2019 Mazda CX-9: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2019 Mazda CX-9
On the 2019 Mazda CX-9, the failure owners report most often is head gasket failure, with 9 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 30,000 miles. Overall it scores 74 out of 100, high risk for a 2019.
High risk for a 2019 — 174th riskiest of the 245 2019 vehicles we can rate. 75 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2019 Mazda CX-9
Owners have reported 25 named failure modes on the 2019 Mazda CX-9, and the three most-reported carry 31% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Head gasket failure leads with 9 reports and about 0.8 per 1,000 vehicles.
Radiator or coolant leak follows with 7 reports.
Infotainment screen failure follows with 7 reports, median 30,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (19), infotainment (11) and cooling (10).
At what mileage it happens
20 of the reports on the 2019 Mazda CX-9 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 30,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 80% by 50,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 10,000 and 20,000 miles, which alone holds 25% of the dated reports.
60% 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 25. 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. 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 3.65, 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: head gasket failure at $1,400–$4,000, radiator or coolant leak at $350–$1,900, infotainment screen failure at $400–$2,600 and other engine problem at $300–$4,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
45% 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
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head gasket failure | engine | 9 | 2 | — | 63k | — | 0.8 | $1,400–$4,000 | Critical |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.6 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Infotainment screen failure | infotainment | 7 | 2 | — | 28k | — | 0.6 | $400–$2,600 | Low |
| Other engine problem | engine | 7 | 1 | — | 25k | — | 0.6 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 5 | 1 | — | 100 | — | 0.5 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Backup camera failure | infotainment | 4 | 1 | — | 400 | — | 0.4 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 4 | 3 | — | 22k | — | 0.4 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 3 | 3 | — | 40k | — | 0.3 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $1,200–$4,500 | Critical |
| Overheating | cooling | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure | steering | 2 | 2 | — | 11k | — | 0.2 | $700–$2,600 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 2 | 1 | — | 61k | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 2 | 2 | — | 33k | — | 0.2 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Water pump failure | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,200 | High |
| CVT failure | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $3,000–$8,500 | Critical |
| CV axle or driveshaft failure | drivetrain | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $450–$2,200 | High |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Strut, shock or spring failure | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $400–$2,200 | High |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 40k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 5 | 1 | — | 15k | — | 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 2019 Mazda CX-9 draws about 6.8 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 86th percentile of complaint rates among 2019 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 11,003 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2019 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2019 model year
NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2019 Mazda CX-9, affecting an estimated 11,149 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 fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump and tires:tread/belt. 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.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
121,038 vehicles 2021-11-12- Defect
- 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
- 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.
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
146 vehicles 2019-10-28- Defect
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019 CX-9 vehicles equipped with Sumitomo Falken ZIEX CT50 A/S tires, size P255/50R20 104V, having date code 1619. An incorrect rubber compound may have been used in the tire's manufacturing, allowing the tread to separate and detach.
- Consequence
- A detached tire tread can decrease vehicle stability and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four tire serial numbers, replacing the tires as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 4, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4019J.
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 2019 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
How 2019 compares with the other years
High risk for a 2019 — 174th riskiest of the 245 2019 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
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 2019 itself at 74.
If the model year is negotiable, 2007, 2023, 2009, 2008 and 2014 score lower than 2019 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 2016–2020 generation specifically, 2017 is the strongest year at 73 and 2018 the weakest at 82.
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 2016-2020 generation, 2017 Mazda CX-9 scores best at 73 and 2018 Mazda CX-9 worst at 82.
The limits of complaint data
75 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 75 reports, 20 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 27% 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 2019 Mazda CX-9?
The most-reported failures are head gasket failure (9 reports, median 65,000 miles), radiator or coolant leak (7 reports) and infotainment screen failure (7 reports, median 30,000 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.
Is the 2019 Mazda CX-9 reliable?
It scores 74 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 174th riskiest of the 245 2019 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2019 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 2016–2020 generation, 2017 scores best at 73 out of 100 and 2018 worst at 82. 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