What 61 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Mazda Cx-90 Phev

Leak from cylinder head caused by overheating. Reported a coolant leak prior to diagnosis. Car now shows an over heat code. Safety was put at risk due to immediate need to pull over and no longer able to drive the vehicle. Dealership and initial shop had different diagnosis of the vehicle. Shop advised of a head gasket leak only. Only warning maintenance light came on as car began to overheat. No earlier notice other than coolant leak seen on ground.

NHTSA ODI 11555426

2017 Mazda CX-9 with crack in engine with coolant leaking out. Informed by mechanic that coolant was leaking out from the engine and was caught by heat shield. I smelled coolant, but never saw any on the ground. Per TSB 01-002/23 there is a crack that can develop in the engine due to stresses from the turbo/exhaust. A crack will develop near studs in the engine. Once crack develops, the coolant can leak out. However, in worst cases (which mine did not suffer from...yet), the coolant can leak into the engine and damage the internal components. Right now, I am looking at a $6254 repair bill to have a mechanic fix the engine. I will probably have to take this bill on as my family needs a second vehicle. Mazda needs to issue a recall that is the fault of their own, not the customer. This is occurring on too many vehicles, with turbos, from 2016-2020 CX-9s, CX-5s, and Mazda6s.

NHTSA ODI 11554737

coolant leaks from cracked cylinder head which cause the car to overheat and have the engine stalled on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11554235

My car gave me a warning that it was overheating... and gave me a warning to pull to the side of the road because of safety and turn off my car engine because the engine is overheating. I was on the highway when this occurred. The engine coolant light was well into the red zone. I had my two kids in the car and my service animal... The car was say overheating and blinking the engine coolant red warning sign I brought the vehicle to a dealership and it was confirmed that my engine coolant was leaking behind the gasket head and is damaging the turbo charger. The same issue word for word that was stated in the TSB... Yes the warning sign of engine overheating and the engine coolant light to high flashing showed up on the vehicle and the warning of pulling over to a safe place to allow the car to cool down. I was on the interstate when the problem occurred. I also had to put coolant in the car because the reservoir was completely empty to take it to dealership for diagnostic assessment...I bought this car 6 months ago and it was running fine until 3 weeks ago. When the coolant continued to leak and the warning signs would not go away stating the engine was overheating. The repair for this known problem is astronomical and I'm wondering why Mazda has not sent a safety recall and why we are on the hook for the repairs when they know it's a manufacturer defect.

NHTSA ODI 11550744

While driving in normal, operating conditions, the engine cut off and had to pull off to the side of the road. After checking the OBD two error code from the check engine light, there was an error with the fuel pressure rail sensor. Apparently the fuel pump in these vehicles has been failing with regularity on many other models.

NHTSA ODI 11546488

August 1, 2023, I discovered the coolant reservoir for my CX9 was empty, had to tow the car to the Mazda dealership, after a few days, the dealership informed me that I have a coolant leak at the cylinder head. This issue is related to the TSB #01-013-21-3753a. The Mazda dealership and Mazda USA informed me that I will have to pay $7,800.00 to have the car fixed, which is ridiculous, but the more serious part is that the car did not gave me any warnings, lights, overheating nothing. If it wasn't because I personally check the car fluid and didn't used the car afterwards, I could have hit the road and be left stranded in the heat or have an engine failure and cause an accident while on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11540718

I experienced coolant leaking from the cylinder head. Mazda is quoting me over $7700 for the repairs. There was a TSB released, there had been numerous revised versions re: the same issue, in Feb 2023 finally including my vehicle. Mazda knowingly put me and my family’s safety in jeopardy by not including me sooner, and now have left me with an astronomical repair bill for an issue they’ve known has existed for years. Had they alerted me when the originally discovered the issue, the vehicle would’ve been under warranty and they would’ve had to replace the parts under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11538837

I was driving on the highway and noticed my car engine temp was way too high. pulled off to the side and found out it lost all its coolant. looked under the car and saw the coolant dripping from the engine. If i didnt notice the car was over heating it could of shut down on me causing a safety issue for me or others. I checked online for the issue and found out this has been a problem for years. the mazda dealership i bought the car from 2 months ago should of known seeing how a TSB was sent out by mazda. There were no symptoms or warnings prior to this.

NHTSA ODI 11533153

Engine cylinder cracked causing overheating and need for a total engine replacement. Service technician said that crack was due to an in factory assembly error - overtightening of components of the exhaust system. This is an issue that has happened in other Mazda CX-9's and Mazda is aware of the problem. Vehicle overheated while on a very busy highway and throttled my speed - I could have easily been hit while trying to get to a safe place to park.

