2018 Mazda CX-9 Problems & Owner Complaints

Engine 73

“My wife was driving the vehicle when the emergency lights started going off. She had to pull over because the car wouldn't run and said it was overheated. All the maintenance has been done to the car. We took it to the dealership and they said it is a cracked head and it is a known issue. They even issued a extended warranty for it. It is TSB 01-002/23. There should be a recall on this not just a partial credit.”
NHTSA complaint #11742255, 2026

“My 2018 Mazda CX-9 experienced catastrophic engine damage after a radiator failure allowed coolant to enter the engine. The vehicle provided no dashboard warning, overheating alert, or coolant warning before the failure occurred. Modern vehicles are designed to alert drivers to overheating or cooling system failures. The lack of warning prevented me from addressing the issue and resulted in catastrophic engine damage. I believe this represents a potential safety defect in the vehicle’s cooling system monitoring and warning system.”
NHTSA complaint #11723876, 2026

“The cylinder head on this 2018 Mazda CX-9 (Skyactiv-G 2.5T engine) cracked, allowing engine coolant to leak and intermix with engine oil, causing loss of coolant and catastrophic engine failure. The vehicle became undriveable in the first week of November 2025 at approximately 125,019 miles and has remained inoperable since; it was not in a crash and had to be towed. This matches a known, documented defect on Mazda's Skyactiv-G 2.5T engine: coolant leakage at the cylinder head near the exhaust manifold, leading to overheating and engine failure. Mazda issued technical service bulletin(s) addr…”
NHTSA complaint #11750583, 2025

Unknown Or Other 19 1 crash

“I was resting my foot on my brake in the middle of sealed traffic and when I eased up to move forward when traffic my brakes did stop causing me to bump the car ahead of me. After that what came next was that my car then accelerated forward with my foot still on the brake. By then 2 other vehicles were involved in this accident. My car is now totaled from this.”
NHTSA complaint #11497382, 2022 · crash

“1. The navigation has a frosted crackle appearance framing the screen. It is difficult to read the navigation when needed. I know this has happened to other models of this vehicle and those were recalled and covered. 2. The brake senor keeps going off stating "SMART BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION". This goes off repeatedly while driving. 3. Then a second message pops up and reads "FRONT RADAR SENSOR SYSTEM MALFUNTION".”
NHTSA complaint #11654693, 2025

“Approximately three weeks ago, a message on my dashboard said to pull over immediately. Your car is overheating. I pulled over to a nearby auto shop, which indicated that I was just low on coolant. They topped off the coolant, and everything appeared fine. Two weeks later, I got the same message on the dashboard, saying my car was overheating to pull over immediately. I pulled into a nearby auto parts store and purchased coolant for the vehicle. When I checked the reservoir, it was bone dry. I added coolant and drove the car home. The following day, I checked the reservoir to see if…”
NHTSA complaint #11611415, 2024

Electrical System 15 1 fire

“Passenger seat heater either had a grounding issue or shorted out, causing to seat to start smoldering and catching fire, destroying the seat. There has been recalls and lawsuits for this specific issue on this model in other years, but not for this model year.”
NHTSA complaint #11713860, 2026 · fire

“The liftgate (trunk) opens sporadically. The system keeps trying to open the truck and it's causing a parasitic drain on my battery. I was stranded 2 hours from my home due to this. My trunk would sporadically beep three times, that is the only warning I received. There are safety recalls for other year of Mazda cx-9 but not my specific even though I am having the same issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11725165, 2026

“[XXX] 2018 MAZDA CX-9 GRAND TOURING 89014 MILES Date: 9/11/2025 To: Mazda North American Operations Attn: Customer Experience Center 7755 Irvine Center Drive Irvine, CA 92618 USA Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Safety and Technical Issue – 2018 Mazda CX-9 Dear Mazda Customer Experience Team, I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a serious safety and technical issue I have experienced with my 2018 Mazda CX-9. After a recent inspection conducted by Mazda Koch 33, it was brought to my attention that the engine wiring harness is defective and may potentially cause a fire o…”
NHTSA complaint #11686751, 2025

Power Train 13

“My 2018 Mazda CX-9 with the SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine has been diagnosed with a cracked cylinder head, cracked exhaust manifold, and cracked turbocharger at approximately 88,000 miles. This is a known design defect documented in Mazda TSB 01-002/23 and addressed by Customer Service Program CSP11, which extended the powertrain warranty to 10 years/120,000 miles for coolant leaks at the cylinder head. The TSB identifies exhaust manifold deformation and residual production stress as root causes of the cylinder head cracking. In my vehicle, the failure has extended to the exhaust manifold and turboch…”
NHTSA complaint #11731137, 2026

“my 2018 MAZDA CX-9 safety issue SCBS / SBS, LAS / LDWS, MASTER AND/OR HBC WARNING LIGHTS Forward sensing camera (FSC) stops functioning cause my car run rough even depress accelration and those light came on dashbaord -Forworad smart city brake support malfunction -smart brake system -front camera sensor malfunction”
NHTSA complaint #11685844, 2025

“coolant leaks at cylinder head , Mazda of America knows issues but not willing to recall , they hava a bulletin number 01-002/23 . pls help”
NHTSA complaint #11615751, 2024

Service Brakes 11 2 crash 1 injury

“I'M CONSTANTLY HAVE A FRONT WINDSHIELD ERROR : CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO JUST AUTOMATICALLY STOPING WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND STREETS. MY AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY WHEN I WAS I A ACCIDENT . I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES ALREADY AND THEY ALWAYS HAVE A DIFFERENT EXCUSE OR REASON”
NHTSA complaint #11340475, 2020 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE ('EPB') BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION FOLLOWING RECALL TO FIX ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ON MAZDA CX-9, 2018. EPB WILL NOT RELEASE, OR WILL UNEXPECTEDLY AND SUDDENLY RELEASE WITH CAR ACCELERATING IN GEAR ('DRIVE' OR 'REVERSE'). MOST RECENTLY WHEN ACTIVATING THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE ((CAR WAS ON A A ROADWAY INCLINE) THE BRAKE WOULD NOT RELEASE, AFTER 2 HOURS OF BEING STRANDED AND OF ATTEMPTING TO GET THE BRAKE TO RELEASE, ( INCLUDING ROCKING/SHIFTING/ALTERNATING GEARS/BRAKING/SEAT BELT ON/SEAT BELT OFF/ MANUAL BRAKE ON/OFF AND FOLLOWING ALL MANUAL PROCEDURES REPETITIVELY) A CELL PH…”
NHTSA complaint #11403803, 2021 · crash

“My 2018 Mazda CX-9 experienced catastrophic engine damage after a radiator failure allowed coolant to enter the engine. The vehicle provided no dashboard warning, overheating alert, or coolant warning before the failure occurred. Modern vehicles are designed to alert drivers to overheating or cooling system failures. The lack of warning prevented me from addressing the issue and resulted in catastrophic engine damage. I believe this represents a potential safety defect in the vehicle’s cooling system monitoring and warning system.”
NHTSA complaint #11723876, 2026

Fuel/Propulsion System 5

“- My 2018 Mazda CX 9 started stalling and jittering at idle and then eventually during slow driving. - Next day I got a check engine light, took to Mazda service center at the dealership I have been going to for last 6 years since I bought the car. - Service center diagnosed that there was a coolant leak through the cylinder head which seems to have cracked. - Further investigation indicated that this has been identified on many other similar Mazda engines and a Technical Service Bulletin had been issued by Mazda to Dealers. - On probing initially, dealership declined they were aware of any…”
NHTSA complaint #11618999, 2024

“Mazda has a known technical service bulletin [XXX] which has numerous engine cylinder heads which leaks coolant causing the engine to overheat without warning. On new cars. Mazda knows it’s an issue and has not pushed this information down to its consumers. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
NHTSA complaint #11566091, 2024

“When this vehicle is low on fuel (but not empty) and under heavy acceleration, the fuel pump temporarily fails causing the engine to stall. This creates a serious safety hazard. Other 2019 Mazda models were covered for a similar defect under NHTSA Campaign Number 21V-875, however this specific VIN is questionably not included under that recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11465504, 2022

Forward Collision Avoidance 4

“I am submitting this recall request because my vehicle has experienced repeated incidents of a serious safety issue. While driving—most often on the highway—a warning appears that says “Smart System Brake Malfunction.” Immediately after, the car begins braking on its own without driver input. This has happened multiple times and, based on online reports, it appears to be affecting many Mazda vehicles across different models and years. Each time, I have been forced to pull over, turn off the car, and restart it to temporarily resolve the issue. This is extremely dangerous, especially at highw…”
NHTSA complaint #11682407, 2025

“1. The navigation has a frosted crackle appearance framing the screen. It is difficult to read the navigation when needed. I know this has happened to other models of this vehicle and those were recalled and covered. 2. The brake senor keeps going off stating "SMART BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION". This goes off repeatedly while driving. 3. Then a second message pops up and reads "FRONT RADAR SENSOR SYSTEM MALFUNTION".”
NHTSA complaint #11654693, 2025

