2017 Mazda CX-9

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.).

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.

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.