Mazda CX-9 2016–2023
2nd generation (TC) · Mazda Skyactiv (large architecture)
NHTSA data through 13 August 2026561 complaints, 112 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 112
- Median of reported failures
- 29,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Engine (40.6%)
- Recalls
- 4
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 15,000 and 53,186 miles.
Figure 1 · Mazda CX-9 2016–2023 · 112 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 20,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 41 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 10%
- 4,000
- 25%
- 15,000
- Median
- 28,625
- 75%
- 53,186
- 90%
- 65,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20,000 | 41 | 36.6% |
| 20,000–40,000 | 25 | 22.3% |
| 40,000–60,000 | 25 | 22.3% |
| 60,000–80,000 | 15 | 13.4% |
| 80,000–100,000 | 2 | 1.8% |
| 120,000–140,000 | 3 | 2.7% |
| 140,000–160,000 | 1 | 0.9% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 561 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016–2023 Mazda CX-9, and 112 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 15,000 and 53,186 miles. The median is 28,625 miles.
The most-reported areas are the engine (40.6% of complaints, typically around 35,000 miles), problems owners could not categorise (10.7% of complaints, typically around 16,000 miles), the electrical system (8.2% of complaints, typically around 21,000 miles).
4 recall campaigns cover this generation.
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2016–2023 Mazda CX-9 last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2016–2023 Mazda CX-9 were filed by 29,000 miles and 90% by 65,000 miles — figures drawn from 112 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
Before you buy a 2016–2023 CX-9: the 3-minute check
Generated from 112 mileage-tagged complaints, 4 recall campaigns, 3 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 4 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine - intake on 2016–2023 cars. Direct-injection carbon deposit accumulation on the intake valves of the 2.5L turbo, producing rough cold running and misfire at higher mileage — the generic DI pattern rather than a Mazda-specific defect.
- Check fuel system on 2018–2019 cars. Low-pressure fuel pump impeller cracking (Denso-supplied pumps) causing stalling and no-start; recalled across multiple Mazda models of this era.
- Check general on 2016–2023 cars. No single dominant catastrophic failure mode comparable to the first generation's water pump; complaint density is materially lower. The V6-to-turbo-four change means first-generation failure modes should not be carried…
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 15,000 and 53,000 miles, with a median of 29,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the engine and problems owners could not categorise are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Problems owners could not categorise in particular shows a median failure mileage of 16,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Mazda CX-9 2016–2023
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise60 reports16,00010,000–40,000Problems owners could not categorise: 60 reports, median 16,000 miles, middle half 10,000 to 40,000 miles.
- Electrical system46 reports21,00010,000–53,000Electrical system: 46 reports, median 21,000 miles, middle half 10,000 to 53,000 miles.
- Brakes33 reports28,00010,000–40,000Brakes: 33 reports, median 28,000 miles, middle half 10,000 to 40,000 miles.
- Engine228 reports35,00017,000–63,000Engine: 228 reports, median 35,000 miles, middle half 17,000 to 63,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 228 | 40.6% | 35,000 | 17,000–63,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 60 | 10.7% | 16,000 | 10,000–40,000 |
| Electrical system | 46 | 8.2% | 21,000 | 10,000–53,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 36 | 6.4% | — | — |
| Brakes | 33 | 5.9% | 28,000 | 10,000–40,000 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 23 | 4.1% | — | — |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 22 | 3.9% | — | — |
| Body structure | 13 | 2.3% | — | — |
| Suspension | 12 | 2.1% | — | — |
| Steering | 12 | 2.1% | — | — |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Mazda CX-9 2016–2023 · 112 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 81% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 96% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
81% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Problems owners could not categorise — median 16,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 21,000 mi
- Brakes — median 28,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Engine — middle half 17,000–63,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
96% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine — median 35,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — median 16,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 21,000 mi
- Brakes — median 28,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
96% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine — median 35,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — median 16,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 21,000 mi
- Brakes — median 28,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 28,625 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 40.6% of complaints (228 reports, 16 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 35,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 17,000 and 63,000 miles.
