Owners have filed 47 complaints
about the 2021 Mazda CX-9 with NHTSA between 2021 and 2026.
The largest single group is the engine & cooling.
Across this model's run it ranks 8 of 17 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 22
Against the median year of the Mazda CX-9. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
34% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — 57
33% of failures with a mileage on record happened under
36,000 miles, against a national rate of
29%.
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
1,000 – 9,999 miles
233.3%
25,000 – 49,999 miles
116.7%
50,000 – 74,999 miles
350.0%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Feb 2021peak 6Aug 2026
Recalls on the 2021 Mazda CX-9
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
United States — NHTSA
21V750000
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2020-2021 CX-9 vehicles equipped with 60/40 split bench second-row seats. The left-side second-row seat may unexpectedly slide forward during a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk: A seat that slides forward during a crash can transfer excessive force onto a belted occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 20215911,542 units in Canada
Seats And Restraints
Issue: On certain vehicles, the forward/backward slide mechanism for the left side of the second-row seat may allow the seat to slide forward in a crash. Note: This recall only affects vehicles equipped with a 60/40 split bench type second-row seat. Safety Risk: A seat that moves in a crash could create an increased risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Mazda will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace internal parts of the second-row seat slider. Note: You should not use the left side second-row seat before it has been repaired. If passengers must use this seat, they should use it with the slider set between the middle to rear position. Do not use the second-row seat in the most forward position.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Urbandale, IACrash
POWER TRAIN
The vehicle was parked stationary in the driveway with the engine running for 3-5 minutes with the A/C on. The vehicle then accelerated forward into my garage causing damage. Once I entered the vehicle, both the dash and shifter displayed park. Current TCU system internal failures have been reported from the pulling of data from Mazda.
NHTSA complaint #11755863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Urbandale, IACrash
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The vehicle was parked stationary in the driveway with the engine running for 3-5 minutes with the A/C on. The vehicle then accelerated forward into my garage causing damage. Once I entered the vehicle, both the dash and shifter displayed park. Current TCU system internal failures have been reported from the pulling of data from Mazda.
NHTSA complaint #11755863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Urbandale, IACrash
ENGINE
The vehicle was parked stationary in the driveway with the engine running for 3-5 minutes with the A/C on. The vehicle then accelerated forward into my garage causing damage. Once I entered the vehicle, both the dash and shifter displayed park. Current TCU system internal failures have been reported from the pulling of data from Mazda.
NHTSA complaint #11755863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kingman, AZCrash
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Backup camera shows three to four feet before red collision line is not accurate causing severe damage to my garage door.
NHTSA complaint #11704278 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sarasota, FLCrash1 injured
POWER TRAIN
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 my seatbelt on and the airbag deployed. The car then reversed back off the median into the parking lot. I turned off the car. Insurance company will have it inspected. The vehicle is a total loss. I was injured with a large lower abdomen hematoma and airbag burns on arms, wrists, and chest as well as various bruising. I was fortunate to have not hit pedestrians who were walking in the lot or other vehicles that were parked in the lot. There were no warning lights, messages, sounds. The brake assist did not engage. It was frightening.
NHTSA complaint #11550295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sarasota, FLCrash1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 my seatbelt on and the airbag deployed. The car then reversed back off the median into the parking lot. I turned off the car. Insurance company will have it inspected. The vehicle is a total loss. I was injured with a large lower abdomen hematoma and airbag burns on arms, wrists, and chest as well as various bruising. I was fortunate to have not hit pedestrians who were walking in the lot or other vehicles that were parked in the lot. There were no warning lights, messages, sounds. The brake assist did not engage. It was frightening.
NHTSA complaint #11550295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Urbandale, IACrash
POWER TRAIN
The vehicle was parked stationary in the driveway with the engine running for 3-5 minutes with the A/C on. The vehicle then accelerated forward into my garage causing damage. Once I entered the vehicle, both the dash and shifter displayed park. Current TCU system internal failures have been reported from the pulling of data from Mazda.
NHTSA complaint #11755863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Urbandale, IACrash
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The vehicle was parked stationary in the driveway with the engine running for 3-5 minutes with the A/C on. The vehicle then accelerated forward into my garage causing damage. Once I entered the vehicle, both the dash and shifter displayed park. Current TCU system internal failures have been reported from the pulling of data from Mazda.
NHTSA complaint #11755863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Urbandale, IACrash
ENGINE
The vehicle was parked stationary in the driveway with the engine running for 3-5 minutes with the A/C on. The vehicle then accelerated forward into my garage causing damage. Once I entered the vehicle, both the dash and shifter displayed park. Current TCU system internal failures have been reported from the pulling of data from Mazda.
NHTSA complaint #11755863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Little Compton, RI
ENGINE
1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned: On 6/12/2026 While drive on the highway with our daughter in the car and we experienced a high speed stall. The engine failed and we lost power. We barely got the car of the highway and coasted into a parking lot. 2) Life threating for Father, Mother and daughter and other drivers on the highway. 3) The Mazda dealer stated they were unable to reproduced problem. The diagnostic report showed few random misfired on two cylinders 2 & 3. Autozone detected codes P0300 with Secondary DTCs U0442-00 4) There car was only inspected by the dealer. The vehicle has not been inspected by Mazda the manufacturer. We requested Mazda to escalate this to the District Service Manger and to open hotline call with Mazda corporate but both of these were denied. All our service has been performed at Mazda dealer, including oil changes. We have always received a video of them working on our car with a detailed summary of what done. We did not receive the video or diagnostic report for this issue. 5) There were no warning lamps, no messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
NHTSA complaint #11752508 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Alexandria, VA
ENGINE
This complaint refers to Mazda and it's dealer refusal to properly execute the warranty work under the SSPD5 Valve Stem Seal Class Action Campaign and does not follow the Court's approval of the final Settlement Agreement. I assert that Mazda and it's dealer are not following the SSPD5 repair procedures. 1. I have documentation and complaints going back to Dec-2023 with this particular dealer that I have experienced low level oil consumption within the 7,500 mile oil change interval. The dealer did not detect oil leaks in any of the engine systems. 2. I presented the vehicle to the dealer with the Engine Oil Level Warning Light illuminated. The Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P250FF:00 should be stored in the vehicle memory. 3. The vehicle had 50,501 miles and was within the original 60 month limited powertrain warranty. 4. The dealer refused to conduct the valve stem seal repairs until an oil consumption test was run. The dealer claims that because I had another service center (note that I use full synthettic oil that meets Mazda oil specifications) conduct the most recent oil change at 43,738 miles (note within the 7,500 oil change interval and the 1 year time window) that the dealer would require an oil consumption test. I assert that this is not required per the class settlement agreement and the SSPD5 repair procedures that Mazda sends to all of its dealers. 5. I researched the available documentation that it's available through the NHTSA.gov. The language in these documents is very clear. 6. SSPD5 Valve Stem Class Action Campaign, Repair Procedure 6-12-2024: a. "The DTC250 is not required to be present for valve stem replacement." b. "Customer complaint of oil consumption...OR Low Oil Light OR DTC250 follow the flow chart." c. Flow chart says "Replace the exhaust valve stem seals by following TSB 01-003/24" if no previous warranty work done. 7. SSPD5 updates on 8-6-25 and 4-28-26: a. Refer to page 4, DTC250 is NOT required to be presented (it is noted in RED).
NHTSA complaint #11749820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Acton, MA
ENGINE
Check engine light comes on and error P0303 comes on. Had an independent mechanic do the following and after each one, error P0303 still came on 1. Swap the ignition coils from 2 to 3 2. Swap spark plugs from 2 to 3 3. Swapped injectors 4. Compression test 5. Leak down test 6. Changed the spark plug, coil and injectors 7. Looked for vacuum leaks. Mechanic believes that it is related to the cracked cylinder head in the recall, MC-10232269-0001.pdf. My vehicle is just outside of the recall range and has 87k miles on it. Other research online shows other people with the same vehicle and similar milealge are also having this problem.
NHTSA complaint #11745150 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kingman, AZCrash
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Backup camera shows three to four feet before red collision line is not accurate causing severe damage to my garage door.
NHTSA complaint #11704278 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Woodstock, GA
POWER TRAIN
My vehicle is part of Mazda's 2021-2022 Mazda Valve Stem Seal Settlement. The dealership had yet to call me in for the repair of said valve seal repair as I was on a list. The settlement is suppose to extend out the powertrain warranty on the vehicle 2 years/24,000 to 7 years/84,000. My vehicle has 60,083 miles on it. One of the cylinders on my vehicle lost compression. The dealership and Mazda both say they will not cover the cost for repair as they only are covering things in the powertrain relate to oil consumption. The cylinders are part of the powertrain and carbon buildup from excessive oil burning because of the defective seal causes valve damage or sticking which will cause compression loss. Mazda is actively denying what they agreed to in the settlement and costing people money for repairs that should be covered.
