← New search

2018 Mazda CX-9

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most CX-9 years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Mazda CX-9 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 61.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all CX-9 years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 15 of 127 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

127 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 15, 2025
Engine

coolant leaking from engine block cracked cylinder head

NHTSA ODI #11654683

Mileage unknown · Dec 11, 2024
Steering

Steering makes knocking noises when turning. It happened suddenly with no damage to car to cause it. It was fine prior to parking, when the car was restarted and the wheel was turned knocking noise started. Mechanic found there is a tsb for this problem but no recall.

NHTSA ODI #11630249

Mileage unknown · Nov 10, 2024
Engine

Fan is not working and car is overheating when driving in traffic or low speeds - from forums this seems to be a common issue with this make/model and year

NHTSA ODI #11624426

Mileage unknown · Nov 8, 2024
Engine

coolant leaks at the cylinder head around the exhaust manifold. Caused crack in the head. The Mazda 2.5t engine has this common issue that Mazda knows about. Mazda has a bulletin out but has not issued a recall. Car over heated and I was left stranded. Took car to mechanic who says I need to replace my entire engine.

NHTSA ODI #11624296

Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2024
Engine

My vehicle was low on antifreeze. I brought it into the dealer and had them look at it. They told me there was an antifreeze leak inside the engine. I told them, I think there's a service bulletin on it. TSB-01-013-21 And there are updates to it. They told me that the antifreeze leak does not pertain to this service bulletin. I…

Read full complaint

My vehicle was low on antifreeze. I brought it into the dealer and had them look at it. They told me there was an antifreeze leak inside the engine. I told them, I think there's a service bulletin on it. TSB-01-013-21 And there are updates to it. They told me that the antifreeze leak does not pertain to this service bulletin. I told them, how can that be? When it's an antifreeze leak with an engine that only has 66000 miles on it so far. I spoke to mazda customer service in California They said the dealer is trying to get some financial relief for me to replace a $10000 engine. Which they said is on back order till march 2025. I said how can this leak not be a problem when the engine is on back order, I feel that this should not have happened With a engine, that has 66000 miles on it? And it should be fixed free of charge because antifreeze leak is a known problem with these engines since 2016, and they never notified me to bring it in and have the defective part fixed Which causes the antifreeze leak. If they did that, my engine would not have blown and would not need replacement. I'm hoping they understand and do the right thing and fix this.

NHTSA ODI #11622142

Mileage unknown · Oct 20, 2024
Engine

I purchased a 2018 Mazda cx9 from a local used car dealer several weeks ago. Check engine light came on after a few weeks for cylinder 3 misfire and there was a steep decline of the vehicle performance (hard start, rough idle, lower mpg, sluggish driving). Took it to Berge Mazda who charged me for diagnostics/spark plugs, and ig…

Read full complaint

I purchased a 2018 Mazda cx9 from a local used car dealer several weeks ago. Check engine light came on after a few weeks for cylinder 3 misfire and there was a steep decline of the vehicle performance (hard start, rough idle, lower mpg, sluggish driving). Took it to Berge Mazda who charged me for diagnostics/spark plugs, and ignition coil. They informed me the next steps were a compression tests, fuel injectors and if that didn’t fix the problem then they wanted to strip down the engine to evaluate the cylinder head. At this point I decided to take it to my local mechanic who I trust, he diagnosed a cracked cylinder head. Now I’m stuck with a car I just bought that’s unsafe to drive needing a 6-8k repair. Upon further research there is a widespread problem with Mazda’s manufacturing of there cylinder heads on certain models (including the 2018 Mazda cx9). This is confirmed by TSB’s from Mazda along with a class action lawsuit recently filed. Upon more research on my vehicles history, I gathered that my vehicle was traded into Horne Mazda and then a couple days later auctioned to the used car dealer I bought it from. The fact that Mazda is selling off their own defective vehicles that are unsafe at auctions is absolutely disgusting and something needs to be done about it.

NHTSA ODI #11620834

Mileage unknown · Oct 9, 2024
EngineFuel/propulsion System

- My 2018 Mazda CX 9 started stalling and jittering at idle and then eventually during slow driving. - Next day I got a check engine light, took to Mazda service center at the dealership I have been going to for last 6 years since I bought the car. - Service center diagnosed that there was a coolant leak through the cylinder hea…

Read full complaint

- My 2018 Mazda CX 9 started stalling and jittering at idle and then eventually during slow driving. - Next day I got a check engine light, took to Mazda service center at the dealership I have been going to for last 6 years since I bought the car. - Service center diagnosed that there was a coolant leak through the cylinder head which seems to have cracked. - Further investigation indicated that this has been identified on many other similar Mazda engines and a Technical Service Bulletin had been issued by Mazda to Dealers. - On probing initially, dealership declined they were aware of any such problem. - The amount of repair for the engine replacement (cylinder head and other parts) is exuberant and is almost half of the value of my car, and is not expected for a low 44,000 miles car. - This had posed safety issue for my family since the stressed engine with leak in cylinder head could lead to fire and fatality. - I am awaiting response from Dealership and Mazda corporation case#[XXX] for a response especially when this issue has been filed under a class action lawsuit: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11618999

Mileage unknown · Oct 2, 2024
Engine

Engine cylinder head is leaking coolant. This is a known issue by Mazda as they have submitted a TSB on the issue but have yet to submit a recall. The leak causes overheating along with pollution of coolant fluid into the environment. The problem was diagnosed by a Mazda dealership. The leaking occurred before a light came on th…

Read full complaint

Engine cylinder head is leaking coolant. This is a known issue by Mazda as they have submitted a TSB on the issue but have yet to submit a recall. The leak causes overheating along with pollution of coolant fluid into the environment. The problem was diagnosed by a Mazda dealership. The leaking occurred before a light came on the dashboard. The light on the dashboard only came on once the engine began overheating.

NHTSA ODI #11617788

Mileage unknown · Sep 27, 2024
Engine

Over heating /coolant leak

NHTSA ODI #11616967

Mileage unknown · Sep 21, 2024
EnginePower Train

coolant leaks at cylinder head , Mazda of America knows issues but not willing to recall , they hava a bulletin number 01-002/23 . pls help

NHTSA ODI #11615751

Official recalls

2

21V875000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Nov 12, 2021

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3, Mazda6, 2019 CX-3, 2018-2019 MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and 2019-2020 Mazda2 vehicles. The impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.

19V403000 · Electrical System:wiring

May 30, 2019

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 CX-9 vehicles. The wiring harness may disrupt electrical communications and disable the passenger frontal air bag, turn signals, and/or engine starting system.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The passenger frontal air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury. Inoperable turn signals prevent the driver from signaling to other drivers, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will repair the wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3419E.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.