Model year report

2010 Mazda CX-9: what breaks, and at what mileage

What breaks on the 2010 Mazda CX-9

On the 2010 Mazda CX-9, the failure owners report most often is master cylinder or brake booster failure, and the reports cluster around 90,000 miles. The earliest to appear is loss of braking, reported by a median of 40,000 miles. Overall it scores 74 out of 100, high risk for a 2010.

High risk for a 2010 — 84th riskiest of the 275 2010 vehicles we can rate. 194 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.

What owners report breaking

Owners have reported 33 named failure modes on the 2010 Mazda CX-9, and the three most-reported carry 43% of everything filed.

Master cylinder or brake booster failure leads with 38 reports, about 1.6 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 61k to 122,500 miles.

Other brake problem follows with 29 reports, usually reported between 37k to 100,000 miles.

Water pump failure follows with 16 reports, usually reported between 80k to 130,000 miles.

By system, the reports fall mostly into brakes (79), cooling (16) and suspension (15).

At what mileage it happens

145 of the reports on the 2010 Mazda CX-9 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 71,000 miles.

Cumulatively, 32% by 50,000 miles, 70% by 100,000 miles and 94% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.

The busiest stretch is between 90,000 and 100,000 miles, which alone holds 10% of the dated reports.

21% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.

In the order they tend to show up: loss of braking around 42k, differential or transfer case failure around 70k, other brake problem around 75k and master cylinder or brake booster failure around 91k.

Median

Master cylinder or brake booster failure

91k
Other brake problem

75k
Water pump failure

108k
Differential or transfer case failure

70k
Loss of braking

42k
Other engine problem

41k
Other suspension problem

120k
Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure

128k
Airbag inflator rupture

90k
Other powertrain problem

71k
Other speed control problem

22k
Other body or interior problem

43k

Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens

Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 33. The full list is in the table below.

How reports accumulate

Share of reports filed by each mileage

half by 71k

Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.

Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Dashed the median reported mileage

Severity, and what it costs

Across the named modes, 5 mention a crash, 4 a fire and 2 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.

The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.03, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.

What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: master cylinder or brake booster failure at $450–$2,200, other brake problem at $300–$1,800, water pump failure at $500–$2,200 and differential or transfer case failure at $900–$4,200. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.

25% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.

Every reported failure mode

Mileage figures are percentiles of owner-reported readings. Click a column to sort.
Failure mode	System	Reports	With reading	25th	Median	75th	Per 1,000	Typical repair	Severity
Master cylinder or brake booster failure	brakes	38	34	61k	91k	122k	1.6	$450–$2,200	Critical
Other brake problem	brakes	29	23	37k	75k	100k	1.2	$300–$1,800	High
Water pump failure	cooling	16	9	80k	108k	128k	0.7	$500–$2,200	High
Differential or transfer case failure	drivetrain	11	10	43k	70k	110k	0.5	$900–$4,200	High
Loss of braking	brakes	10	9	38k	42k	52k	0.4	$400–$3,000	Critical
Other engine problem	engine	8	7	—	41k	—	0.3	$300–$4,000	High
Other suspension problem	suspension	8	3	—	120k	—	0.3	$350–$2,000	Moderate
Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure	suspension	7	5	—	128k	—	0.3	$400–$2,200	High
Airbag inflator rupture	airbag	6	1	—	90k	—	0.2	$0–$0	Critical
Other powertrain problem	transmission	6	4	—	71k	—	0.2	$400–$4,500	High
Other speed control problem	adas	6	4	—	22k	—	0.2	$250–$2,000	Critical
Other body or interior problem	body	6	4	—	43k	—	0.2	$200–$2,000	Moderate
Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure	electrical	5	1	—	2k	—	0.2	$700–$3,000	High
Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure	body	4	3	—	97k	—	0.2	$250–$1,500	Moderate
Shifter, linkage or stuck-in-park failure	transmission	3	3	—	60k	—	0.1	$250–$1,400	High
Other electrical problem	electrical	3	2	—	21k	—	0.1	$250–$2,000	Moderate
Loss of power steering	steering	2	2	—	75k	—	0.1	$600–$2,800	Critical
Headlight failure or clouding	lighting	2	2	—	91k	—	0.1	$150–$1,800	Moderate
Complete engine failure or seizure	engine	1	1	—	26k	—	0.0	$4,500–$12,000	Critical
Head gasket failure	engine	1	1	—	134k	—	0.0	$1,400–$4,000	Critical
Oil leak	engine	1	1	—	76k	—	0.0	$250–$2,200	Moderate
Engine knock or bearing noise	engine	1	1	—	144k	—	0.0	$2,500–$9,000	High
Complete transmission failure	transmission	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$2,800–$8,000	Critical
Premature brake pad or rotor wear	brakes	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$300–$1,400	Moderate
Parking brake failure	brakes	1	1	—	19k	—	0.0	$250–$1,300	Moderate
Tire pressure monitor failure	wheels	1	1	—	38k	—	0.0	$80–$600	Low
Door latch or handle failure	body	1	1	—	67k	—	0.0	$250–$1,200	High
Sunroof failure or glass breakage	body	1	1	—	17k	—	0.0	$700–$4,500	High
Other steering problem	steering	1	1	—	41k	—	0.0	$350–$2,400	High
Other wheel or tire problem	wheels	1	1	—	135k	—	0.0	$200–$1,500	High
Other lighting problem	lighting	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$120–$1,200	Moderate
Other driver assistance problem	adas	1	1	—	2k	—	0.0	$250–$1,800	High
Other visibility problem	glass	1	1	—	111k	—	0.0	$150–$1,400	Moderate
Unclassified problem	other	9	7	—	15k	—	0.4	—	Moderate

Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.