“I keep getting a automatic emergency braking malfunction alert”
NHTSA complaint #11496403, 2022

Back Over Prevention 3

“[XXX] 2018 MAZDA CX-9 GRAND TOURING 89014 MILES Date: 9/11/2025 To: Mazda North American Operations Attn: Customer Experience Center 7755 Irvine Center Drive Irvine, CA 92618 USA Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Safety and Technical Issue – 2018 Mazda CX-9 Dear Mazda Customer Experience Team, I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a serious safety and technical issue I have experienced with my 2018 Mazda CX-9. After a recent inspection conducted by Mazda Koch 33, it was brought to my attention that the engine wiring harness is defective and may potentially cause a fire o…”
NHTSA complaint #11686751, 2025

“Mazda has refused to admit and repair a clearly defective screen, affecting visibility of the camera system, navigation, climate controls and infotainment. Pictures attached are several months old and the issue continues to get worse. The dealer says "corporate won't cover it", corporate customer service will not respond to repeated attempts at contact other than a generic "your VIN is not covered". Service alert direct from Mazda and pictures of my screen showing the EXACT issue are attached. For a $40k+ vehicle with less than 30k miles on it (less than 20k when the issue started), this…”
NHTSA complaint #11481586, 2021

“"Spider Cracks" in both the left and right top corners that continue to spread, creating larger blind spots while in reverse. This is an issue that Mazda is aware of and impacts many models from 2014 until 2019. Even though this may not be considered a "safety feature" in it's traditional form, it has become common practice to rely on this feature while reversing the vehicle. Much like additional airbags may not be required, if they are, they should be fixed when they are proven to be faulty. Both the local dealer(Roger Beasley Austin North) and MazdaUSA refused to cover the cost of fixing the…”
NHTSA complaint #11475319, 2020

Steering 3

“Steering makes knocking noises when turning. It happened suddenly with no damage to car to cause it. It was fine prior to parking, when the car was restarted and the wheel was turned knocking noise started. Mechanic found there is a tsb for this problem but no recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11630249, 2024

“the cars engine makes loud rattling noise and slips gear. the vecicle jerks hard and feels as if transmission is slipping. car hesitates when i shift into gear, followed by a jerking and jolting into gear. my brakes are replaced frequently. mazda at 65643 miles on car found excess operating noise coming from engine coolant/water pump due to internal bearing failing. they replaced the water pump. software (pyd8-18881-f) replaced. the vehicle has 74000 miles and has same problem. when stopped at a traffic signal it lunges forward at times. and shifts slow to fast gears. this problem is not res…”
NHTSA complaint #11488281, 2022

“THIS VEHICLE IS HAS BEEN ON LEASE FOR 1 YEAR AND HAS LESS THAN 4000 MILES ON IT. INITIALLY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE THAT HAD BEEN PARKED OVERNIGHT IT GAVE THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS: - KEYLESS ENTRY MALFUNCTION - CHARGING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION - VEHICLE OVERHEATING - BATTERY MALFUNCTION THE CAR WOULD NOT SHUT OFF UNTIL I HELD THE START/STOP BUTTON IN FOR ROUGHLY 20SECS. THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER TOOK THE CAR AND TOLD US THE BATTERY HAD A LOW CHARGE, CHARGED IT AND RETURNED IT. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WITH 2 ADULTS AND 2 CHILDREN ON A CITY STREET TR…”
NHTSA complaint #11192600, 2019

Visibility/Wiper 3 1 crash 1 injury

“I'M CONSTANTLY HAVE A FRONT WINDSHIELD ERROR : CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO JUST AUTOMATICALLY STOPING WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND STREETS. MY AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY WHEN I WAS I A ACCIDENT . I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES ALREADY AND THEY ALWAYS HAVE A DIFFERENT EXCUSE OR REASON”
NHTSA complaint #11340475, 2020 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Passenger side sun visor will not stay in place. Cannot lock it in up position, which means it droops. Causing sight of vision impairment.”
NHTSA complaint #11694595, 2025

