What 61 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Mazda CX-9

this is covered under csp11. the problem is my car is a 2017 and they only allow a warranty up to 120,000 miles mine is at 158000 and they will not fix the problem now even thought we just started having problems.

NHTSA ODI 11743458

Engine running rough. Check Engine Light illumination. Difficulty starting or a no-start condition. Noticeable loss of power during acceleration Check engine light P0192

NHTSA ODI 11742350

The car was jump start due to a bad battery it cold and the light was left on. Right after the jump start a check engine light can on. When I put the vehicle in drive to turn the steering wheel it violently snapped bad and broken one of my finger nail. I tried aging in disbelief it happened aging this shouldn't be happening it could've broke my fingers.

NHTSA ODI 11704433

I took our vehicle into Mazda due to a coolant leak that could not be located. It had my wife stranded due to the vehicle overheating. Everything lined up with CSP11. The dealership is now stating that the vehicle has a blown gasket and needs an engine replacement. This is the issue covered by CSP11 except that the crack is in the wrong location. They haven't found the Crack but are denying the warranty due to the covered location not being the source. The vehicle only has 93000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11688886

My infotainment screen goes black 10-12 times a year, and therefore I lose access to my backup cameras. I have to turn the car off, and then back on, in order for the screen to function again. This has been happening for the full 8 years I have owned the car. I also have video of this happening, but the file is too large to attach so including photo only.

NHTSA ODI 11674499

I was driving the vehicle on the highway when the vehicle started to overheat, lights started blinking, the car was smoking, losing power and acceleration. This car has a recall on the cyclindwr head which when cracks causing the car to loose coolant and oil. If it cracks while you’re driving especially on the highway the car will immediately loose coolant and oil thus causing a very dangerous driving condition. There was no indicator prior to the failure that there was anything wrong with the car. No check engine lights, no coolant lights nothing. Prior to this happening I smelled coolant in the car cabin , took it to my mechanic who tested the coolant system and found no leak. At the time he was unaware of the known issue these cars have with the cylinder head. The problem has been confirmed by Mazda and they notified me within the month of March of the problem and the extended warranty to replace the known manufacturer defect cylinder head. The Mazda dealer now has my car and acknowledges the cracked cylinder head caused the problem but said because I didn’t immediately stop on the highway and kept driving until I got to a safe location I was negligent and are refusing to fix the car which now has a blown engine, etc. it is available for inspection now at the Mazda dealer. My safety was put at risk because I could have died on the highway if the car completely stopped working, it was dangerous driving it when it first started happening because it started out of nowhere the car was fine I was driving 50+ mph and it started smoking, overheating etc. I could have also killed someone else. It is a disgrace that not only they won’t fix my car they want to say they won’t because I’m negligent? I drive my kids to and from school everyday do you think I’m going to risk their safety in an unsafe car? They should not only fix the car but compensate me for putting mine and my children’s lives at risk. A complete disgrace.

NHTSA ODI 11650724

Vehicle experienced coolant leak also oil leak from rear of engine. Broken cylinder head due to turbo too close to head

NHTSA ODI 11636395

Coolant leak cylinder head. It was running and i could smell coolant on the minifalda and it shout down.

NHTSA ODI 11633063

My 2017 Mazda CX9 Signature Edition started leaking coolant from the engine near the firewall. I had a Mazda dealer investigate. They tell me the cylinder head is cracked and the entire engine needs replaced. This appears to be a common problem due to a design flaw and there is a Mazda service bulletin on it. I have found talk of a class action suit online because Mazda is not standing behind their product. I only have 88k miles on this car

NHTSA ODI 11614058

My 2017 Mazda Cx9 was stalling and jerking while driving almost causing an accident but glad I was able to drive it home without causing an accident. Took the car to the dealership and was advised that it needs a new engine due to coolant leak. The coolant was going inside the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11611806

The 2.5l turbo engine mounts are not manufactured strong enough to handle daily driving and torque under the weight of the turbo. This causing cracks in the block/head resulting in coolant leak, over heating, and full engine replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11611627

