Common problems
Mazda CX-7 common problems
What MOT testers find on the Mazda CX-7: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 3,557 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
At 13 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- Steering fails show up on 11.4 of every 100 MOTs of a Mazda CX-7 at 13 years old (n=1,247), against 2.9 for all cars of that age (n=6,612,160).
- Body and structure fails are less common: 2.8 per 100 MOTs against 5.0 for all cars at the same age.
- The fail item testers record most often at 13 years: steering track rod end: ball joint play, on 9.6 per 100 MOTs (all cars 1.9).
- The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 22.6 per 100 MOTs.
Problems by part at 13 years
How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.
| Area | Fails | All cars | Advisories | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lights and electrics | 19.5 | 17.0 | 16.8 | 10.8 |
| Brakes | 13.1 | 9.1 | 23.7 | 25.0 |
| Suspension | 12.9 | 14.9 | 35.0 | 27.9 |
| Steering | 11.4 | 2.9 | 6.4 | 3.5 |
| Tyres | 6.9 | 7.3 | 28.5 | 28.1 |
| Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 4.9 | 4.3 | 6.8 | 8.2 |
| Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 3.6 | 5.6 | 3.0 | 4.7 |
| Body and structure | 2.8 | 5.0 | 6.3 | 8.0 |
| Road wheels | 0.5 | 0.5 | ||
| Seat belts and airbags | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Number plates and VIN | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 3.4 |
What testers fail most on the CX-7 at 13 years
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering track rod end: ball joint play | Steering | 9.6 | 1.9 | £54 to £128 per side (rough guide) |
| Side/position light not working | Lights and electrics | 8.5 | 4.8 | £10 to £47 per lamp |
| Handbrake too weak | Brakes | 4.4 | 1.7 | |
| Tyre tread below 1.6 mm | Tyres | 4.0 | 3.0 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Suspension ball joint worn | Suspension | 3.3 | 2.5 | £75 to £237 per side (rough guide) |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 3.0 | 1.8 | £16 to £39 per car (rough guide) |
| Headlamp levelling device: inoperative | Lights and electrics | 2.8 | 0.2 | |
| Brake light not working | Lights and electrics | 2.8 | 3.1 | £10 to £47 per lamp |
| Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side | Brakes | 2.5 | 0.8 | |
| Brake pads under 1.5 mm | Brakes | 2.2 | 2.1 | £72 to £174 per axle (rough guide) |
Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 13 years
Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | If it needs replacing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | Tyres | 22.6 | 18.2 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | Brakes | 12.3 | 10.6 | £148 to £376 per axle (rough guide) |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened | Suspension | 11.8 | 3.8 | |
| Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Suspension | 9.0 | 8.0 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | Lights and electrics | 8.4 | 5.2 | |
| Brake pads: wearing thin | Brakes | 8.3 | 7.3 | £72 to £174 per axle (rough guide) |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened | Suspension | 7.5 | 2.1 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 5.6 | 7.2 | |
| Track rod end: ball joint has slight play | Steering | 5.3 | 1.6 | £54 to £128 per side (rough guide) |
| Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play | Suspension | 4.9 | 2.3 | £33 to £102 per link (rough guide) |
Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.
How problems change with age
| Age | Tests (n) | Lights and electrics | Brakes | Suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 years | 1,144 | 17.4 | 13.6 | 12.9 |
| 13 years | 1,247 | 19.5 | 13.1 | 12.9 |
| 14 years | 1,166 | 20.9 | 15.5 | 13.2 |
What to check on a viewing
On the Mazda CX-7, testers most often record steering track rod end: ball joint play; side/position light not working; handbrake too weak. Look at these first, then the areas below.
Lights and electrics
- With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
- Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
- Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.
Brakes
- On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
- Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
- Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
- Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.
Suspension
- Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
- Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
- Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
- Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.
Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.
Questions
What are the most common problems on the Mazda CX-7?
At 13 years, the age with the most MOT tests (1,247), the fail items testers record most often on the Mazda CX-7 are steering track rod end: ball joint play (9.6 per 100 MOTs), side/position light not working (8.5 per 100 MOTs), handbrake too weak (4.4 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (22.6) and brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (12.3).
Which parts of the Mazda CX-7 fail more often than on other cars?
At 13 years: steering (11.4 per 100 MOTs against 2.9 for all cars); brakes (13.1 per 100 MOTs against 9.1 for all cars); lights and electrics (19.5 per 100 MOTs against 17.0 for all cars). Compared with 6,612,160 MOTs of all cars the same age.
Mazda CX-7 problems by area
More on the Mazda CX-7
Other Mazda models
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a Mazda CX-7?
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Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources