What 54 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Mazda Cx-90

The contact owns a 2014 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was drifting to either side. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had to forcefully grip the steering wheel to avoid losing control of vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that there was severe corrosion around the front suspension ball joints. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V451000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11626356

I purchased a 2014 Mazda CX-9 back in May of 2020 w/ roughly 60k on the dash. Literally 7 months later w/ about 72k on the dash, the day after Christmas I was driving to work (I worked in the next state over) on the highway my car just shut down. No warnings, no check engine lights NOTHING! It just completely shut off and would not turn on. Thankfully because of the holiday the highway was pretty empty and I was able to swing my car across the interstate so I wouldn’t get hit by oncoming traffic. After getting out and deciding to check my oil I noticed it looked milky. I had no idea what that meant so I had it towed to a Mazda dealership in the state I live in. It was going to cost me almost $8,000 to put in a new engine because the water pump that was placed inside of the engine failed, which in turn caused my engine to seize. The extended warranty I had on my vehicle was worthless so I ended up paying out of pocket. Thankfully Mazda worked with me and had me prove that I kept up maintenance on the truck so the price was chopped in half. This happened right at the beginning of Covid when the entire world was suffering financially. I still had to make my car payments on top of shelling out 4k on a truck I hadn’t even had for a year. This is a huge issue with a lot of people that own the same vehicle and is extremely dangerous! I could’ve killed someone or worse myself when my vehicle stalled out on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11597219

The water pump failed causing water to mix with the oil and damage the head gasket. Estimates recommend replacing engine. The service engine light came on and we took it to our trusted mechanic right away. Got the estimates from two mechanics for this repair and then towed the car to Mazda dealer who confirmed the problem. We wrote to Mazda's corporate office and was told they would not fix it. My car has 68,000 miles and was regularly serviced. It is currently sitting dead in my garage. We bought this car in 2015 brand new from the Mazda dealer in Monroeville, PA. This is outrageous! I spoke with someone else who also owns a Mazda and the same thing happened to his car. From articles I have read and attached, this problem is occurring in many Mazdas. What needs to be in place for Mazda to take responsibility and fix this problem by recalling the affected vehicles?

NHTSA ODI 11576989

Water pump failed and ruined the engine. There was little to no warning.

NHTSA ODI 11538157

Brakes stopped working while we were on vacation. Made the drive down fine, but the next day went to drive the car, pressed the brakes and the car did not come to a complete stop. Also made a funny noise when we tried to press on the brakes. My husband practically had to stand up and push all the way down to get car to stop. Luckily we were not in a congested or confined place. Ended up replacing the brake booster. Three weeks later my acceleration stopped working intermittently. I go to press the gas and the car doesn’t go. The dealership is saying it’s the brake signal.

NHTSA ODI 11538158

Breaks became very hard to press and I was having trouble stopping the car. I could not drive it to the Mazda dealer who was too far. I took a chance and drove a few miles to local break shop. They replaced the master cylinder and the break booster. Parts and labor were $1083.87

NHTSA ODI 11533482

When I press on my brakes, I hear air. I am fortunate that, as of this reporting, I have not had an accident. My brakes do not fully stop my car, so I have to judge when to brake in order to slow down and not hit the car ahead of me. Very scary when your car won't stop! I have read other complaints on the Mazda CX9s built in 2013 having an issue with the brake booster. PLEASE recall these 2014 Mazdas so the appropriate repairs can be made. Working brakes are ESSENTIAL!

NHTSA ODI 11531431

I bought a vehicle from Carvana 11/2021 with not quite 59k on it. On 6/21/2023, with 77K miles, my car had a catastrophic engine failure. I was driving my grandchildren ages, 3-12 years of age home. Safety was definitely at risk with speeds of 70 freeway were completed right before engine stopping. The mechanic shop has confirmed the car giving 3 codes related to timing belt/water pump and the other code which confirms engine failure. No warning lights had come on until I tried to restart it. Since this situation is most recent, I have not had anyone else inspect the vehicle. I am working through my options and will take recommendations for resolution.

NHTSA ODI 11528675

I was driving on interstate and there were not any other vehicles that were all that close to me. All of a sudden there was this huge extremely loud bang and glass shattering sound. Scared me to death. I never saw anything, I pulled over at next exit and saw my sunroof with a huge hole and shattered. I drove back by where i was driving and there was nothing i could see that could have caused that to happen. After doing a little research i'm positive the sunroof exploded. Thankfully my kids were not in there and i was able to remain calm enough to get pulled over safely

NHTSA ODI 11527008

My transmission is slipping ….

NHTSA ODI 11513857

The car started creating a noise like air was leaking when i apply brake. The problem continued to increase, and braking became harder and harder. The dealer indicated that I had to replace the brake booster. This is a 2014 CX-9. A NHTSA search showed that vehicles manufactured in 2013 were affected. My car was purchased in Feb 2014. I suspect this one too had that faulty equipment.

