Crash Good
NHTSA Frontal-Crash, Driver
NHTSA Frontal-Crash, Passenger
See All

Road Test Results

Performance
Acceleration Acceleration Acceleration tests are conducted on a smooth, flat pavement straightaway at the track. Time, speed, and distance measurements are taken with a precise GPS-based device that’s hooked to a data-logging computer.
0 to 60 mph 0 to 60 mph (sec.) The time in seconds that a vehicle takes to reach 60 mph from a standstill with the engine idling.
Transmission Transmission Transmission performance is determined by shifting smoothness, response, shifter action, and clutch actuation for manual transmissions.
Fuel Economy Fuel Economy We perform our own fuel-economy tests, independent of the government's often-quoted EPA figures and the manufacturers' claims. Using a precise fuel-flow measuring device spliced into the fuel line, we run two separate circuits to represent city and highway consumption.
CR's Overall Mileage CR's Overall Mileage CR's overall mileage is a composite of measured fuel usage on a prescribed city course and highway cruising; and CR's 150-mile test trip of mixed driving, if tested. In recent road tests, we've discontinued the 150-mile trip test.
CR's City Mileage CR's City Mileage Measured fuel usage on a prescribed city course.
CR's Highway Mileage CR's Highway Mileage Measured fuel usage on a prescribed highway cruising.
Annual Fuel Cost Annual Fuel Cost The cost and amount of fuel used in 12,000 miles and is calculated from CR's overall mileage.
Braking Braking The braking rating is a composite of wet and dry stopping distances and pedal feel. Braking distance is from 60 mph, with no wheels locked.
Emergency Handling Emergency Handling Several factors go into the rating, including the avoidance maneuver speed and confidence, as well as how the vehicle behaves when pushed to its limit,
Comfort / Convenience
Ride Ride Our expert judgment of how well the suspension isolates and absorbs road imperfections and how steady it keeps the body on various road surfaces.
Noise Noise Our expert judgment of the vehicle's interior noise level in everyday driving.
Front Seat Comfort Front Seat Comfort Our judgment of how comfortable the front seat is for drivers of various heights.
Rear Seat Comfort Rear Seat Comfort Our judgment of how comfortable the rear seat is for two passengers to sit across.
Interior Fit and Finish Interior Fit and Finish An expert evaluation of the interior quality and craftsmanship.
Trunk/Cargo Area Trunk/Cargo Area Our rating is based on the amount of luggage or cargo space that a vehicle has in the trunk or cargo area.

Owner Reports

Worse Better
Reliability History Reliability History The reliability charts are based on responses on hundreds of thousands of vehicles from our latest Annual Auto Survey. Consumer Reports subscribers reported on any serious problems they had with their vehicles during the past 12 months that they considered serious because of cost, failure, safety, or downtime, in any of the trouble spots included in the table below. The results are presented relative to the average model that year. Extra weight is given to the more serious areas such as major engine or transmission problems. Based on this data and further analysis, we predict reliability for the latest year. N/A indicates that we did not receive a large enough sample size to provide data for a specific year. An X indicates that the vehicle was not manufactured for a specific year.
2000
2001
2002
2003
NA
2004
NA
2005
NA
2006
NA
2007
NA
2008
NA
2009
2010
2011
NA
2012
NA
2013
NA
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
NA
Reliability Trouble Spots
Engine Major Engine Major Engine rebuild or replacement, cylinder head, head gasket, turbo or supercharger, timing chain or timing belt.
NA
Engine Minor Engine Minor Accessory belts and pulleys, engine computer, engine mounts, engine knock or ping, oil leaks.
NA
Engine Cooling Engine Cooling Radiator, cooling fan, antifreeze leaks, water pump, thermostat, overheating.
NA
Transmission Major Transmission Major Transmission rebuild or replacement, torque converter, clutch replacement.
NA
View all Reliability
Owner Satisfaction Owner Satisfaction To learn about satisfaction, CR has collected survey data from our annual survey on more than half a million vehicles. Our subscribers provide great insights into their satisfaction by answering one simple question: If they had it to do all over again, would they definitely buy or lease the same model? In addition, respondents also rate their cars in six categories: driving experience, comfort, value, styling, audio, and climate systems. N/A indicates that we did not receive a large enough sample size to provide data for a specific year. An X indicates that the vehicle was not manufactured for a specific year.
2000
2001
2002
2003
NA
2004
2005
NA
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
NA
Driving Experience Driving Experience Includes acceleration and handling
Comfort Comfort Includes seats, climate control, noise, and ride
Value Value Did you get what you wanted relative to the price you paid?
Styling Styling How it looks inside and out
View all Owner Satisfaction
Safety Equipment
ABS standard. ESC available from 2005, standard from 2009. Side and head protection air bags available, standard from 2007. Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking available from 2014.
Road Test