NHTSA complaint #11665046 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tampa, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My MazdaCx9 engine consumes (burns) an excessive amount of oil, necessitating frequent top-offs between oil changes.This issue started after the first oil change and continued since then.
NHTSA complaint #11632117 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Carnegie, PA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
On [XXX], [XXX], [XXX] I was driving on an interstate highway with a 65 mph speed limit with no warning and received the following codes which slowed the vehicle to the limp mode. 1) Smart Brake Support and Forward Obstruction Warning 2) Activsense system malfunction 3) Front Radar Sensor Malfunction 4) Engine Malfunction 5) Dynamic Stability Control Malfunction I reported all three incidents to the dealer and no codes were left and the dealership had no solution for the problem. They suggested dirt, sunlight, or blowing debris caused it, but that was not the case. Luckily the first two incidents happened with little or no traffic around but the third was during rush hour and almost caused a major accident trying to get off the highway. I shut the car off, restarted and the problem resolved no lights left on or warnings appearing all three times. Contacted Mazda several times and all representatives at the dealership and California Headquarters claim no knowledge of this happening. I found a few others reporting the same issue and wanted to report this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11627970 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seven Hills, OH
SERVICE BRAKES
Hello, I have been to a Mazda dealer complaining of clicking and squeaky brakes for 2 years now. Dealer replaced both front and back breaks and rotors around 22k year ago and to my surprise the issues persist, currently vehicle is at 49k. There is a TSB( 04-001/22) out for my vin and year, so they know its a manufacturing defect and all they do is throw white break grease and a month later the noise is there again when breaking , backing up. I am not the only one, people of reddit confirm this and so does a general google search. Besides that i love the car and the dealer was super cool about it all but I'm sorry, this is unacceptable, Every time i go get an oil change i ask about a fix and nothing.
NHTSA complaint #11619774 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Richmond, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Please add the 2021 CX9 model to the following bulletin. [XXX] This is exactly what is happening with my car and is extremely frustrating that a recall has not been issued to fix the problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11619249 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 68,811 milesMeridian, MS
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and turning, there was a popping sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The front-end popping sound also occurred while driving over bumps in the roadway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,811.
NHTSA complaint #11617410 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Salt Lake City, UT
ENGINE
Car loses oil and coolant rapidly
NHTSA complaint #11613308 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 53,186 milesGarland, TX
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while accelerating quickly and entering the highway, there was no motive power to the vehicle. While crossing the highway in the right lane, driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle in front moved over; there was a parked vehicle. The contact was able to stop the vehicle before causing a crash. The driver was starting to accelerate, but there was no motive power when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The smart brake system malfunction message was displayed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who scheduled an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact to have the vehicle diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 53,186.
NHTSA complaint #11608556 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 53,186 milesGarland, TX
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while accelerating quickly and entering the highway, there was no motive power to the vehicle. While crossing the highway in the right lane, driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle in front moved over; there was a parked vehicle. The contact was able to stop the vehicle before causing a crash. The driver was starting to accelerate, but there was no motive power when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The smart brake system malfunction message was displayed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who scheduled an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact to have the vehicle diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 53,186.
NHTSA complaint #11608556 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Stuart, FL
ENGINE
Consumes over 2 quarts of oil between recommended oil changes. The dealer made excuses about needing to use a different oil but it has not improved the problem. The warning light for low oil went off after less than 3000 miles. It was 2 quarts down.
NHTSA complaint #11595406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Oviedo, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was leaving for work when I put my personal items in the front passenger side first and then continued to walk around the car to get to the drivers side. Once I closed the passenger side door the car auto locked with all of my items in it including the key. Thankfully I had my cell phone in my pocket which has access to open the car via the Mazda app but it would not work. The spare key was not at the current location the car was at. We had to call someone out to unlock the car. This poses a safety problem because if I put my child in the back seat and close the door to get to the drivers side and it auto locks with them inside as well as my key I would have to resort to breaking the window to get them out. I reported this to Mazda and they deny that it’s a problem, and I have had the vehicle inspected by Mazda and they claim nothing is wrong with it and reset the computer. No warning prior to this happening and my key has never been locked inside before. The battery in the key is not old or dead.