This is the second time my car mazda -2017 had problem with fuel pump. I only saw recall for 2019 Mazda CX-9 in internet. Before the fuel pump fail, I smelled gas inside the car which I was told my mechanic later from the shop where I bought my car for immediate diagnose was considered dangerous. The first time happened 2 years ago when we were on the trip 250 miles from where we live. This time we were about 200 miles away. So the fuel pump it seemed became the problem for Mazda. When we asked Mazda about it they said it is not the same with recall for 2019. If those car has the problem with fuel pump and got the recall why Mazda 2017 did not get recalled? They said it is wear and tear but it is the same issue fuel pump. we spend $912 for original part and bought it from Mazda dealer but we couldn’t get reimbursed because they said it is not a recall. I am filing this complaint because they denied the problem with Mazda is actually and consistently fuel pump!. I have kids that I have to bring to school. Smelling gas, the car stop suddenly and lost power will get us into accident. So I am writing this to let you all know that 2017 Mazda has the same problem with 2019 Mazda which is fuel pump. Please take this seriously. Thank you

NHTSA ODI 11603669

July 10, 2024, antifreeze leaking from my engine leaking on garage floor. Yes, my safety was put at risk. July 12, 2024, local mechanic informs me that I have a cracked cylinder head coming from the back of the engine. July 15, 2024, vehicle will be towed to local Mazda dealership to have vehicle diagnosed. No warning lights, messages or any other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Happened July 10, 2024, at 3:50pm.

NHTSA ODI 11601599

My Mazda 2017 CX 9 apparently had a coolant leak. When we had our oil changed, we were told it looked like it was leaking from behind the turbo booster. As I was driving it yesterday, the car slowed to an almost complete stop on the interstate and a warning sign on the screen showed that it was overheating to a dangerous level. I immediately pulled over and allowed the car to cool down. I checked the coolant level and it was not very low at all, although I did add some coolant at that time. It continued to overheat and even blew tons of smoke out through the exhaust, so I had AAA tow to my home. After researching this, I have found that there was a bulletin posted in 2021 from Mazda about this very thing happening. My husband thinks that we may have a cracked block or a blown head gasket due to this overheating. This obviously could have caused me to have a wreck on the interstate by my car overheating and shutting down so quickly. We are scheduling to have it towed to our local Mazda dealer to let him do the $99 diagnostic. Based on what he finds, which we think will be confirming what we think it is, we will have to have a new engine put in my car due to a defect in manufacturing from Mazda. Even though my car has 130,000 miles on it and is technically “out of warranty“, we feel this is simply unacceptable and that Mazda should help us with this most definitely. I have so enjoyed my Mazda, and I feel that this is not something of my doing, but rather a defect on Mazda part and it should be addressed.

NHTSA ODI 11601259

This vehicle has been diagnosed as having the Cylinder Head Crack issue referenced in Mazda TSB 01-013/21. The car has just over 70,000 miles on it, so I understand it is out of Warranty, yet this issue only came up due to a known design flaw by Mazda. I have been told that I will be without the car for up to 9 weeks due to repair backlogs and the cost will be $5,250 plus tax!! This car has always been maintained at the Mazda dealership since purchase and has never had any other issues until this flaw, acknowledged by became an issue. Immediately, I brought it in, only to be told Mazda would not assist in a Good Faith repair. This is very sad that Mazda would do this to loyal customers, there should be a recall and this should not fall on customers pockets when we continue to give them business, trusting they would not knowingly put a full engine repair in their customers pockets

NHTSA ODI 11598338

I noticed my 2017 CX-9 Touring was leaking coolant. It wasn't much but then checked the reservoir which is nearly empty. The car was overheating. I had it checked out by the dealer and initially I was told that it was bad radiator cap. This was fixed and resolved the initial overheating problems. The overheating issues resurfaced and took it a certified mechanic which indicated it was leaking from the engine block. The quote for repair was over $6000 See: Service Bulletin: 01-002/23

NHTSA ODI 11596268

SUNROOF EXPLODED. NOTHING HIT THE CAR JUST SPONTANEOUS EXPLOSION WHILE DRIVING. SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT IT WAS SO LOUD.