How often, against how many were built

Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2010 Mazda CX-9 draws about 8.0 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 91st percentile of complaint rates among 2010 vehicles we can rate.

That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.

The working figure is 24,185 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2010 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.

What owners wrote

Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.

Master cylinder or brake booster failure

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mazda cx-9. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, there was a delay in stopping distance once the brakes were engaged. The contact mentioned that he had to depress the brakes repeatedly in order to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the vacuum booster and master cylinder were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 50,040.

50,000 miles NHTSA complaint 935058 filed 2012-08-20

I have a 2010 mazda cx-9 with approximately 41,000 miles. I have been diligent in my maintenance-always with a mazda dealer. The car started to exhale slightly when braking. The car then did not want to brake/stop without pumping the brakes repeatedly. I was able to stop suddenly but unable to stop without ample warning at stop signs, etc. The vehicle was taken to mazda dealership where they told me that the vacuum booster and master cylinder were defective. I was not allowed to drive the car because it was not safe. They then told me the next morning that mazda/dealership found no warranty covering such a malfunction/factory defect b/c I had passed the 36,000 miles mark. I will have to pay $839 for a repair to drive my car that is an issue with the manufacturing of my car. The dealer told me I must contact mazda usa directly to see if they will pay for it-otherwise I am responsible. I have read other complaints and an article in the wall street journal both sitting the existence and experience of this malfunction. The NHTSA was said to be investigating the issue. Mazda should be forced to recall the vehicles and fix the…

40,500 miles NHTSA complaint 946204 filed 2012-10-23

Water pump failure

While traveling 65mph on highway with family the vehicle shut down, engine light appeared and we nearly were struck by another vehicle when pulling over. Cx-9 was towed 75 miles to mechanic who informed us coolant entered the engine from failed water pump and engine needs replacement ($4000). Mazda service manager confirmed this is not uncommon and confirmed engine will need to be replaced. When researching cx-9 water pump failure online I found many disturbing testimonials of other cx-9 owners with similar experiences. There were no warning signs of water pump failure. Mazda needs to warn cx-9 owners with tsb or recall the water pump. The water pump is not buried inside the engine and cannot be visually inspected. Having a vehicle shut off abruptly when traveling at high speeds is a serious risk for both driver, vehicle occupants and surrounding motorists. I hope nstsa takes this complaint seriously and takes action before a serious or fatal injury occurs.

10 miles NHTSA complaint 1483840 filed 2018-07-18

Recalls on the 2010 model year

NHTSA has issued 6 recall campaigns covering the 2010 Mazda CX-9, affecting an estimated 77,384 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.

The campaigns cover air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.

Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.

19V782000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

69,879 vehicles 2019-10-31

Defect: 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.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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.

18V717000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

155,436 vehicles 2018-10-12

Defect: 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…
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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.

18V018000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

70,227 vehicles 2018-01-09

Defect: 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…
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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.

17V429000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

205,377 vehicles 2017-06-29

Defect: Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Mazda6, and 2007-2011 CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 30, 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 16V356 and all vehicles that were not remedied under that campaign are now covered by this one.

15V451000

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM

193,484 vehicles 2015-07-20

Defect: 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.
Consequence: Over time, the ball joint corrosion may result in the front lower control arm separating from the ball joint, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.
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…

10V051000

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER

12,300 vehicles 2010-02-19

Defect: Mazda is recalling certain model year 2010 cx-9 vehicles equipped with electrically heated front seats. There is a possibility under extremely cold conditions for the seat heater control circuit to overheat and fail due to insufficient electrical grounding.
Consequence: This may cause burn damage of the seat cushion surface, or a risk of smoke/fire.
Remedy: Dealers will install an additional ground harness on the seat heater control system. The seat heater control circuit will be replaced if necessary and/or the seat will be repaired free of charge. The safety recall began on march 9, 2010. Owners may contact mazda at 1-800-222-5500.

Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.

How it ranks in the 2010 field

The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.

Risk score against the rest of the 2010 field

Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.

Left fewer and less serious reports
Right more, or worse
Marker this vehicle

Better and worse years of the same car

High risk for a 2010 — 84th riskiest of the 275 2010 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.

Across the 16 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2007 comes out best at 64 and 2018 worst at 82, with 2010 itself at 74.

If the model year is negotiable, 2007, 2023, 2009, 2008 and 2014 score lower than 2010 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.

Within the 2007–2015 generation specifically, 2007 is the strongest year at 64 and 2010 the weakest at 74.

Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.

Risk score by model year, out of 100

Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.

Within the 2007-2015 generation, 2007 Mazda CX-9 scores best at 64 and 2010 Mazda CX-9 worst at 74.

What the numbers say to check

The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other brake problem from about 37k, loss of braking from about 38k, differential or transfer case failure from about 43k and master cylinder or brake booster failure from about 61k.

On a 2010 Mazda CX-9 with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other brake problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.

None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.

Where these figures stop being useful

194 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.

Of those 194 reports, 145 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 75% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".

Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.

And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.

Questions this page answers

What are the most common problems with the 2010 Mazda CX-9?

The most-reported failures are master cylinder or brake booster failure (38 reports, median 90,000 miles), other brake problem (29 reports, median 75,000 miles) and water pump failure (16 reports, median 110,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.

At what mileage do 2010 Mazda CX-9 problems start?

Loss of braking is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 40,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 40,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 71,000 miles.

Is the 2010 Mazda CX-9 reliable?

It scores 74 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 84th riskiest of the 275 2010 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2010 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.

Which year of the Mazda CX-9 is best?

Within the 2007–2015 generation, 2007 scores best at 64 out of 100 and 2010 worst at 74. Same body, same engines, different luck.

Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.

What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car

Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt 30 August 2026 Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed