What breaks most · 2007 to 2023 model years
Mazda CX-9 problems by year
Owners have filed 1,430 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mazda CX-9 across model years 2007 to 2023. Three years stand out: 2012 for brakes complaints, 2008 for suspension complaints and 2011 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 2020, 2015 and 2021.
- Years to check closely: 2012, 2008, 2011
- Fewest complaints: 2020, 2015, 2021
- Complaints on file
- 14302007 to 2023, all trims
- Worst year
- 2012221 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 6112 fires · 38 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 47Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 2 | 5 | Suspension (29) | |
| 172 | 10 | 6 | Suspension (55) | |
| 59 | 2 | 7 | Brakes (17) | |
| 162 | 6 | 6 | Brakes (73) | |
| 170 | 7 | 4 | Brakes (97) | |
| 221 | 9 | 4 | Brakes (139) | |
| 68 | 3 | 4 | Engine (17) | |
| 54 | 1 | 3 | Engine (19) | |
| 35 | 1 | 2 | Engine (17) | |
| 104 | 3 | 0 | Engine (65) | |
| 61 | 0 | 0 | Engine (43) | |
| 126 | 4 | 2 | Engine (74) | |
| 53 | 1 | 2 | Engine (23) | |
| 19 | 1 | 1 | Engine (5) | |
| 38 | 7 | 1 | Engine (20) | |
| 9 | 1 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 12 | 3 | 0 | Unknown or other (4) |
What fails on the 2012 Mazda CX-9
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 63% |
139 | 4 | Shop brakes parts for the 2012 Mazda CX-9 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 11% |
25 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2012 Mazda CX-9 |
| Air bags | 10% |
23 | 2 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
18 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
11 | 4 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 4% |
9 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2012 Mazda CX-9 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 3% |
7 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2012 Mazda CX-9 |
| Unknown or other | 3% |
6 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
BRAKE BOOSTER INTERNAL FAILURE - This is a known issue and a safety hazard on Mazda CX 9 models and should be investigated again regardless of the age of the vehicle.
-
Knock or hard shift in park as well as in reverse keeps burning oil had everything flushed replaced all fluids valve cover gaskets spark plugs etc
-
Brake booster failure. The power assisted braking has stopped working. There are no leaking vacuum hoses and the check valve is working. The brake pedal travels to the floorboard.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mazda CX-9 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2012, 2008, 2011 carry the most filings on the Mazda CX-9. The 2012 alone has 221 complaints, led by brakes.
What is the most common Mazda CX-9 problem?
On the 2012 model year, the most-reported component is brakes with 139 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mazda CX-9 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mazda CX-9 complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.