The Mazda6 provides a sporty alternative to the conventional humdrum midsized sedan. A coupe-like silhouette stands out with eye-catching looks. You probably won't be bored driving the car, either. Quick, responsive steering contributes to agile handling.

But the 6 isn't all about flash. Fuel economy is class-leading at 32 mpg overall thanks to the automaker's SkyActiv suite of fuel-saving engine and weight-reduction technologies. That's better than many small sedans. Acceleration doesn't suffer for fuel economy, with the 6 returning slightly-above average figures.

Seating
2 front, 3 rear
Drive Wheels
Front
Warranty

In most cases, automotive warranties are based on the vehicle identification number (VIN), and the warranty will be valid regardless of ownership. The dealership can tell you exactly how much warranty is left.

Read more about extended warranties
Body Styles
sedan
Transmissions Available
  • 6-speed Automatic
  • 6-speed Manual
Engines Available
  • 2.5-liter 4 (184 hp)

Owner Reported Trouble Spots

The Reliability score is based on our latest subscriber survey of 2016 Mazda 6 owners. The owner comments describe problems respondents experienced with this vehicle.

In-car Electronics

CD or DVD players, radio, speakers, GPS, communication system (e.g., OnStar), display screen freezes or goes blank, phone pairing (e.g. Bluetooth), voice control commands, steering wheel controls, portable music device interface (e.g., iPod/MP3 player), backup or other camera/sensors.

What Owners Say

Backup or other camera/sensors

"Every now and then, when I put the car in reverse, the backup camera display does not come on. I suspect it's not the camera itself because when I turn the car off and leave it for awhile, the backup camera display works. I suspect a software problem but according to dealership service there are no known problems in this area"

Anonymous, NJ (2016 Mazda 6 Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
Display screen freezes up

"What can I say? It just freezes up and stays that way until it decides not to. Turning the car off and back on makes no difference"

Anonymous, CA (2016 Mazda 6 Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"Normally occurs after starting the car. Display screen goes blank"

Anonymous, CA (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"Two problems: 1. Had the display screen freeze. Appeared to be fixed by software update by dealer. 2. Heads-up display for digital speedometer occasionally fails to rise. Dealer has been unable to fix this problem"

Jeremy K., NM (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"In addition to the backup camera display problem, the screen itself sometimes locks up for no apparent reason. If I turn the car off and leave it off for awhile, the problem goes away. It's probably a software glitch"

Anonymous, NJ (2016 Mazda 6 Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
Phone pairing (e.g., Bluetooth)

"Bluetooth cuts out when using Pandora despite updates on phone and to system by dealer"

Anonymous, NH (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"repeated problems with Bluetooth pairing requiring system resets - hassle because it means reprogramming radio each time"

Jennifer S., PA (2016 Mazda 6 Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
Radio

"Favorite radio stations keep getting wiped out"

Anonymous, CA (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"lost all of my preset channels-a new chip had to be installed"

Sheldon M., NJ (2016 Mazda 6 Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
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Paint/Trim

Paint (fading, chalking, cracking, or peeling), loose interior and exterior trim or moldings, rust.

What Owners Say

Loose interior trim or moldings

"Front door gasket required replacement 2 times in 3 years"

Anonymous, NH (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"Seal around passenger front door tore"

Anonymous, NE (2016 Mazda 6 Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"The coating of paint is thin. A rock or other object hitting the vehicle will result in paint being removed to the metal. The rims were painted with a graphite which has peeled and flaked off"

Anonymous, AR (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"Flaking on hood"

Mark F., IL (2016 Mazda 6 Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"The paint on all four wheels started to peel The Dealer needed to have them completely refinished"

Anonymous, MD (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"Chipping and peeling in areas not under any traffic stress. The wheel rims are all cracking and peeling off"

Jose M., PA (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
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Body Hardware

Power or manual windows, locks and latches, tailgate, hatch or trunk, doors or sliding doors, mirrors, seat controls, safety belts, sunroof, convertible top.

