In 2022, i acquired a 2022 PP off lease with 24K miles. It was in perfect condition but the brake pedal seemed soft, requiring an inch or so of movement before contact. Otherwise, braking itself was adequate except for the latency. I had the brake fluid replaced but that didn?t make any difference. Then, when the car was at the dealer for thermostat replacement I was given a 2025 CX-5 loaner and immediately noticed the difference in brake pedal action?there was practically no slack. However, since my CX-5?s braking was OK, I decided to wait until the pads were down to about 3mm at which point I had the dealer replace the pads and rotors, mentioning the softness issue to the service guy. However, when I picked it up, the pedal softness was still there, exactly as before. So my question is: is this normal for 2022 models?

 

It's probably just the vehicle. Do you feel there is free travel as you push the pedal down? There are 2 adjustments the pedal free play and the uncommon one the clearance between the booster push rod and the master cylinder. That one would take a competent mechanic some time to resolve.

 

My 23 feels very much like you describe. Just the way it was made I think. Mazda brags about being a drivers car, but the brake pedal feel does not agree. haha

 

We get complaints often from customers about softer brake feel. The option is an upgraded pad material, but most have some downfalls. Mostly the brake dust they create and the cost is slightly higher. But if you want to get back a little firm feeling then upgrade your pads. There is actually lots of information from members on this forum that did just this recommendation and have had good reviews/ You just need to spend a little time and go look for the threads and their responses.

 

I tried the old brake-while-reversing trick and that may have produced a slight improvement in the pedal response. I?m still a bit mystified by the ?instant' brake response in the 2025 loaner I was given by the dealer (a poster in another thread reported a similar experience) which suggests that may be an issue that can grow over time.

 

ya.... except that does not work you have rear disc brakes and an electric parking brake. But nice really old school thought!

As for the loaner it may be a few reasons why and unless you looked at the brakes then you are only speculating with no evidence only butt or rather foot feel to guess with?

Naturally if you do have a concern and it is the brakes you should have a professional and experienced trained mechanic look over your brake system. Your Mazda should still be under warranty so that would be the place to go.

 

I found the only weak spot in my 2020 CX-5 to be brakes.
Aftermarket performance pads and rotors are "usually" much better than OEM on non-performance vehicles.
My first brake maintenance on my non-performance vehicles I always upgrade to performance rotors, pads and calipers.
I had performance pads and rotors installed on my 2020 about 6 months ago at 41,000 miles made a big difference.
If I end up keeping the vehicle, I'm old and getting old and don't put many miles on, I'll likely upgrade to performance calipers for the next brake job.
By then I might see about putting a 2.3L Ford Ecoboost engine in

 

The other thing you have to factor in is the difference in the brakes between the non-turbo and turbo models. The turbo equipped CX-5s have larger dual piston calipers, whereas the non-turbo models have single piston calipers. This can be quite noticeable when I go from driving my turbo model to driving my girlfriend's non-turbo model. The brakes feel a little softer and don't bite as much compared to my turbo CX-5. However, I do get used to it after driving for a little bit and it becomes second nature.

 

I?m not surprised that performance pads and rotors result in stronger braking but would that also improve the pedal response? For 99% of the time, this latency is no more than a mild annoyance. However, while I've only had a couple of panic stops since owning this vehicle, those were the times where the pedal response was, let's say, disappointing. On those occasions, you don?t want to feel any delay before the brakes fully bight. I?m deciding where to do next.

 

Its not so much the *disc itself but the brake pad and the choice of material.
Unless you changed the actual disc size there really is not readily available "performance " disc replacing the stock size (not BBK's) to improve *stopping power but there are some companies that market a complete "Performance" package that includes discs rotors and hardware. In those packages are upgraded disc pads but NOT disc /rotors. They may include things like drilled or slotted or drilled and slotted, but these are for specific usage vehicles and although classified as a performance type upgrade by many that offer them, they are not the best choice or have any real advantage on a daily or primary street driven vehicle.

*Depending on the composition of the materials used and the machining process of the disc the performance value is more in the effects applied heat during moderate to hard or extended braking how the material recovers or cools down from the heat. The less cooling time the less the total braking power and more pedal pressure needs to be applied to slow down or stop which also creates more heat and greater stopping distances.