Owners filed 195 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes. It has been recalled 6 times.
Do not drive
NHTSA attached 4 advisories to recalls on this vehicle. Advisories apply to specific production runs — check your VIN with the manufacturer or at nhtsa.gov/recalls before driving it.
When it fails
07742377,423 milesMedian miles at failure
146 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 90,000–105,000 miles.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Service Brakes
85
5
0
2
Engine
20
0
0
0
Power Train
19
0
3
0
Air Bags
17
1
1
2
Suspension
11
0
0
0
Vehicle Speed Control
4
0
0
0
Electrical System
4
0
0
0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
3
0
0
0
Seats
3
0
0
0
Exterior Lighting
3
0
0
0
6 safety recalls
Part 573 reports
Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module19V782000Do not drive
Filed Oct 31, 201969,879 vehiclesMazda North American Operations
Defect. Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012 CX-7, CX-9, and 2009-2012 Maza6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.
Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module18V717000Do not drive
Filed Oct 12, 2018155,436 vehiclesMazda North American Operations
Defect. Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6, 2011-2012 CX-7, and 2011-2015 CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Mazda6, 2010-2012 CX-7, and 2010-2015 CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.
Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module18V018000Do not drive
Filed Jan 9, 201870,227 vehiclesMazda North American Operations
Defect. Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2013 Mazda6 and CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2010 Mazda6, CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2009 Mazda6, CX-7, and CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 2, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.
Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module17V429000Do not drive
Filed Jun 29, 2017205,377 vehiclesMazda North American Operations
Defect. Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Mazda6, and 2007-2011 CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 30, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V356 and all vehicles that were not remedied under that campaign are now covered by this one.
Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball Joint15V451000
Filed Jul 20, 2015193,484 vehiclesMazda North American Operations
Defect. Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2014 CX-9 vehicles manufactured October 24, 2006, to December 28, 2013. The affected vehicles have front suspension ball joints that may corrode from water leaking into the fitting.
Risk. Over time, the ball joint corrosion may result in the front lower control arm separating from the ball joint, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both the left and right lower control arms, free of charge. The recall began on September 14, 2015. The recall will begin with model year 2007-2009 vehicles registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The second phase will be for model year 2010-2014 vehicles in the same states. Finally, all remaining vehicles will be remedied. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 8515G.
Seats › Front Assembly › Seat Heater/Cooler10V051000
Filed Feb 19, 201012,300 vehiclesMazda Motor Corp
Defect. MAZDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 CX-9 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRICALLY HEATED FRONT SEATS. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY UNDER EXTREMELY COLD CONDITIONS FOR THE SEAT HEATER CONTROL CIRCUIT TO OVERHEAT AND FAIL DUE TO INSUFFICIENT ELECTRICAL GROUNDING.
Risk. THIS MAY CAUSE BURN DAMAGE OF THE SEAT CUSHION SURFACE, OR A RISK OF SMOKE/FIRE.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL GROUND HARNESS ON THE SEAT HEATER CONTROL SYSTEM. THE SEAT HEATER CONTROL CIRCUIT WILL BE REPLACED IF NECESSARY AND/OR THE SEAT WILL BE REPAIRED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 9, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MAZDA AT 1-800-222-5500.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Service Brakes
Filed Jun 24, 2026NY
The break booster went out without any warning or indicators while driving almost resulting in a collision. There are no warning lights on the dashboard.
Suspension
Filed Mar 23, 2026MO
Front suspension broke while my husband was driving back from a fire as he is a volunteer firefighter. He states car did not have any lights on dash to report there was a problem. The next thing he knew he heard a loud squealing noise and lost control of the vehicle taking him off road in a small ditch. As the axle broke it went upward and hit both belts and shredded them. He was not able to move or drive the car at all. I am the owner of this vehicle had I been driving I would have totaled and crashed,also I do have A [XXX] son I drive to school most days. Thank goodness my husband is a heck of a driver. I have contacted the Mazda manufacturer and they are stating that the vehicle was already fixed that they will not do a safety remedy. As I found out there was a 8515G recall for the front suspension interior corroding. I just purchased this vehicle on 2/24/2026 it broke on 3/19/2026. The vehicle states to have been fixed in 2017. I have the inspection papers from the previous dealer from whom I bought it from in 2021 and the one from the dealer that I purchased it and that inspection was in 2025. There has been no inspections after I purchased or after the catastrophic failure happened I am in process of this and my insurance is the next I'm contacting. There was no police report as there was only damage done to the vehicle,luckily no one else was involved and my husband was ok. We have never dealt with this before and didn't really know what to do or how to go about this.
