Home · 2012 Mazda CX-9 · Complaints

What 221 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Mazda CX-9

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (221)Crash / fire / injury (13)Brakes (143)Engine (25)Airbags (23)Transmission & drivetrain (18)Speed control (11)Suspension (9)Steering (7)Electrical system (5)Fuel system (4)Lights (3)

4 of 221 complaints match · Fuel system · clear filters

Oct 8, 2017EngineFuel system

MULTIPLE TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (CEL) COMES ON WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF EVAPORATING SYSTEM / LOOSE GAS CAP. MULTIPLE DIAGNOSTICS FEES, A GAS TANK PRESSURE TEST AND 3 GAS CAPS LATER AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN FIXED. I NOTICED A FEW ONLINE FORUMS WITH SEVERAL OTHERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME ISSUE ACROSS A WIDE RAGE OF YEARS AND MAZDA MODELS. THERE IS A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH MAZADA EVAPORATING, FUEL AND EMISSIONS SYSTEMS. THE DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. BEYOND REPLACING THE GAS CAP AND COLLECTING A DIAGNOSTIC FEE.

NHTSA ODI 11032254

Aug 30, 2016Transmission & drivetrainBrakesEngineFuel system

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MAZDA CX-9. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THERE WAS A LOUD METAL TO METAL NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE GEARS FAILED TO SHIFT CORRECTLY AND THE OIL AND ENGINE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE CHANGED. THE BRAKES WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED AND WORSENED. THE CONTACT ALSO SMELLED FUEL COMING FROM THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE HAD TROUBLE ACCELERATING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000.

NHTSA ODI 10899636

Jan 30, 2016Fuel system

WHEN PUMPING GAS IN THE FUEL TANK, THE GAS SPEWS OUT WHEN THE PUMP STOPS. THIS CAUSES THE GAS TO SPILL DOWN THE SIDE OF THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10823203

Feb 27, 2014Engine & coolingFuel systemSpeed controlBrakes

I AM UNSURE OF THE FIRST DATE OF OCCURRENCE, BUT THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW WITH 12 MILES ON IT. AND THE DEALER CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. 1. THE AC ALWAYS COMES ON. EVEN WHEN IT'S BELOW ZERO OUTSIDE. 2. IT FAILS TO GO WHEN PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR FREQUENTLY, AND ESPECIALLY IN REVERSE, FROM A STOPPED POSITION, UNTIL YOU REALLY PUSH HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR CAUSING IT JUMP. 3. LAST FRIDAY 2/21/2014 AS I WAS ON A RAMP MOVING FROM ONE INTERSTATE TO ANOTHER, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV UP EVEN AFTER I LET OFF THE GAS, AND PUSHED THE BRAKE. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THIS, IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENED AT LEAST 10-12 TIMES. IT WAS DEFINITELY THE MOST SCARY, AS I THOUGHT I WAS GOING OVER THE SIDE OF THE RAMP OR INTO THE SEMI IN FRONT OF ME FOR A MINUTE OR SO. 4. THE BRAKES SQUEAK LOUDLY WHEN IT'S COLD. 5. THE BRAKES ARE EITHER REALLY SENSITIVE, OR YOU HAVE TO STOMP THEM TO GET THEM TO WORK, SO SINCE YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH IT'S GOING TO BE YOU'RE LIKELY TO JERK YOURSELF AND YOUR PASSENGERS AROUND A LOT. 6. THE VEHICLE PULLS TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER, WHICH WOULD SEEM TO INDICATE THAT AN ALIGNMENT IS NEEDED, HOWEVER, IT CAN'T PICK WHICH SIDE IT'S GOING TO GRAVITATE TOWARDS WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE IT'S SOMETHING IN THE STEERING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10566281

Working with the data? Download all 221 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Mazda CX-9 verdict →