NHTSA ODI 11532236

Engine leaking coolant due to a cracked cylinder head. 55,000 miles on car. No indications of a problem other than odor. Problem was confirmed by an independent service center and dealer. Dealer says engine needs replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11522527

Coolant Leak at Cylinder head. There is a known TBS01-013/21 They refused to pay for any of the cost to replace the engine. My out of pocket cost was $10K.

NHTSA ODI 11519188

Driving home the car said 26 miles to E. while in gear going down the road it popped engine system malfunction and the whole car shut off and wouldn't start. Didn't drive the vehicle for 2 days- filled the gas tank and it drove fine for 5 days. Day 6- 4/8/2023, fine driving down the highway 45 minutes. Go down about a mile and it still doesn't seem right, I move lanes and the thermostat light starts flashing at 260, as soon as I make the turn it tells me to pull over and turn the car off-it was at 270. Go to drive across the street to get coolant later- car stalls when I shift into drive. Park it- get coolant takes an entire jug. Idling a little rough, but not bad. Mechanic he can't see any issues, computer is throwing out fuel system codes but no, issues that can be found. Does a tune up on it, pick it up. Smoking when I start the car and something smells burning. Driving home, it stalls again while in gar at a red light. RPM jumping between 500 and 750 while in gear. Park it for a few hours- everything seems fine. Drive 35 minutes- mostly highway. RPM isn't moving when in park vs neutral. While at last red light before home- engine system malfunction comes on. Driving a few miles down the road still on, temperature at 200. Drive about half a mile down the road- at 260 as I'm pulling into my driveway. Towed to Mazda the next day. Got diagnosis that the head lifted and coolant mixed into oil, flooding engine. Need a new engine and turbo- $10,000 to fix it. Never had issues prior and no signs of anything going wrong. Oil change done 2 weeks prior to this all starting.

NHTSA ODI 11517947

Known engineering flaw that causes cylinder head to crack and leak coolant. Mazda will not do a recall even though numerous people are requiring new motors with no previous issues or warning lights on the car.

NHTSA ODI 11514437

While driving, my engine suddenly and dramatically lost power while a temperature warning appeared. I barely made it to a safe spot to park. After having it towed to the local Mazda dealer, the problem was cracks in the cylinder head. This is a known defect from Mazda, which has issued a TSB to dealers but has taken no proactive measures to protect owners. Just 5.5 years into ownership and 51,000 miles, I now must pay for a replacement outside of warranty, costing me over $9,000. All for a dangerous defect that Mazda is aware of and refuses to issue a recall for.

NHTSA ODI 11513786

My vehicle has several issues related to a water pump failure in which the check engine light did not remain on. The vehicle began to over heat and slow down on the highway/ roads despite having my foot on the gas. My vehicle is now at Heritage Mazda Catonsville and unable to be read by the OBD reader which may be related to a weak wiring harness reported by other owners of the CX9. It also my be why my check engine light is not on despite having an engine issue. Many others have reported a failed water pump which caused cracks in the head which causes the car to over heat and slow down without notice. Despite having thousands of customers with this issue Mazda has yet to issue a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11509961

The front bumper has developed cracks/splitting on both sides near the front headlights. There is a TSB (Bulletin No: 09-022/20) that shows there was a manufacturer defect, which causes this. I was told by Mazda dealer in 01/2022 this had to have occurred within the 3 yr/36k miles to be covered. The issue is, this problem didn’t occur until after that timeframe. I was told to reach out to Mazda Corporate for potential assistance. I have spoken to them more times than I can count, they’ve told me they would call me back and do not respond. Mazda corporate has also told me they will cover it, then someone else told me they won’t cover it, I have an email from Mazda corporate stating since I e gone past my 60k powertrain warranty, the issue is no longer covered. They don’t seem to know what this issue falls under, regarding the powertrain warranty or the other warranty. I have extensive email communication from Mazda, but no one ever reaches back out. After spending probably 20 hours on the phone with them since January 2022, I still haven’t been assisted. There are a ton of others that have this same issue with cracking of the front bumper. Mazda asked me multiple times to get them estimates and we went out of our way and got them two separate estimates from their requested body shops. Mazda corporate has completely ghosted us, not following up on this issue and repairs. This crack continues to get bigger and I’m afraid it will get big enough to where the bumper may actually fall off and cause a wreck.Please help

NHTSA ODI 11501839

Recently had my car into the local Madza dealer for oil change and break inspection. Soon after the oil change it started running rough. Then next thing I know it begins to overheat in the street at major intersection while driving home. Parked it let it cool down and then toed to Mazda dealer. Told antifreeze getting into the engine. I see Madza is aware of this issue and this engine is defective and can not handle turbo. I could have been killed at this very intersection so thankful I was safe. What if I was driving on the highway which I do every day this would have compromised many people's safety. This is a safety defect in that Mazda is knowing of this issue. The only warning was just as it happened. except it was riding a little rough at stops but no idea it was going to overheat. especially since it was just in the shop for the oil change. My car is still sitting at the dealer as they try to get warranty to cover. I could have been killed. When will something be done to protect the consumer.