Air Bags
Filed Jan 27, 2026FL
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-9. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V782000 (Air Bags). The contact called the dealer and was advised to tow the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact stopped driving the vehicle due to the recall. The contact attempted to call the dealer for an alternative mode of transporting the vehicle to the dealer, but the calls were not returned. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Suspension
Filed Oct 29, 2024NY
Driver side Lower control arm fail off from the ball joint
Service Brakes
Filed Sep 13, 2024CA
Stiff brake pedal , more effort to stop and longer distant to stop.
Service Brakes
Filed Aug 21, 2024NJ
My wife was taking my daughters for marching band and all of a sudden she tried to press the brakes but the brakes felt too hard and she was unable to stop the car safely. She had to take immediate action by moving the car to the shoulder to stop the car. There were no warning signs on the screen. The car was taken to the mechanic and the dealership. The dealership said that this was a brake booster issue which would be fixed for $1500. This is a serious issue which if had happened on the highway would have been tragic. Mazda and the dealership refuse to fix this free of cost since they say that they had already communicated about "an extension of warranty" to fix this problem in 2015 - at which time there were no issues with the brakes.
Service Brakes
Filed Oct 17, 2023IN
Vehicle difficult to stop, believe it is a bad brake booster.
Engine
Filed Jun 4, 2023GA
Water pump failure causing catastrophic engine damage
Service Brakes
Filed Apr 16, 2023120,000 milesTX
Braking inconsistently - sometimes easy to stop, sometimes hard. I had brakes looked at, and the man said it was the brake booster. He googled it, and found a recall online and told me to take it to my dealer. It doesn't look like there's an active recall - but a lot of complaints. What's going on? This is going to be expensive. My college age daughter drives that car. Do they have to have a severe accident to get that fixed? I can't afford to fix it right now.
Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Dec 27, 2022160,000 milesOH
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while conducting a routine check, he noticed that the coolant and the oil levels were low. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Service Brakes
Filed Nov 7, 202294,000 milesNC
Brakes not working due to brake booster problem which was brought to the attention of Mazda. Mazda and the transportation authority agreed on an extended warranty which is no longer in effect. There have been many more complaints for this same problem, yet a recall has not been listed for this vechicle and alot of people are paying out of pocket. I already brought this to the attention of traffic safety and never received a return reply. Brakes are squishy than you end up having to put brakes all the way to get car to stop. People are unaware of this major brake and safety defect
Service Brakes
Filed Oct 25, 2022NC
Driving and brakes would not work without pressing really hard. The problem was reported before on these cars and continue to be a problem. https://www.carcomplaints.com/Mazda/CX-9/2010/brakes/stiff_difficult_braking.shtml my car has been in 2 shops for about 3 months now. They had to replace several parts in the braking system. Than the rear brakes completely froze up and towed to Mazda out of Greensboro NC.
Service Brakes
Filed Sep 15, 202286,524 milesNY
While driving the vehicle went to stop car and was unable to stop brake pedal was hard as a rock luckily I didn't hit anything or anyone. upon further research it seems that this model has an issues with the brake booster failing causing exactly what I experienced. As it turns out I did not qualify for the extended warranty on the brake booster due to a agreement between you and mazda my issue is it should be life of the model with no expiration date due to the fact it can happen at any moment. Luckily my family wasn't harmed and luckily someone else's family wasn't harmed because of this failure. My vehicle only has 86,000+ miles.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed Jul 12, 2022162,706 milesCO
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was unable to stop while the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 162,706. The consumer stated the brake booster was replaced on 07/22/2022.
