2012 Mazda CX-9 problems, complaints & recalls

2012 Mazda CX-9 recalls (4)

• Recall 19V782000Oct 31, 201969,879 vehiclesDo not drive
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012 CX-7, CX-9, and 2009-2012 Maza6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

  Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

  Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.

• Recall 18V717000Oct 12, 2018155,436 vehiclesDo not drive
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6, 2011-2012 CX-7, and 2011-2015 CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Mazda6, 2010-2012 CX-7, and 2010-2015 CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

  Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

  Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.

• Recall 17V457000Jul 18, 201779,402 vehiclesDo not drive
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2012 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Mazda is recalling certain 2009 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Mazda is recalling certain 2007-2008 CX-7 and CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

  Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

  Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began October 4, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 17V-012.

• Recall 15V451000Jul 20, 2015193,484 vehicles
  SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM · SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

  Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2014 CX-9 vehicles manufactured October 24, 2006, to December 28, 2013. The affected vehicles have front suspension ball joints that may corrode from water leaking into the fitting.

  Risk: Over time, the ball joint corrosion may result in the front lower control arm separating from the ball joint, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both the left and right lower control arms, free of charge. The recall began on September 14, 2015. The recall will begin with model year 2007-2009 vehicles registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The second phase will be for model year 2010-2014 vehicles in the same states. Finally, all remaining vehicles will be remedied. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 8515G.

NHTSA defect investigations

• PE19006Opened May 2, 2019Closed Jan 15, 2021

  Inadvertent Curtain Air Bag Deployment

  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE19-006) on May 2, 2019 to investigate two Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) and Early Warning Reporting data related to allegations of inadvertent deployment (IAD) of side curtain airbags in Model Year (MY) 2010 through 2013 Mazda CX-9 vehicles. ODI sent an Information Request (IR) to Mazda North America Operations, LLC. to gather information about the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. In the 20 months since opening the PE, ODI has received three additional VOQs. To date, there have been a total of 11 IAD i…

• PE15022Opened Jun 9, 2015Closed Aug 20, 2015led to recall 15V451000

  Lower ball joint separation

  In an July 7,2015 letter to NHTSA, Mazda identified a safety defect that could result in lower ball joint separation in approximately 193,484 model year (MY) 2007 through 2014 Mazda CX-9 vehicles (NHTSA Recall No. 15V-451,Mazda 8515G).Mazda indicated that damage to the ball joint boot may allow water to enter the front suspension ball joint fitting during use which may result in premature ball joint wear and a progressively looser joint.In January 2014, Mazda implemented redesigned lower control arms in production vehicles to improve the durability of the lower ball joints.The redesign involve…

Recent 2012 Mazda CX-9 complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Jun 9, 2025TXAcceleration & Cruise Control

   While drive i feel like there is sticking something below the car when i am accelerating. And the acceleration became hard. Also i heard a weird noise at that time. Then a saw a leakage below my car.

   NHTSA complaint #11665737 · source
2. Filed Feb 4, 2025NCAirbags

   My driver and passenger side curtain airbags randomly deployed without a collision. Thankfully I was at a stop sign when this happened. If it happened while I was driving, I’m sure I would have wrecked and could possibly be dead. It was loud! I thought I’d been shot or that I’d driven over a bomb. We did take the car to someone that’s certified in airbags and it was stated that this was due to a manufacturer’s defect. I also have lots of pictures. There was no warning when…

   NHTSA complaint #11640738 · source
3. Filed Sep 16, 2024PASteering

   Ball joints replaced due to tear in both rubber covers and driver side ball joint very loose. Was previously repaired in July 2015 under recall Number: 15V451000.

   NHTSA complaint #11614843 · source
4. Filed Sep 29, 2023ORBrakes

   I was driving normally when I started sowing down and noticed the brakes were harder to push. I finally stopped just before almost rear-ending a vehicle in front of me. It turns out the brake booster, a known problem that was not communicated to me a few years ago, failed and makes braking the vehicle harder, increases distance, and makes the vehicle unsafe to drive. The problem has been reproduced via a diagnostic test at Mazda of Gladstone dealership on 9/27/23. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11547325 · source
5. Filed Jul 24, 2023MATransmission & Drivetrain

   The water pump suddenly started leaking and the mechanics I talk to said this is a very common problem with this vehicle and type of engine. Sounds like owners are left to foot the bill for this costly and difficult repair of a defective product. Hopefully more owners come forward and report their experience in this regard

   NHTSA complaint #11534076 · source
6. Filed Jul 13, 202311,000 miPACrashSuspension

   The contact owns a 2012 Mazda CX9. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been involved in a crash due to a fractured passenger's side lower control arm. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle had been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V451000 (Suspension). The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. An independent mechanic replaced the passenger's side lower control arm; however, the contact stated…

   NHTSA complaint #11532135 · source
7. Filed Feb 28, 2023175,000 miWISeats & Seat Belts

   The contact owns a 2012 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the front passenger’s side seat belt was tightening intermittently causing discomfort for the front seat passenger. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.

   NHTSA complaint #11509608 · source
8. Filed Feb 20, 2023NJBrakes

   On August 14, 2020, the brake booster along with the master cylinder failed, resulting in very dangerous and frightening driving conditions, and the parts were replaced with Mazda original parts. This was an ongoing issue with the Mazda CX-9’s. I reported it to the NHTSA, complaint number 11480067. On January 4, 2023, the brake master cylinder and booster failed again resulting again in very dangerous and frightening driving conditions. The car was driven only 25,383 miles…

   NHTSA complaint #11508193 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology