2012 Mazda CX-9 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Mazda CX-9 holds 221 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 11 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 12 CX-9 years on this site. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator and Front lower ball joint.

2012 Mazda CX-9
Photo by Ethan Llamas, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC0
Complaints

221

Per year

11

Recalls

4

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (139 of 221), then Engine (25) and Air bags (23). Those filings include 9 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 CX-9 has 68 complaints, 5 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Mazda CX-9. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2019-10-31 · NHTSA campaign 19V782000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012 CX-7, CX-9, and 2009-2012 Maza6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2018-10-12 · NHTSA campaign 18V717000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6, 2011-2012 CX-7, and 2011-2015 CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Mazda6, 2010-2012 CX-7, and 2010-2015 CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2017-07-18 · NHTSA campaign 17V457000
Summary Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2012 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Mazda is recalling certain 2009 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Mazda is recalling certain 2007-2008 CX-7 and CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began October 4, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 17V-012.
Recall Front lower ball joint 2015-07-20 · NHTSA campaign 15V451000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2014 CX-9 vehicles manufactured October 24, 2006, to December 28, 2013. The affected vehicles have front suspension ball joints that may corrode from water leaking into the fitting.
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both the left and right lower control arms, free of charge. The recall began on September 14, 2015. The recall will begin with model year 2007-2009 vehicles registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The second phase will be for model year 2010-2014 vehicles in the same states. Finally, all remaining vehicles will be remedied. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 8515G.

Complaints by component (221 total)

Service brakes
139
Engine
25
Air bags
23
Powertrain
18
Speed control
11
Suspension
9
Steering
7
Electrical system
5
Hydraulic brakes
4
Exterior lighting
3
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Seat belts
2
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Structure
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

9

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

22012720132420143020154220164220171920181620191920205202172022520231202422025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "While drive i feel like there is sticking something below the car when i am accelerating. And the acceleration became hard. Also i heard a weird noise at that time. Then a saw a leakage below my car."
    Speed control · filed 2025-06-09
  • "My driver and passenger side curtain airbags randomly deployed without a collision. Thankfully I was at a stop sign when this happened. If it happened while I was driving, I’m sure I would have wrecked and could…"
    Air bags · filed 2025-02-04
  • "Ball joints replaced due to tear in both rubber covers and driver side ball joint very loose. Was previously repaired in July 2015 under recall Number: 15V451000."
    Steering · filed 2024-09-16
  • "I was driving normally when I started sowing down and noticed the brakes were harder to push. I finally stopped just before almost rear-ending a vehicle in front of me. It turns out the brake booster, a known problem…"
    Service brakes · filed 2023-09-29
  • "The water pump suddenly started leaking and the mechanics I talk to said this is a very common problem with this vehicle and type of engine. Sounds like owners are left to foot the bill for this costly and difficult…"
    Powertrain · filed 2023-07-24

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Mazda CX-9 SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 4 stars
2012 Mazda CX-9 SUV FWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
CX-9 two-wheel drive 3.7L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 17 24 19 MPG $3400
CX-9 four-wheel drive 3.7L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Four-wheel drive 16 22 19 MPG $3400

Specs and fitment

1st generation (TB), 2012–2015
Body styles SUV
Oil SAE 5W-30 (3.7L V6) , 5.3 qt capacity
Tire size 245/60R18, 245/50R20 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 3,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA recall 19V-403 covers certain 2018 Mazda CX-9 vehicles whose wiring harness may disrupt electric power steering assist. Recall 21V-875 covers certain 2018-2019 CX-9 (and other Mazda) vehicles for a low-pressure fuel pump impeller that may crack and cause an engine stall. Confirm open campaigns by VIN.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Mazda CX-9 reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Mazda CX-9 holds 221 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 11 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 12 CX-9 years on this site. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator and Front lower ball joint.

What are common problems with a 2012 Mazda CX-9?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (139 of 221), then Engine (25) and Air bags (23). Those filings include 9 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Mazda CX-9 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 CX-9 has 68 complaints, 5 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Mazda CX-9 been recalled?

The 2012 Mazda CX-9 has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Mazda CX-9?

Owners have filed 221 complaints about the 2012 Mazda CX-9 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Mazda CX-9 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Mazda CX-9 is 19 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Mazda CX-9 use?

US CX-9 manuals specify SAE 5W-30 for the SKYACTIV-G 2.5T turbo engine.

What generation is the 2018 Mazda CX-9?

2nd generation / TC (2016-2023).

What tire sizes does a Mazda CX-9 use?

Second-gen US sizes include 255/60R18 and 255/50R20; first-gen pages list 245/60R18 and 245/50R20.