NHTSA complaint #11571147 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jacksonville, FL
ENGINE
I just purchased this vehicle 2 months ago. Yesterday my oil light came on, I pulled over and checked the oil it was completely low. I had to put a quart of oil in it. After that I did some research and learned this seems to be an issue with some 2021 models the cx9 included. There needs to be a recall on this and Mazda needs to fix this issue. These cars cost way to much to have to put a quart of oil every month.
NHTSA complaint #11563032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sarasota, FLCrash1 injured
POWER TRAIN
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 my seatbelt on and the airbag deployed. The car then reversed back off the median into the parking lot. I turned off the car. Insurance company will have it inspected. The vehicle is a total loss. I was injured with a large lower abdomen hematoma and airbag burns on arms, wrists, and chest as well as various bruising. I was fortunate to have not hit pedestrians who were walking in the lot or other vehicles that were parked in the lot. There were no warning lights, messages, sounds. The brake assist did not engage. It was frightening.
NHTSA complaint #11550295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sarasota, FLCrash1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 my seatbelt on and the airbag deployed. The car then reversed back off the median into the parking lot. I turned off the car. Insurance company will have it inspected. The vehicle is a total loss. I was injured with a large lower abdomen hematoma and airbag burns on arms, wrists, and chest as well as various bruising. I was fortunate to have not hit pedestrians who were walking in the lot or other vehicles that were parked in the lot. There were no warning lights, messages, sounds. The brake assist did not engage. It was frightening.
NHTSA complaint #11550295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sarasota, FLCrash1 injured
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
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 my seatbelt on and the airbag deployed. The car then reversed back off the median into the parking lot. I turned off the car. Insurance company will have it inspected. The vehicle is a total loss. I was injured with a large lower abdomen hematoma and airbag burns on arms, wrists, and chest as well as various bruising. I was fortunate to have not hit pedestrians who were walking in the lot or other vehicles that were parked in the lot. There were no warning lights, messages, sounds. The brake assist did not engage. It was frightening.
NHTSA complaint #11550295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lakeland, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
6/29/2023--Vehicle stopped suddenly with i-ACTIVESENSE system malfunction, Dynamic Stability Control malfunction, Engine malfunction, engine output reduced, Front radar sensor malfunction. Dealer said these faults due to bad battery--replaced battery per Service Manager [XXX] at Lakeland Mazda. 9/10/2023--Incident #2 with same faults as above with vehicle stopping suddenly at risk of creating a rear end collision. Lakeland Service Manager [XXX] now said that the faults are due to a faulty ERG valve. Lakeland Mazda and [XXX] are absolutely clueless as to the root cause of this problem and are releasing the vehicle back to the customer with the potential of causing a significant collision that can result in serious injury and/or death. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11548334 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lakeland, FL
SERVICE BRAKES
6/29/2023--Vehicle stopped suddenly with i-ACTIVESENSE system malfunction, Dynamic Stability Control malfunction, Engine malfunction, engine output reduced, Front radar sensor malfunction. Dealer said these faults due to bad battery--replaced battery per Service Manager [XXX] at Lakeland Mazda. 9/10/2023--Incident #2 with same faults as above with vehicle stopping suddenly at risk of creating a rear end collision. Lakeland Service Manager [XXX] now said that the faults are due to a faulty ERG valve. Lakeland Mazda and [XXX] are absolutely clueless as to the root cause of this problem and are releasing the vehicle back to the customer with the potential of causing a significant collision that can result in serious injury and/or death. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11548334 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lakeland, FL
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
6/29/2023--Vehicle stopped suddenly with i-ACTIVESENSE system malfunction, Dynamic Stability Control malfunction, Engine malfunction, engine output reduced, Front radar sensor malfunction. Dealer said these faults due to bad battery--replaced battery per Service Manager [XXX] at Lakeland Mazda. 9/10/2023--Incident #2 with same faults as above with vehicle stopping suddenly at risk of creating a rear end collision. Lakeland Service Manager [XXX] now said that the faults are due to a faulty ERG valve. Lakeland Mazda and [XXX] are absolutely clueless as to the root cause of this problem and are releasing the vehicle back to the customer with the potential of causing a significant collision that can result in serious injury and/or death. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11548334 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.