Air Bags 2 2 crash 2 injury

“I'M CONSTANTLY HAVE A FRONT WINDSHIELD ERROR : CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO JUST AUTOMATICALLY STOPING WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND STREETS. MY AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY WHEN I WAS I A ACCIDENT . I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES ALREADY AND THEY ALWAYS HAVE A DIFFERENT EXCUSE OR REASON”
NHTSA complaint #11340475, 2020 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“TAKATA RECALL - WAS IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WITH 3 OTHER CARS INVOLVED, ALL CARS WERE TOTALED AND ALL OF THE OTHER CARS' AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MINE AND I WAS INJURED AS A RESULT.”
NHTSA complaint #11243501, 2019 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Engine And Engine Cooling 2

“The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine started overheating within approximately 15 minutes of driving. The contact had to pull over and wait for a while to let the engine cool down before continuing to drive. The contact stated that there was a message that the engine was overheating and to stop driving the vehicle displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the cylinders due to a fracture in the cylinder head. The contact was unsure of the cylinders with the failure. The co…”
NHTSA complaint #11609734, 2024

“The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he noticed an abnormal odor inside the vehicle. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact found a trail of coolant. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who confirmed that coolant was leaking, and referred the contact to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,080.”
NHTSA complaint #11540793, 2023

Fuel System 2

“The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-9, The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V875000 (Gasoline, Fuel System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”
NHTSA complaint #11467331, 2022

“The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while pulling up to a gas pump the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact added gasoline to the vehicle, restarted the vehicle, and was able to continue to drive to her residence. Several weeks later the failure recurred while the contact was pulling into a parking lot. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact’s husband arrived at the scene and added gasoline to the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be…”
NHTSA complaint #11455059, 2022

Seats 2

“My passenger heated seats malfunction while I was driving. As I was driving on the highway I smelled something burning. I didn't know where the smell was coming from it was strong . Then while I'm driving on the highway my seat started to smoke a lot I got scared and pulled on side of the road. I realized my seat was the issue turned off the heated seats on the control. Step out the vehicle on side the highway I was nervous and scared standing outside my vehicle. The smoke eventually died down and cleared out. I never turned it back on and put a small piece of tape over the hole it burned thro…”
NHTSA complaint #11742848, 2026

“The adjustable rails holding the rear left seat in place no longer latch. It is available for inspection. This is the most common place for a car seat in this car. In the event of a crash the seat would slide forward. The seat belt attaches to the seat so there would be little restraint on the rear passenger. The mechanic who attempted a repair stated Mazda does not sell this part, only sells a replacement for the entire seat, about $5000. There were no symptoms, when adjusting the seat the rail just stopped holding the seat firmly in place when the adjusting bar was released.”
NHTSA complaint #11719629, 2026

Child Seat 1

“CPSC: THE MANUFACTURER SELLS A SMART CAR SEAT. *DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE CYBEX SIRONSAFE 2.0 CAR SEATS PLUG INTO THE VEHICLES OBD PORTS. THE CAR SEATS BOTH INDIVIDUALLY DRAINED THE BATTERY OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT, DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. *JS”
NHTSA complaint #11207796, 2019

Exterior Lighting 1

“I keep getting a automatic emergency braking malfunction alert”
NHTSA complaint #11496403, 2022

Lane Departure 1

“[XXX] 2018 MAZDA CX-9 GRAND TOURING 89014 MILES Date: 9/11/2025 To: Mazda North American Operations Attn: Customer Experience Center 7755 Irvine Center Drive Irvine, CA 92618 USA Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Safety and Technical Issue – 2018 Mazda CX-9 Dear Mazda Customer Experience Team, I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a serious safety and technical issue I have experienced with my 2018 Mazda CX-9. After a recent inspection conducted by Mazda Koch 33, it was brought to my attention that the engine wiring harness is defective and may potentially cause a fire o…”
NHTSA complaint #11686751, 2025

Seat Belts 1

“The seat belt in the center seat of the middle row of seats is locked in unusable position.”
NHTSA complaint #11535473, 2021

Structure 1

“While driving the rear wheel trim piece went flying off and struck the car behind. Noting was loose, showed signs or issues beforehand and nothing was struck on the road. Online searching has shown this is an issue others have experienced.”
NHTSA complaint #11469829, 2022

Suspension 1

“While I have not been involved in an accident yet, I have discovered an issue that is believed to be the same issue that other models are covered under a recall, yet for some reason my VIN is not included. The bulleting reference number is 02-001/20 that covers MAZDA 2016-2020 CX-9 models. I have a 2018 CX-9 touring that is exhibiting the exact action of the recall which is "creaking noise from front lower arm bushing/clunking noise from front shock absorber coil spring when driving over bumps". It is only getting worse as time goes on. I am confused as to why some vehicles would be included i…”
NHTSA complaint #11583243, 2023