Used Mazda 6 Saloon 2013-2022 reliability

Entry-level SE cars come without front and rear parking sensors, which is a little annoying as the 6 is quite a large car. As a result, it’s worth checking for parking scrapes and dings if you’re choosing one of these models.

Boot struts have been known to fail, too, and Mazda performed a recall in early 2017 to remedy this. You can find out whether your car has had this work carried out by contacting your local Mazda dealership.

On the whole, owners seem to have high praise for their Mazda 6s, but the 6 can be quite hard on its brake discs, which can lead to vibration under braking. If you detect this on a test drive, it will need a new set of brake discs and pads to sort.

What’s more, the live traffic service provided by the TomTom satellite navigation system has a few issues, with some owners reporting that it doesn’t seem to work all the time.

On diesel models, it’s worth keeping in mind that the particulate filter system can cause problems, especially if you accidentally shut it off part-way through its regeneration cycle. The result is contamination of the oil system with fuel, which results in the oil level rising gradually over time. If this is happening, some damage to the engine may already have been done, so it’s worth getting the car checked out.

Diesels need to be given frequent motorway runs in order to ensure they complete this regeneration cycle, which is only triggered at high speed. So if you’re planning to buy a diesel, it’s worth checking the previous owner’s usage and making sure that you’re going to travel on the motorway often enough.

Driver's airbag

Continued exposure to high levels of absolute humidity may cause the driver’s front airbag inflator housing to rupture and deploy abnormally in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver’s front airbag. Should the inflator rupture it could result in metal fragments striking the driver or other vehicle occupants.

On affected vehicles replace airbag inflator.

The Mazda 6 finished in a great sixth place out of 24 cars in the executive car class in our most recent 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey with an overall score of 93.3%.

Reliability rating 93.3%

Bodywork and brake system issues were the most commonly cited problems for the 31% of 2013-2022 Mazda 6 owners whose cars went wrong. They also told us there were some problems with other electrical systems, the air-con and the gearbox/clutch. Mazda covered the cost of all fixes, and 58% of cars were out of the garage in a day or less. Only 8% of faulty cars took more than a week to put right.

Mazda as a brand finished in 13th place out of 32 manufacturers in the same survey with a good overall score of 92.8%. This placed it above Audi, Ford, Mercedes and Volkswagen, among others, but below BMW, Honda, Kia and Volvo.

Used Mazda 6 reliability: the owners' view

As part of our annual Reliability Survey, What Car? readers provided feedback on this version of the Mazda 6. That feedback suggests that the Mazda 6 is a dependable car with few serious mechanical issues. Most of the reliability concerns were for minor electronic components and infotainment system glitches, which were occasionally troublesome but not severe.

When it comes to dealer service, the response from the owners was largely positive. Many praised their dealerships for professionalism and efficiency, particularly noting the prompt service and effective communication. However, a few readers mentioned experiences with inconsistent service quality and occasional delays in scheduling repairs, which impacted their overall satisfaction.

Despite these minor setbacks, the Mazda 6 is praised for its reliability, and the dealer network generally receives commendation for its service, though there seems to be some room for improvement in consistency.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.