What Owners Say

Heated or cooled seat controls

"they don't heat"

Anonymous, ON (2016 Mazda 6 Unsure 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
Locks and latches

"Squeaking lock mechanism. It still functioned, but replaced under warranty"

Anonymous, TX (2016 Mazda 6 Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"The release spring to the drop down back seat broke and had to be repaired by the dealer"

Anonymous, MD (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
Sunroof

"Sunroof exploded and blew out while driving on highway"

Anonymous, OK (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
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Brakes

Antilock system (ABS), parking brake, master cylinder, calipers, rotors, pulsation or vibration, squeaking, brake failure or wear.

What Owners Say

Calipers

"After last winter, one or both caliper pins for each wheel's caliper were frozen inside the specific caliper boot(s). Also, from the factory, the brake pad sides were not filed so that they did not slide smoothly going forward and releasing back from the rotors"

Anonymous, OH (2016 Mazda 6 Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
Premature brake wear

"Both front and rear pads were replaced due to uneven wear on separate occasions"

David J., MA (2016 Mazda 6 Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
Rotors

"After last winter, one or both caliper pins for the rear wheel calipers were frozen inside the caliper boots. This has caused slight grooves on the rear rotors and premature wear. The front rotors are fine and have no grooves"

Anonymous, OH (2016 Mazda 6 Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

Climate System

Blower (fan) motor, A/C compressor, condenser, evaporator, heater system, automatic climate control, refrigerant leakage, electrical failure.

What Owners Say

A/C compressor

"After about a year of ownership I started to hear a whining sound when the A/C was running.The dealer replaced the serpentine belt tensioner, but the noise persists. I believe it's? a noisy bearing. The a/c always cools excellently, but the noise is very annoying.I plan to take the car to another dealer and insist that they correct the problem"

Anonymous, MD (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

"Very noisy compressor"

Wayne W., OH (2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

Transmission Minor

Gear selector or linkage, leaks, transmission computer, transmission sensor or solenoid, clutch adjustment, rough shifting, slipping transmission.

What Owners Say

Slipping transmission

"Slips when taking off from stop, hesitates for a period of time and then unexpectedly lunges in both drive and reverse when attempting to move forward from a dead stop, cuts out and slips while driving"

Anonymous, CA (2016 Mazda 6 Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

Transmission Major

Transmission rebuild or replacement, torque converter, clutch replacement.

What Owners Say

Transmission rebuild or replacement

"At about 1000 miles the transmission went, they replaced it with a new one"

Jenny H., MA (2016 Mazda 6 Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

Body Integrity

Squeaks, rattles, wind noises, loose or cracked seals and/or weather-stripping, air and water leaks.

What Owners Say

Squeaks or rattles

"Squeak heard in driver side doors at speeds over 60 MPH. Was amended under warranty by tightening some components in the door assembly"

Anonymous, TX (2016 Mazda 6 Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)

Fuel System

Check engine light, sensors (includes O2 or oxygen sensor), emission control devices (includes EGR), engine computer, engine computer, fuel cap, fuel gauge/sender, fuel injection system, fuel pump, fuel leaks, stalling or hesitation.

Electric System

Alternator, starter, hybrid battery and related systems, regular battery, battery cables, engine harness, coil, ignition switch, electronic ignition, distributor or rotor failure, spark plugs and wires failure.

Suspension

Shocks or struts, ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, alignment, steering linkage (includes rack and pinion), power steering (pumps and hoses, leaks), wheel balance, springs or torsion bars, bushings, electronic or air suspension.

Power Equipment

Cruise control, clock, warning lights, body control module, keyless entry, wiper motor or washer, tire pressure monitor, interior or exterior lights, horn, gauges, 12V power plug, remote engine start, alarm or security system

Engine Major

Engine rebuild or replacement, cylinder head, head gasket, turbo or supercharger, timing chain or timing belt.

Drive System

Driveshaft or axle, CV joint, differential, transfer case, 4WD/AWD components, driveline vibration, traction control, electronic stability control (ESC), electrical failure.

Engine Cooling

Radiator, cooling fan, antifreeze leaks, water pump, thermostat, overheating.

Exhaust

Muffler, pipes, catalytic converter, exhaust manifold, leaks.

Engine Minor

Accessory belts and pulleys, engine computer, engine mounts, engine knock or ping, oil leaks.

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