Model year record
2016 Mazda CX-9 recalls & problems
The 2016 Mazda CX-9 has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 107 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is engine (68 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2016 Mazda CX-9.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Fuel economy
CX-9 2WD
| City / highway | 22 / 28 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S6) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,800/year to fuel
CX-9 4WD
| City / highway | 21 / 26 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S6) · 4-Wheel Drive · about $2,900/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 68 | 35,200 mi |
| Electrical system | 14 | 24,000 mi |
| Service brakes | 11 | 40,000 mi |
| Power train | 9 | — |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 7 | 34,000 mi |
| Unknown or other | 6 | 35,500 mi |
| StructureBody | 4 | — |
| Seats | 3 | — |
| Air bagsSensor › Occupant classification | 3 | — |
| Wheels | 3 | — |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | — |
| Engine and engine cooling | 3 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Engine
We discovered the problem by accident -- pulled out of our garage and there was a coolant puddle on the garage floor. No dashboard warnings, no overheat messages, no visible symptoms before that. That's what makes this failure mode dangerous: it loses coolant silently, and you find out from a puddle or from an overheat, not from the car telling you. A Mazda dealership confirmed the failure during a multi-point inspection by one of their master technicians (September 2026): coolant leaking from the back of the cylinder head, no signs of coolant and oil mixing, and a scan showing no history of overheating. Their recommendation is cylinder head replacement. The vehicle is available for…
- Engine
Cracked head cyclinder leaking. Unsafe to drive, coolant can leak into engine if not already. They are aware of it and extended a warranty for the issue in 2024. However people like me, my coolant didn't leak until this year 2026. There have been lawsuits on this issue, but they are still failing to address this issue. They created another part to replace the defected part which costs around $6000-$7000. Yes, took it to a Mazda dealer and confirmed the issue and they can fix but cost would be out of pocket. No warning at all. The only way this was discovered was the smell of the coolant leaking.
- Engine
My car have a manufacturer engine defect that the company or corporation is not willing to fix. Only because I exceeded the warranty I call them (MAZDA) an told them that it wasn't under my control the these issues happened after the warranty expire. But they still refuse to help me.
- Engine
Engine revs or surges while in park, possibly faulty throttle box
- Engine
The cylinder head (which involves the engine cooling system) has a known manufacturer defect that affects all year/models of the Mazda CX-9 with turbo. The manufacturing defect poses a risk to motor vehicle safety in a group of vehicles or equipment of the same design and/or manufacturer. Specifically, the overheating and failure of the engine can occur at any time, without warning. This puts my family at risk of being stranded on a roadway, particularly because my car is often driven in rural areas. The manufacturing defect is significant and is acknowledged by Mazda: Mazda has offered owners a voluntary, limited, warranty extension (CSP11) of 10 years or 120,000 miles. The voluntary…
- Engine
I own a 2016 Mazda CX9 Touring FWD (180k miles). Today my car was diagnosed with cracked cylinder head, resulting in coolant and oil leak from the head gasket. While there is a class action settlement about it where Mazda accepted the manufacturing defect, they do not cover the engine repair/cylinder head replacement because my car's mile is over 120k. If it is a manufacturing defect, why year/mile make a difference on the responsibility of the manufacturer? Mazda obviously sold defect vehicles to their customers, and driving these vehicles under this condition is very dangerous! Now, they are expecting me to pay more than $10,000 for a vehicle priced around $6,000!
- Engine
In June of 2022 I started having a strong antifreeze/engine coolant smell inside the cab of my vehicle and also outside the vehicle. I had the car checked for a radiator leak, but there wasnât one. I took my car into my local Mazda where they found that the engine coolant was leaking into the heads of the engine. Mazda kept my car for 5 months and repaired the problem, it cost me $4000 and they had added a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty for the parts. My car is a 2016 Mazda cx-9 at the time of the repair it had 70,430 miles on it. Now a few years later I am having the same issue with the coolant smell inside the cab and outside my vehicle, it goes into the shop for diagnosis on Monday…
- Engine
Cylinder head crack. Combustion gasses leaking into coolant causing overheat. Combustion gasses bleeding into oil causing excessive crankcase pressure.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.