NHTSA ODI 11503784

Sudden failure of water pump located inside the engine caused engine to shut down immediately while driving 70 mph on busy expressway. Extremely dangerous situation due to heavy traffic and high speeds traveled. Only by sheer luck were we able to coast across 4 lanes of traffic to an exit ramp and barely make it into a parking lot after crossing 2 more lanes on the frontage road. Very difficult to steer and brake due to no engine power. Repair cost was $4,433. Two subsequent follow up repairs for check engine light and oil control valve issues related to water pump failure were required and covered under initial repair warranty. Research on web indicates this is a common problem with this engine with many complaints occurring soon after 100k miles. In many cases customers reported having to replace the engine or sell the car for parts due to the high cost of repair. Locating the water pump inside the engine block was a terrible design fault and extreme safety hazard when it fails.

NHTSA ODI 11494956

Water pump defect that led to pump failure, which led to catastrophic engine failure without any prior warning. The defect is in the internal chain-driven water pump. The pump is meant to circulate coolant through the engine while the engine is running. However, the defect allows coolant to leak from water pump into the oil pan and/or other engine components, mixing it with the engine’s oil and leading to destruction of the engine. Mazda’s internal data indicates that the company began receiving reports of premature water pump failures in vehicles identical to mine (mine is a 2014 Mazda CX-9) by at least June 2007, yet Mazda continued to sell the vehicle without fixing the defect and failed to warn customers of the defect. The owner's manuals say nothing about water pump maintenance because the water pump should last the life of the Mazda vehicle. My water pump failed and destroyed my engine at just a mere 72,400 miles. The water pump problem is caused by the elastomer bellow, which is made with hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, which is damaged by hot coolant. Due to problems with the seal, coolant leaks into other components because the water pump is located above the crankshaft. An engine will allegedly fail once coolant mixes with engine oil and travels through the engine. Mazda allegedly has done nothing to fix the water pumps and won't recall the vehicles to offer free repairs. The automaker is also not reimbursing owners who may pay thousands of dollars for repairs related to failed water pumps. When I took my CX-9 to my Mazda dealer because it was leaking coolant, the dealer informed me I needed a new water pump but then said that because of that they should just replace the engine, for a total cost of approx. $9,000. Dealer gave no explanation of why it concluded before looking inside engine or at timing chain why I must buy a new engine because of bad water pump. Clearly dealer knew defect was the reason but withheld that info. That's fraud

NHTSA ODI 11494654

- Water pump failed causing coolant to mix with oil. This repair cost was around $3,900. - Luckily this failure happened on our community road and was able to pull into our driveway. Mechanic stated that if this happened on the highway or regular road, this could have caused a major incident and possibly a blown motor. - No, but complaints of similar issues have been reported via my online research. - Just by the mechanic I had my vehicle towed to. - There was no indication of an issue until the water pump failed.

NHTSA ODI 11482138

Drivers seat will not recline backwards

NHTSA ODI 11463956

Sunroof exploded spontaneously, we have a dashcam and nothing from the road hit it.

NHTSA ODI 11463396

Water pump faild without warning car overheated and breaking was made difficult. Almost collided with another car do to the breaking not working properly when the car over heated. This problem was or is part of a lawsuit agianst Mazda. Im not sure if there has been a resolution to the lawsuit.

NHTSA ODI 11462632

I purchased a 2014 Mazda CX-9 on 12/14/2019. On Monday 10/18/2021 I was driving on the Hwy on the way home and my check engine light came. I had my mechanic check it out and he said the computer read a P0019 code. So on 10/20/2021, I took it to the dealer where I originally purchased it and this was the same code they found. At the local dealership, I was told that apparently, the water pump needed to be replaced due to water coolant in the oil pan. I had absolutely no warning. No leaking, no smell of coolant. This vehicle only has 88,000. Upon further research and to my surprise is that the water pump in the Duratec 37 engine and make and model has a design flaw with the water pump located in the engine with the timing chain. That is the number one problem that fails first due to the water pump gaskets wearing degrading without any warning pump has become damaged due to pump bearings too. I had my vehicle serviced with four oil changes over the past 28,000 miles since I purchased it. These late-model vehicles being built today I know do not burn that much oil nowadays. I also found out, the iVCT 3.7 Duratec is in the 2008-2015 Mazda CX-9 which I have the 2014 model. This 3.7 V6 uses a timing chain-driven water pump. I also found out this kind of water pump is prone to failing at the pump bearings which allows the timing center to move around. Once it’s bad enough coolant is dumped into the engine where it mixes with the oil dripping from the water pump into the oil pan. This is where the real problems begin. Coolant mixing with oil is not good. It can cause corrosion and lots of internal wear as the Duratec 3.7 engine oil is no longer able to properly lubricate moving parts and shut down the engine. Base on the number of oil changes I had during this time I'm sure it had nothing to do with the water pump failure issue. This is solely a Mazda manufacturing flaw with the design. At this time my warranty does not want to cover the repair. Thanks

