Mazda CX-9

Owners filed 1,493 complaints across 17 model years of the Mazda CX-9. The 2012 drew the most (221).

Model years17
Complaints1,493
Recalls48
Fires14
Deaths0

Which Mazda CX-9 years should you avoid?

Going by 1,493 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Mazda CX-9 years to avoid are 2012, 2010, 2008 and 2011.

  • 2012221 complaints, 2.9× a typical CX-9 year, most often about the brakes.
  • 2010195 complaints, 2.5× a typical CX-9 year, most often about the brakes.
  • 2008172 complaints, 2.2× a typical CX-9 year, most often about the suspension.
  • 2011171 complaints, 2.2× a typical CX-9 year, most often about the brakes.

Better bets: among years old enough for a low count to mean something, the 2015, 2019 and 2017 drew the fewest complaints without an unusual share of serious ones.

How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →

Every Mazda CX-9 model year compared

Complaints per year
YearComplaintsRelative volumeRecallsFiresCrashesMost reportedStatus
202313
0—3Unknown or OtherRoutine
202211
011Exterior LightingRoutine
202140
1—7EngineRoutine
202019
1—1EngineRoutine
201953
2—1EngineRoutine
2018128
214EngineRoutine
201761
0——EngineRoutine
2016107
013EngineRoutine
201535
2—1EngineDo not drive
201454
311EngineDo not drive
201368
413EngineDo not drive
2012Avoid221
4—9Service BrakesDo not drive
2011Avoid171
437Service BrakesDo not drive
2010Avoid195
657Service BrakesDo not drive
200959
7—2Service BrakesDo not drive
2008Avoid172
6—10SuspensionDo not drive
200786
612SuspensionDo not drive

Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.