Mazda CX-9 Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
1,798 NHTSA complaints (2007–2023).Complaint rate: 41.6 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.
Should I buy a Mazda CX-9?
Quick answer from 1,798 NHTSA complaints · 2007–2023
Most Mazda CX-9 years show comparable, moderate complaint volumes. No specific year stands out as dramatically worse than its siblings. The most commonly reported issue is brakes. Any year within the data range should perform similarly — focus inspection on the individual VIN history rather than avoiding a specific year.
- 2022 Mazda CX-9· 3.8/10K sold
- 2020 Mazda CX-9· 8.3/10K sold
- 2023 Mazda CX-9· 8.6/10K sold
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".
Bottom line: Avoid the 2016 Mazda CX-9. The 2020–2023 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Brakes.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $7.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold
Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales
Show raw complaint counts
Common Mazda CX-9 Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 412 | 5.3% |
| Engine Problems | 340 | 0.6% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 153 | 1.3% |
| Suspension Failures | 142 | 6.3% |
| Airbags | 131 | 13.0% |
| Electrical Faults | 80 | 1.2% |
| Steering Defects | 58 | 10.3% |
| Wheel Issues | 37 | 5.4% |
| Fuel System | 33 | 0.0% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 31 | 16.1% |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Rate | US Sales | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | — | 98 | 38.3 | 25,566 | 3 | — | View → |
| 2008AVOID | — | 234 | 89.7 | 26,100 | 14 | — | View → |
| 2009 | — | 65 | 30.8 | 21,132 | 2 | — | View → |
| 2010AVOID | — | 193 | 66.8 | 28,908 | 6 | 5 | View → |
| 2011AVOID | — | 207 | 60.1 | 34,421 | 10 | 5 | View → |
| 2012AVOID | — | 263 | 99.3 | 26,472 | 14 | — | View → |
| 2013 | — | 80 | 32.5 | 24,628 | 7 | 1 | View → |
| 2014 | — | 73 | 39.5 | 18,496 | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 2015 | — | 45 | 24.9 | 18,048 | 1 | — | View → |
| 2016AVOID | — | 140 | 89.8 | 15,596 | 6 | 2 | View → |
| 2017 | — | 76 | 29.4 | 25,828 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2018AVOID | — | 163 | 57.7 | 28,257 | 6 | 1 | View → |
| 2019 | — | 69 | 25.7 | 26,861 | 1 | — | View → |
| 2020GOOD | — | 23 | 8.3 | 27,638 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2021GOOD | — | 41 | 12.9 | 31,803 | 10 | — | View → |
| 2022GOOD | — | 13 | 3.8 | 34,580 | 1 | — | View → |
| 2023GOOD | — | 15 | 8.6 | 17,451 | 6 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (1,798 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 100% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 431,785.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Mazda CX-9accident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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