2013 Mazda CX-9 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2013 Mazda CX-9 has 68 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 5 per year. That is more complaints per year than most CX-9 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Steering, and Front lower ball joint.

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

68

Per year

5

Recalls

4

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (17 of 68), then Service brakes (16) and Air bags (9). Those filings include 3 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 CX-9 has 221 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2014 has 54 complaints, 4 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

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 2013 Mazda CX-9. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

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 2018-01-09 · NHTSA campaign 18V018000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2013 Mazda6 and 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 2010 Mazda6, CX-7 and CX-9 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 covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2009 Mazda6, CX-7, and 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 March 2, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.
Recall Steering 2016-04-11 · NHTSA campaign 16V203000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 2, 2015, 2013-2014 Mazda2 vehicles manufactured July 3, 2013, to August 8, 2014, 2014-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured January 19, 2013, to December 2, 2015, and 2013-2015 CX-9 vehicles manufactured December 6, 2012, to July 31, 2015. The lower mounting nuts and bolts that attach the front strut assembly to the steering knuckle may loosen, allowing the steering knuckle to separate.
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lower mounting nuts and bolts that secure the front strut assembly to the steering knuckle. If the bolts are loose, they will be replaced and then correctly tightened, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 20, 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9316D.
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 (68 total)

Engine
17
Service brakes
16
Air bags
9
Suspension
9
Powertrain
5
Structure
4
Seat belts
2
Adaptive and mobility equipment
1
Back-over prevention
1
Electrical system
1
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Seats
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Wheels
1
Show 8 more Show less
Crash-flagged

3

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

62013420145201511201652017720186201982020720213202222023120241202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Engine throwing a code after dying at intersection. Found that it isa known issue for this vehicle and repair costs are astronomical. Diagnostic Summary: 2013 Mazda CX-9 (3.7L V6)Issue: Faulty Crankshaft/Camshaft…"
    Engine · filed 2026-04-14
  • "The contact owns a 2013 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer,…"
    Suspension, Engine · filed 2026-03-05
  • "I was pulling into a parking spot in Brooksville, Florida. It was the last parking spot on the block. As I pulled in, I went to hit my brake so that I could back up and the car did not stop. My foot was pressed all the…"
    Structure, Back-over prevention, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2025-09-25
  • "Niece was driving home from college on July 24, 2024 around 7:30 PM. She heard a pop when she was 1 mile away from the house. Side airbags exploded on passenger and driver side for no reason. She called me. We drove the…"
    Air bags · filed 2024-08-27
  • "The engine in my Mazda blew with no warning. I got in my car after warming it up and noticed my check engine light on, which wasn’t unusual because it has came on before with a loose gas gap warning, so I put it in gear…"
    Engine · filed 2023-03-09

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Mazda CX-9 SUV AWD 4 stars 3 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 Mazda CX-9 SUV FWD 4 stars 3 stars 5 stars 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 2013 Mazda CX-9 reliable?

The 2013 Mazda CX-9 has 68 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 5 per year. That is more complaints per year than most CX-9 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Steering, and Front lower ball joint.

What are common problems with a 2013 Mazda CX-9?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (17 of 68), then Service brakes (16) and Air bags (9). Those filings include 3 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 Mazda CX-9 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 CX-9 has 221 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2014 has 54 complaints, 4 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Mazda CX-9 been recalled?

The 2013 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 2013 Mazda CX-9?

Owners have filed 68 complaints about the 2013 Mazda CX-9 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Mazda CX-9 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 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.