A single system taking 40.6% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 10.7% of complaints (60 reports, 12 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 16,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,000 and 40,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 8.2% of complaints (46 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 21,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,000 and 53,000 miles.
The brakes account for 5.9% of complaints (33 reports, 13 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 28,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,000 and 40,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2018 model year drew the most — 167 complaints — while 2020 drew the fewest at 26. The median year sits at 75.
That makes 2018 an outlier: roughly 2.2 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 4 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 561 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 34 (6.1%)
- Fires
- 3
- Injury reports
- 17
- Fatality reports
- 0
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine - Intake 2016–2023
Direct-injection carbon deposit accumulation on the intake valves of the 2.5L turbo, producing rough cold running and misfire at higher mileage — the generic DI pattern rather than a Mazda-specific defect.
Fuel System 2018–2019
Low-pressure fuel pump impeller cracking (Denso-supplied pumps) causing stalling and no-start; recalled across multiple Mazda models of this era.
General 2016–2023
No single dominant catastrophic failure mode comparable to the first generation's water pump; complaint density is materially lower. The V6-to-turbo-four change means first-generation failure modes should not be carried forward to this page.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 141 | 46 |
| 2017 | 78 | 9 |
| 2018 | 167 | 25 |
| 2019 | 72 | 21 |
| 2020 | 26 | 3 |
| 2021 | 47 | 6 |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 |
| 2023 | 17 | 1 |
Recalls (4) — is your car included?
Jul 2022 · 2018–2019 · Fuel System, GasolineFuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The defect. Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3, Mazda6, 2019 CX-3, 2018-2019 MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and 2019-2020 Mazda2 vehicles. The impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.
What can happen. Fuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.
Nov 2021 · 2020–2021 · SeatsA seat that slides forward during a crash can transfer excessive force onto a belted occupant, increasing…
The defect. 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."
What can happen. A seat that slides forward during a crash can transfer excessive force onto a belted occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
The free fix. Dealers will replace the internal parts of the affected second-row seats, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 4, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5221I.
Dec 2019 · 2019 · TiresA detached tire tread can decrease vehicle stability and increase the risk of a crash.
The defect. Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019 CX-9 vehicles equipped with Sumitomo Falken ZIEX CT50 A/S tires, size P255/50R20 104V, having date code 1619. An incorrect rubber compound may have been used in the tire's manufacturing, allowing the tread to separate and detach.
What can happen. A detached tire tread can decrease vehicle stability and increase the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four tire serial numbers, replacing the tires as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 4, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4019J.
Jul 2019 · 2018 · Electrical SystemThe passenger frontal air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
The defect. Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 CX-9 vehicles. The wiring harness may disrupt electrical communications and disable the passenger frontal air bag, turn signals, and/or engine starting system.
What can happen. The passenger frontal air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury. Inoperable turn signals prevent the driver from signaling to other drivers, increasing the risk of crash.
The free fix. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will repair the wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3419E.
What owners reported
I bought the car saturday. Four days later, i filled the tank at 2:00 pm for the first time. I then drove about 30 miles. When i arrived home at 5:00pm, i parked in the garage. I noticed the odor of fuel as soon as i exited the car and checked to make sure i had secured the gas cap, which i had. Thirty minutes later…
2016 · 200 miles · Fuel and propulsion system
The push button on/off switch does not protect against turning the vehicle off if transmission is accidentally left in any position other than 'p'. For example its possible to put the transmission in 'r' and turn the vehicle off. For a busy parent (target demographic of this vehicle), this is very dangerous. If on an…
2016 · 1,500 miles · Transmission and driveline
Driving to work in the morning at 5:45am on 06/05/2018 going 65 MPH and my car cuts engine power and starts lowly declining pressing gas did nothing and multiple notifications flashing such as vehicle system malfunction, forward smart city brake support malfunction, smart brake system malfunction. I had to pull off to…
2016 · 6,000 miles · Brakes
Built from 112 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page