Mazda CX-9 Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Mazda CX-9 model year from 2007 to 2023, benchmarked against each other with 1,823 federal complaints, 14 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2008, 2010–2012, 2018. These years top the CX-9's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2015 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the CX-9's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Brakes & stability tops the Mazda CX-9 file with 434 complaints, concentrated in the 2010–2012 model years, most often reported around 75,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Few reports | 17 | 0 | — | 12 |
| 2022 | Few reports | 13 | 0 | — | 7 |
| 2021 | Typical | 47 | 1 | Engine | 27 |
| 2020 | Few reports | 26 | 1 | — | 10 |
| 2019 | Typical | 72 | 2 | Engine | 24 |
| 2018 | Avoid | 167 | 2 | Engine | 64 |
| 2017 | Typical | 78 | 0 | Engine | 25 |
| 2016 | Below average | 141 | 0 | Engine | 58 |
| 2015 | Better year | 45 | 2 | Engine | 18 |
| 2014 | Typical | 73 | 3 | Engine | 25 |
| 2013 | Below average | 80 | 4 | Engine | 36 |
| 2012 | Avoid | 263 | 4 | Brakes & stability | 100 |
| 2011 | Avoid | 209 | 4 | Brakes & stability | 80 |
| 2010 | Avoid | 194 | 6 | Brakes & stability | 75 |
| 2009 | Typical | 66 | 7 | Brakes & stability | 23 |
| 2008 | Avoid | 234 | 6 | Suspension | 91 |
| 2007 | Below average | 98 | 5 | Suspension | 35 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 5,704 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Mazda CX-9. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Mazda CX-9 TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Mazda CX-9 years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2008, 2010–2012, 2018 as the Mazda CX-9 years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Mazda CX-9 problem?
Brakes & stability tops the Mazda CX-9 file with 434 complaints, concentrated in the 2010–2012 model years, most often reported around 75,000 miles.
What are the best Mazda CX-9 years to buy used?
The quietest Mazda CX-9 years in federal records are 2015 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Mazda CX-9 only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.