Engine
Filed May 11, 2022WA
The water pump failed and leaked coolant into the engine, causing motor damage which requires motor replacement. There was no evidence of any failure until the vehicle overheated while being driven. This is a known design flaw of the engine design but no recall has been issued.
Engine
Filed Apr 9, 2022TX
I had engine failure with a complete loss of power and a shuttering of the steering wheel while pulling into a parking lot and going less than 30 miles per hour. The temperature gauze went from cold to hot suddenly. There were no leaks of coolant or oil and no signs that the engine was out of water or that the water pump had "melted". On the final car repair trip we found out that the engine has an internal water pump that failed and resulted in oil & water getting into the engine. The engine light NEVER came on, I had complained about the tire pressure light blinking on and off in November 2021 and the deceleration issue I was having. The dealer did a coolant flush 11/2021. In early March 2022 the engine shut off as I was backing out of the driveway. I took it to a repair shop nearby they could not find anything wrong except that the car went into limp mode. They also did a coolant flush and radiator cap exchange since I forgot I had just done one on Nov. Less that a week later the engine failed again. We towed the car to the dealer for the third trip in less than four months. I am really disappointed that Mazda failed to recall the engine. I could have been seriously hurt if I had been traveling at high speeds. The CX9 had less than 135,000 miles at 12 years old.
Power Train
Filed Jan 2, 2022WA
The AWD system failed leaving the car dangerous to drive in rain and snowy weather. Car is still stuck in my driveway as the front wheels are spinning and no power to the rear wheels. My Mother's AWD with similar M+S tires drove out with no problems. Waiting for the snow to melt to be able to take my car into the shop. Reading online this seems like a known Mazda issue.
Suspension
Filed Oct 19, 2021160,000 milesGA
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-9. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number 15V451000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact indicated that while driving at various speeds, a rattling noise was present coming from the front of the vehicle. Additionally, the front end of the vehicle was unstable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who indicated that the failure was due to the recall however, the part was on backorder. The failure mileage was 160,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine
Filed Oct 10, 2021MA
Our 2010 Mazda CX-9 stopped on the highway and had to be towed away. The dealer determined it was an engine failure due to a faulty water pump. It had leaked into the engine, causing permanent damage. No warning lights. The car just stopped. Two dealerships did not want to repair. There is a class action lawsuit. https://www.ktmc.com/mazda-water-pump-engine-failure There should be a recall. We need a refund for the repair we had done, totaling more than $7000. Please look into this safety issue. Mazda Corporate has our complaint on file. We are expecting a refund.
Service Brakes
Filed Aug 15, 2021OR
Driving on I-5, near Gold Hill, Oregon, when the traction control system light came on and the Vehicle slowed down. I had to push the gas pedal to the floor to get the car to move and I could not shift gears! It shuddered and the wheels seemed to lock up. I could smell burning rubber. I forced the car to the next exit, pulled off and shut it down. I sat there waiting for it to cool off. When I started it again it was a little rough at first but then seemed to get better and I was able to get home. I bought the car in June of 2020 from Lithia Motors in Medford, Oregon. I also bought a Power Train Warranty For $2,500 which was set to expire on 6/10/2021. I called Lithia and made an appointment to take it to them for repairs on June 1, 2021. I got as far as Grants Pass, OR, and it did the same thing I described above. I called a tow truck and had it towed to Lithia in Medford. When I got to Medford, the Service Manager told me I would have to take it to Crater Lake Ford. When I got to Crater Lake Ford I was told to take it to Crater Lake Mazda which I did. I described in detail what the car was doing to.the Service.Manager and told him I feared it was some kind of transmission problem. I also told him I had a power Train. Warranty the would expire on June10thso time was no the essence! I never suspected the brakes because we had the bakes repaired in November of 2020 at Lithia Motors. They were making a hissing sound. They replaced the.brake booster among other brake parts for $
NHTSA has issued a do-not-drive warning for a recall on this vehicle.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Oct 31, 2019. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.