NHTSA ODI 11594619

Engine head cracked and is still on car as of now. If engine overheats, engine can seize. The leak has been reproduced, but the head has not been removed for inspection yet. No warning lamps. A large puddle of coolant was noticed under the vehicle. From what I have heard is that the material is too thin and eventually cracks. There is a tsb that covers the issue, but since we've gone beyond the 5 yrs of the powertrain warranty it won't be covered. We are under the mileage limit. We lucky caught the leak before engine damage took place (as far as we know, since the teardown has not been performed. If the replacement head is "reinforcing" that area then a design flaw has been inferred and should be corrected to avoid serious injuries due to a seized motor.

NHTSA ODI 11592946

My car has never had any issues but began burning through coolant. After analyzing myself and then bringing to a mechanic, it has a bad cylinder head leak. This is a design flaw in the motors of Mazda cars during the years of the models with a 2.5 Turbo motor. This flaw will now cost me over $6k for a car just out of warranty when I religiously serviced the car at the Mazda dealer I bought it at in 2017. I cannot afford these repairs that were cause by a design flaw on Mazdas side. There is a TSB and a class action lawsuit for this exact issue. Mazda should issue a recall or help owners pay for the repairs since they have acknowledged the issue but have not made it right.

NHTSA ODI 11592018

I took my vehicle into the dealership service center to have maintenance and repairs done. I notified them to a coolant leak. They discovered that the engine has a cracked cylinder head and that the manufacturer is aware of the defect. They stated that they have new updated parts they will use for the repair so this will not happen again. At this time there is no Mazda warranty extension or recall that covers the cost of the repair.

NHTSA ODI 11591901

There was a coolant leak on my Mazda CX9 Signature with a 2.5T engine, and when driving the engine temperature started increasing slightly before taking off and turning red. I had to pull off to the side of a busy interstate road very quickly and shut the vehicle down before it overheated any more. Once I got the vehicle to the dealership, they told me it was a cracked cylinder head leaking coolant, and that it was an extremely common problem for the 2.5T mazda engines around about 60k miles, and they were actively working on one in the shop where I was for the same problem. Mazda is not currently helping with engine swap or any repairs as a result and is sticking the customer with the bill.

NHTSA ODI 11589218

Known issue in these CX-9’s. Had the issue fixed once with a brand new, Mazda, “redesigned engine.” 14 months and 30000 miles later it’s happening again. Leaking coolant due to cracked cylinder head. First repair was about 9 grand. This time my repair estimate since it’s premature was for another 6000 to replace the cylinder head versus the whole engine. That’s 15k on a used car when I could’ve almost paid it off with that amount at this point.

NHTSA ODI 11568038

My car started leaking coolant around [XXX]. It did not gave me any alert the car was heating up. My eldest brother was the one that notices. I took the car to the dealership and they are telling me I need a new engine. Now I'm googling and I'm seeing a big number of people reporting same issue. The dealership refuses warranty because is up to 60k miles and mine has 72k miles. However many people are having same issue on where the metal in the cylinder head isn't strong enough to support the weight of the turbocharger. I'm seeing complain in the internet since 2016 and Mazda has done nothing to fix this issue. Please go to for reference: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11565873

On 11/21/23 Mazda dealership informed that coolant leak in my Mazda CX-9 had ruined the engine. Research on the coolant leak has found several other cases in CX-9 models. It has been alleged that the engines in these vehicles may be prone to coolant leaks around the cylinder head and exhaust manifold joint due to excessive forces. When an engine coolant leak occurs, the vehicle may rapidly lose engine coolant and cause the engine to overheat. It has been further alleged that Mazda is aware of the engine coolant leak defect but has not extended the warranty or provided a redesigned part free of charge. As a result, consumers may be forced to pay for costly out-of-pocket engine repairs to correct the engine coolant leak defect.

NHTSA ODI 11556477

I was driving to work with my daughter and my engine overheated out of nowhere and caused us to almost be rear ended

NHTSA ODI 11555388