NHTSA ODI 11501567

Coolant leak from a cracked cylinder head that mazda is aware of and released a TSB about. Refusing to extend warranty or fix due to being 6 months out of 60 month power train warranty. Still under 60,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11499031

This problem has been documented and know by Mazda for awhile. They are aware that their 2.5 Turbo liter engine has the problem of cracking the cylinder head due to some overweight of the same engine component. My Mazda local dealer already inspected the car and told me that the fix is replacing the whole cylinder head, which with them would cost me 3.5k. My warranty company, which I purchased when buying this used car, didn’t took responsibility of the repair cost because it was pre existing condition before I bought the car. Many people over the internet have reported this same issue happening to them, models year between 2016-2019. This issue cause a leaking of coolant. Which in my case has been a lot built up, to the point that you can grab it with your hands (the coolant residual).

NHTSA ODI 11495062

Coolant leak. Cracked cylinder head in a stud hole of the exhaust manifold. 70,000 miles Seems to be a problem with many other owners.

NHTSA ODI 11494806

The first sign of an issue was an oil pressure indicator on the dashboard, but upon inspection, the oil levels seemed completely normal. The dashboard light went away shortly after that. A day later, I was on my lunch break and parked my car in a garage for 45 minutes. On the drive there, I did not notice any issues and was able to operate the vehicle fine for the short distance that I drove. When I returned to my parked car, there was a large puddle of oil underneath. I immediately had a mechanic take a look at the car. The mechanic was able to identify a cracked cylinder head, which led to water and coolant entering the engine. He highly suspects that this caused a blown head gasket in the car as well. As well as that, the car's starter, which worked just fine on day 1 of the issue and has never had any problems before, has totally ceased function. If I had not noticed the oil pool underneath the car and driven back to work as usual, it could have caused the engine to seize and create a very dangerous situation for myself and others on the road, including but not limited to the potential of an engine fire with the level of oil lost. The car was up to date on its servicing, including oil changes. Two ASE certified mechanics have inspected the vehicle and confirmed the leaked fluids and aforementioned issues. No other professionals inspected the vehicle (insurance representatives, law enforcement, etc.).

NHTSA ODI 11492830

Vehicle has only 50k miles and developed a coolant leak which was caused by a crack in the cylinder head. No check engine light or overheating, but this repair will cost was estimated as over $4k. A cracked cylinder head would eventually lead to vehicle overheating which can put driver and passengers in a dangerous situation if vehicle were to overheat while operating as this is a significant engine repair. After dealer technician inspected the part, I was informed that they don't see overheating or poor maintenance as the cause of this issue, but it was caused by the part failing.

NHTSA ODI 11486142

I purchased this vehicle with 19K miles on July 31, 2020. I noticed on April 12, 2022, that there was a knocking noise coming from the left front suspension after leaving a Mazda dealership for an oil change. I called Mazda service and was told they only did an oil change. I have put 4 brand new tires and have replaced the front/back brakes, rotors and still hear noise going over uneven pavement. I brought it to my own mechanic twice and he hears the noise but informed me that he cannot order any suspension parts at all for Mazda CX9. He said Mazda are forcing Mazda customers to go to a Mazda dealership. He called 5 different places to purchase strut. suspension and was told they had none. He also said Mazda has a special wrench to work with having to do with suspension and he cannot get one. My mechanic had my vehicle for 3 days and said it's definitely a suspension issue. My Mazda only has 35K miles. In 2 years, I have only driven 16K (8K) per year. There is no way a suspension should go after only 35K miles. I am not off roading or abusing the vehicle. Can't NHSTA assist with this issue? This is very serious. I am afraid to drive this Mazda now.

NHTSA ODI 11474277

Technician noticed coolant leak around turbo during routine maintenance. Sometimes after long drives we would smell hot coolant but didn't think it was an issue. Dealership took it in for repair under power train warranty and was advised that the engine needs to be replaced. From my understanding, the turbo is too heavy for the engine and has caused it to warp. The coolant leak is a symptom of a damaged engine block.

NHTSA ODI 11471878

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Cylinder head has cracked and the vehicle leaked coolant and overheated while driving leading to engine failure. Vehicle is available for inspection How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Car overheated while driving leading to engine failure Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Dealer has diagnosed the problem as a cracked cylinder head Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, dealer has diagnosed issue and recommended replacement Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Engine temperature sensor went off and within seconds car was not driveable due to fluid loss

NHTSA ODI 11469416