What are the common problems with the 2021 Mazda Mazda6?
Owners of the 2021 Mazda Mazda6 have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine (13) and the windshield wipers (2). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 1 of its 18 complaints lists a mileage (54,000 miles), too few to say when problems were reported; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 18 owner complaints on the 2021 Mazda Mazda6. Owners named the engine most often: 13 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 18 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2021 Mazda6
NHTSA's file holds 18 owner complaints on the 2021 Mazda Mazda6. Owners named the engine most often: 13 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 13 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 18 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2021 Mazda6
Too few complaints on the 2021 Mazda6 list a mileage to say when owners reported problems: 1 of its 18 complaints lists a mileage (54,000 miles), and a median is given here only with 10 or more.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2021 Mazda6 wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Every model year together: Half of the 1,248 NHTSA owner complaints on the Mazda Mazda6 that list mileage came after 61,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Mazda Mazda6 last? →
Is the 2021 Mazda6 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad Mazda6: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 18 complaints, the 2021 drew the fewest of the 18 Mazda Mazda6 model years from 2002 to 2021 with 10 or more complaints. The most: the 2009 (386).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Mazda6 | 28 | 24 | 48,000 |
| 2003 Mazda6 | 174 | 112 | 24,981 |
| 2004 Mazda6 | 160 | 93 | 66,100 |
| 2005 Mazda6 | 147 | 79 | 58,000 |
| 2006 Mazda6 | 173 | 77 | 75,000 |
| 2007 Mazda6 | 156 | 70 | 77,500 |
| 2008 Mazda6 | 111 | 49 | 65,000 |
| 2009 Mazda6 | 386 | 248 | 80,712 |
| 2010 Mazda6 | 225 | 138 | 80,000 |
| 2011 Mazda6 | 136 | 61 | 89,914 |
| 2012 Mazda6 | 100 | 51 | 66,000 |
| 2013 Mazda6 | 23 | 15 | 50,000 |
| 2014 Mazda6 | 137 | 103 | 39,000 |
| 2015 Mazda6 | 60 | 40 | 21,000 |
| 2016 Mazda6 | 78 | 54 | 29,549 |
| 2017 Mazda6 | 60 | 18 | 23,400 |
| 2018 Mazda6 | 60 | 15 | 11,400 |
| 2021 (this page) | 18 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
The linked 2015–2022 pages show NHTSA's September 15, 2026 collection, so their counts can differ from this table's.
Every Mazda6 year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Mazda Mazda6 years to avoid →
2021 Mazda Mazda6 recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list no campaign for the 2021 model year under the name MAZDA6. Recalls can be filed under another name (a trim, a body or a series name), so a recall may still exist for the 2021 Mazda Mazda6: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2021 Mazda6 lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2021 Mazda6.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 17 of the 18 complaints on the 2021 Mazda Mazda6 give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: MAZDA6. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: MAZDA6.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2021 Mazda Mazda6 questions
What are the most common 2021 Mazda Mazda6 problems?
NHTSA's file holds 18 owner complaints on the 2021 Mazda Mazda6. Owners named the engine most often: 13 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 18 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2021 Mazda Mazda6?
NHTSA's file gives no mileage figure for the 2021 Mazda Mazda6: 1 of its 18 complaints lists a mileage (54,000 miles), and this page gives a median only with 10 or more. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2021 Mazda6 can cover.
Is the 2021 Mazda Mazda6 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad Mazda6: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 18 complaints, the 2021 drew the fewest of the 18 Mazda Mazda6 model years from 2002 to 2021 with 10 or more complaints. The most: the 2009 (386).
How many recalls does the 2021 Mazda Mazda6 have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list no campaign for the 2021 model year under the name MAZDA6. Recalls can be filed under another name (a trim, a body or a series name), so a recall may still exist for the 2021 Mazda Mazda6: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2021 Mazda Mazda6 before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2021 Mazda Mazda6.