Owners have filed 1,318 complaints on the Mazda CX-9, covering 2007–2023. The system named most often is Service Brakes (334 reports). Worst years by volume: 2012, 2008, 2010; cleanest: 2022, 2023, 2020. 53 reports describe a crash, 10 a fire. On average the car was 5.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mazda CX-9
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,318 CX-9 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Service Brakes 334 Read
My wife has a cold. She picked it up during several uncomfortable hours in the emergency room. Our driveway is on a bit of a slope. She stopped the car, put it in park (she thought), turned off the engine, and got out. Something in the dashboard compartment had blocked the shift lever and the car was actually in…
The driver side airbag did not deploy in a front end collision on the drivers side. When approaching a vehicle that had come to a sudden and complete stop, the brakes were applied hard to the Mazda CX-9 in order to stop, but after about 1 second they just totally let go and there was no braking at all and the Mazda…
Emergency parking brake ('epb') began to malfunction following recall to fix electrical components on mazda cx-9, 2018. Epb will not release, or will unexpectedly and suddenly release with car accelerating in gear ('drive' or 'reverse'). Most recently when activating the emergency parking brake ((car was on a a…
Engine 243 Read
New Mazda vehicle engine is consuming approximately 1 quart of oil, approximately every 3,500 miles. No recall for this yet, however Mazda technical service bulletin TSB # 01-012/21 admits this is a common and known issue for this vehicle which may eventually lead to the vehicles engine and parts no longer functioning
The low engine oil light is coming on every 3500 miles. When checking oil level it indeed is low and requires a quart of oil. There is an active TSB out as this is a known issue but no recall issued yet
Massive oil consumption. Uses 1 quart or more of engine oil at around 3,000 miles after oil change. Low oil light comes on
Power Train 128 Read
I was in a parking lot and came to a stop and placed the car in reverse to back into a parking space. The back-up camera was on and I began to back into the parking space when the car suddenly lurched/jerked forward and accelerated on its own. The car jumped the parking lot median strip and I hit a tree head on. I had…
We were on a city road uphill and driving to a friends home. Our mazda cx-9 grand touring made a rattling noise, released a lot of white smoke, and lost acceleration. I immediately pulled the car on the shoulder and a by passer stopped his car on opposite shoulder and analyzed the situation and shouted move your…
I was driving down the interstate and my mazda cx9 caught fire! I didn't realize it since it was under the car and the car beside informed me of it. This was due to the transfer case issues that mazda had to extend the warranty on them because of so many issues with them. They are covered for 90 thousand miles or 7…
Air Bags 115 Read
I was approaching Breezewood, Pa coming south on 70 into town from Hagerstown. Traffic comes to a stop awaiting a light that stops the highway traffic before allowing people to proceed through Breezewood and then continue on 70 out of town. I had plenty of warning as traffic slows first from 55 to 45, then to 35…
Rear passenger handle and hook above seat in roof splintered into sharp projectiles flying through cabin when air bag deplopyed I showed the sharp pieces to my insurance adjuster the power of the right curtain air bag deployment broke the handle to pieces and if anyone had been in the back seat they could have had an…
2021 Mazda CX-9 Frontal collision at a speed between 10-20 mph. Car shut down after collision and was not drivable. Concern is the driver side airbag did not deploy. (Neither did passenger but there was no person in the passenger seat)
Suspension 113 Read
The contact owns a 2012 Mazda CX9. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been involved in a crash due to a fractured passenger's side lower control arm. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle had been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V451000 (Suspension). The dealer…
While driving went to make right turn to have car serviced for unknown clicking when I would only make right turns. When turning into parking lot I heard a loud bang and auto was immobile at that point. I exited and found left front tire turned sideways. I had various damage to left front wheel area having to replace…
While driving vehicle on road at approximatley 20 mph the wheel detached from the axle on the front passenger side of the vehicle resulting in damage to the vehicle
Electrical System 64 Read
Passenger seat heater either had a grounding issue or shorted out, causing to seat to start smoldering and catching fire, destroying the seat. There has been recalls and lawsuits for this specific issue on this model in other years, but not for this model year
Immediately upon making a sharp right turn into a parking spot, the car suddenly accelerated at a very fast pace without me pushing the gas pedal. My immediate reaction was to press on the brake, but it did not stop. The car slammed into a planter in front of me. The car moved so quickly that it was lodged into the…
My seat warmer caught fire and burnt a hole through the seat
Steering 55 Read
The contact owns a 2023 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the steering wheel was seized and the brake pedal stiffened. The contact stated as a result of the failure, the vehicle crashed into a ditch and crashed into a tree. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated…
As I was driving downhill with minimal snow on the ground, I tapped my brakes about 7 times before they locked up. I went to turn to stay on the road and the steering wheel wouldn't budge causing me to go off the road, into an embankment. Vehicle was going about 5-10mph when this occured on a city street
The contact owns a 2012 mazda cx-9. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle jerked to the left without warning and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the…
Structure 24 Read
I was pulling into a parking spot in Brooksville, Florida. It was the last parking spot on the block. As I pulled in, I went to hit my brake so that I could back up and the car did not stop. My foot was pressed all the way down to the floor and it kept going, and I hit the car parked in front of me. At that point, a…
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? **Automated liftgate failure with risk of crushing. When pressing the automatic liftgate button, if there is an obstruction, the liftgate has unreliable/ineffective sensors ("jam-safe equipment") to prevent items and…
I am reporting a safety concern involving multiple loose windshield header bolts and cowl panel fasteners on my 2022 Mazda CX-9. The issue was discovered on 1/28/26 at approximately 44,000 miles. Several bolts securing the windshield header and cowl panel area were found loose. These components support parts located…
CX-9 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Air Bags,forward Collision Avoidance | 3 | — | |
| 2022 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 6 | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2019 | Back Over Prevention | 1 | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2017 | Back Over Prevention | — | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 3 | 4 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 10 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 659 |
| Average complaints per series | 2 |
| Worst single series | 8 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.7 years |
A model average of 2 hides a worst series at 8. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the CX-9?
By complaint volume, 2012, 2008, 2010 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which CX-9 years are the cleanest?
2022, 2023, 2020 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mazda CX-9 have?
1,318 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2007–2023. Of those, 53 describe a crash and 10 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.