NHTSA ODI 11439290

OUR 2014 MAZDA CX-9 POWER BRAKE BOOSTER HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND HAS NOW FAILED AT 75,269 MILES WHERE THE PEDAL IS SPONGY, PEDAL TRAVEL IS LONG AND THERE IS A HISSING NOISE (AIR LEAKAGE) FROM THE POWER BOOSTER, ALL RESULTING IN SEVERELY REDUCED BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS - VERY LITTLE. WE CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE THE CAR. THIS IS THE SAME FAILURE AND SAFETY DEFECT THAT WAS THE SUBJECT OF ODI INVESTIGATION PE-14-005 (ODI CLOSED 2/10/2014) INVOLVING 2007-2013 MAZDA CX-9 VEHICLES IN WHICH THE ODI RESUME SAID "THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED." IN THAT CASE, IN ORDER TO AVOID A RECALL, IN MARCH 2014 MAZDA AGREED WITH THE NHTSA/ODI TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR 7 YEARS OR 100,000 FOR THE 2007-2013 MAZDA CX-9 VEHICLES AND REPAIR THE CONDITION AND INITIATED SPECIAL SERVICE PROGRAM SSP93. THIS NOW IS EXACTLY THAT SAME CONDITION BUT IN THE NEXT YEAR MODEL - A MODEL 2014 MAZDA CX-9 MANUFACTURED IN 2013 THAT OBVIOUSLY RECEIVED THE DEFECTIVE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER THAT WAS MANUFACTURED BEFORE THE BOOSTER SUPPLIER CORRECTED THE FAULTY BOOSTER MOLD IN FEBRUARY 2013. YESTERDAY (4-29-21) MAZDA SAID (MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE REFERENCE # 1-378914617) OUR VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED FOR THE REPAIR BECAUSE THE NHTSA/ODI AGREEMENT AND SSP93 ONLY APPLIES TO 2007-2013 VEHICLES WHERE OURS IS A 2014, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS MANUFACTURED IN 2013. THIS IS NOT ONLY ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE SAME PROBLEM NOW EXISTING IN 2014 MAZDA CX-9'S WITH A POWER BOOSTER MANUFACTURED BEFORE THE FEBRUARY 2013 FAULTY BOOSTER MOLD CORRECTION, IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE FOR MAZDA TO REFUSE THE REPAIR. PLEASE - WE NEED YOUR HELP IN RESOLVING THIS - AND NEED YOU TO RE-OPEN THE INVESTIGATION FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ODI 11414560

I PURCHASED A 2014 MAZDA CX NINE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. THE OTHER DAY I WAS DRIVING AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY FAN GOT REALLY LOUD SO I PULLED OVER AND TURNED UP THE HEAT AND TURNED OFF ANY AC. ALL THE SUN STEAM STARTED COMING OUT OF MY ENGINE AND THE CAR DIED. AFTER TOWING IT TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD TWO OPTIONS. I COULD EITHER BUY A BRAND NEW CAR OR PAY $13,000 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. APPARENTLY THE WATER PUMP BROKE AND THE ENGINE SEIZED UP. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. NO LEAKING, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, NOTHING' I LATER FOUND SEVERAL REVIEWS SAYING THIS WAS AN ISSUE WITH THIS MAKE & MODEL. I STILL OWE OVER $16,000 ON THIS CAR AND NOW I HAVE TO GET A NEW CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11403345

HEARD LOUD GRINDING SOUND FROM RIGHT REAR SIDE OF VEHICLE WHEN TURNING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT. BROUGHT TO MECHANIC AND NEEDED R REAR WHEEL BEARING AND HUB ASSEMBLY COSTING $1000.00. NOTICED THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11343006

BACK WINDSHIELD WIPER WON'T MOVE. ALSO THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW IN THE FRONT. WONT ROLL UP AND KEEPS MAKING A CLICKING NOISE.

NHTSA ODI 11338975

1) WHEN LEFT PARKED FOR 2-3 DAYS, MAZDA CX-9 (MINE IS 2013) CONSISTENTLY DRAINS THE BATTERY 2) ON MY GRAND TOURING THE STEERING HAS A SHAKE AT ABOVE 60 MPH THE ABOVE PROBLEMS ARE COMMON ON ALL MAZDA CX-9 AND CONSUMERS ARE SPENDING $$$ ON THESE MANUFACTURER ISSUES

NHTSA ODI 11320686

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MAZDA CX-9. CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND THE STEERING CEASED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL WHICH FAILED TO ENGAGE. THE CONTACT ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO IDLE WITH BOTH FEET OFF THE PEDALS WHICH ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON WHICH RESUMED TO NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION FOR ABOUT 2-3 MINUTES HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE FOR LEAKS BUT FOUND NONE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COOLANT BOTTLE WAS EMPTY. THE CONTACT CHECKED THE OIL WHICH LOOKED MILKY AND DIRTY. LEE EDWARDS MAZDA (2218 LOUISVILLE AVENUE, MONROE, LA 71201 (318) 388-3540) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AND DETERMINED THAT THE WATER PUMP GASKET WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11320311

VEHICLE HAD A LOUD GRINDING/GROWING SOUND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IN OCTOBER 2018 REPLACED RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BEARING, SAME ISSUE TOOK TO DEALER REPLACED LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING IN MAY 2019, SAME ISSUE REPLACED LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING AGAIN DECEMBER OF 2019, SAME ISSUE REPLACED RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING MARCH 2020

NHTSA ODI 11315570