2015 Mazda CX-9: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2015 Mazda CX-9
On the 2015 Mazda CX-9, the failure owners report most often is water pump failure, and the reports cluster around 85,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 65,000 miles. Overall it scores 72 out of 100, high risk for a 2015.
High risk for a 2015 — 128th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. 45 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 17 named failure modes on the 2015 Mazda CX-9, and the three most-reported carry 44% of everything filed.
Water pump failure leads with 13 reports, about 1.1 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 67k to 100,000 miles.
Other engine problem follows with 4 reports, median 110,000 miles.
Misfire or rough idle follows with 3 reports.
By system, the reports fall mostly into cooling (13), engine (13) and brakes (3).
When these failures get reported
27 of the reports on the 2015 Mazda CX-9 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 65,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 44% by 50,000 miles and 81% by 100,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 33% of the dated reports.
41% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
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 17. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
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, 1 mentions a crash 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 4.27, 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: water pump failure at $500–$2,200, other engine problem at $300–$4,000, misfire or rough idle at $250–$1,600 and complete engine failure or seizure at $4,500–$12,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
60% 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, so more than half of what owners complained about here is expensive.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water pump failure | cooling | 13 | 10 | 67k | 83k | 102k | 1.1 | $500–$2,200 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 4 | 1 | — | 110k | — | 0.3 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Complete engine failure or seizure | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $4,500–$12,000 | Critical |
| Oil leak | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 8k | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,200 | Moderate |
| Wiring harness or short circuit | electrical | 2 | 1 | — | 82k | — | 0.2 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Master cylinder or brake booster failure | brakes | 2 | 2 | — | 32k | — | 0.2 | $450–$2,200 | Critical |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 2 | 2 | — | 23k | — | 0.2 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 124k | — | 0.1 | $1,200–$4,500 | Critical |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 1k | — | 0.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Air conditioning failure | hvac | 1 | 1 | — | 9 | — | 0.1 | $400–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 16k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 16k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 1 | — | 69k | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 6 | 3 | — | 1k | — | 0.5 | — | 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 2015 Mazda CX-9 draws about 3.8 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 82nd percentile of complaint rates among 2015 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 11,956 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2015 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2015 model year
NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2015 Mazda CX-9, affecting an estimated 12,020 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 and steering. 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.
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.
STEERING
578 vehicles 2016-04-11- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- If the steering knuckle separates from the strut assembly, it can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- 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 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 2015 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.
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 2015 — 128th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
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 2015 itself at 72.
If the model year is negotiable, 2007, 2023 and 2009 score lower than 2015 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.
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: water pump failure from about 67k.
On a 2015 Mazda CX-9 with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether water pump failure 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.
The limits of complaint data
45 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 45 reports, 27 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 60% 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 2015 Mazda CX-9?
The most-reported failures are water pump failure (13 reports, median 85,000 miles), other engine problem (4 reports, median 110,000 miles) and misfire or rough idle (3 reports). 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 2015 Mazda CX-9 problems start?
Water pump failure is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 85,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 65,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 65,000 miles.
Is the 2015 Mazda CX-9 reliable?
It scores 72 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 128th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2015 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 Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed