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ProblemsByVin Index / 2016-MAZDA-CX-9 / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2016 Mazda CX-9 owner complaints

99 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 3 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

engine 14 complaints shown

49 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
12/31/2021 ODI #11445688.0

Dealer diagnosed manufacturing defect that caused crack in head. {Which could lead to engine failure, and subsequent accident due to engine failure during operation.} Engine lost coolant. No overheating noted. No warning/error codes noted.

12/30/2022 ODI #11499485.0

My engine head cracked whiling driving. sudden lost of complete power in houston texas at a 75mph speed. Was able to safely pull to the side. took it to the dealer where they confirmed it was a cracked engine head. Its a common issue with this model from 2016-2019 no warning light came on just lost 90% power. was able to restart and drive the 7 mins to the dealer.

12/30/2022 ODI #11499498.0

Car overheated. check front engine and could not see any visible leaks. check all around the engine and found coolant leaking from the back of the engine. confirm by dealer that is leaking at the cylinder head.

12/27/2024 ODI #11632664.0

Engine failure with crack in the engine after a loss of coolant fluid.

12/20/2022 ODI #11498304.0

I am being told by the dealership service center that there is a coolant leak from the engine. A previous coolant look due to a hose was repaired but this is a separate issue related to the TSB for coolant leak at the cylinder head Bulletin 01-007/22

12/15/2023 ODI #11560271.0

Engine is leaking coolant. Took the car to Horne Mazda of Avondale dealership for inspection, was told coolant is leaking from cylinder head. Was told the engine overheated and both cylinder head and cylinder block warped and will need to replace the engine. I feel my safety and others were at risk because the car could have lost power and stalled in the middle of roadway at any time due to there was no symptoms of my car engine overheated, car was running as normal, no check engine light, coolant temperature gauge did not show it was overheating, no sign of engine loosing power, no smoke from under the hood, no sweet smell or any indication engine is loosing coolant and overheating while driving. It appears to be a slow leak because coolant reservoir still have coolant above minimum lev

12/06/2023 ODI #11558846.0

While driving, engine suddenly overheated due to coolant leak from cracked cylinder head. This was a known issue per the TSB 01-002/23. See attached. Vehicle only has 55k miles and has been maintained, only requiring oil change, topping off of fluids, and filter changes. Dealership has determined that it will require a completely new long block. Mazda USA is currently only willing to cover a small fraction of parts costs, requiring me to pay the remaining parts and all labor costs.

11/21/2024 ODI #11626600.0

Head gasket leaking and caused major engine issue at 89,000 miles. Mazda has known of this issue, but refuses to recall it.

11/16/2022 ODI #11493746.0

Cracked Cylinder Head due to Coolant Leak - SB 01-013/21. This is a known issue with Mazda, yet it has happened with the vehicle being serviced regularly. This is happens directly after the warranty period and it is not being covered.

11/13/2024 ODI #11625077.0

While my wife was driving her 2016 Mazda Cx-9 Grand Touring on the freeway, many of the dashboard indicator lights came on warning her the engine was over heating and to pull over immediately. While she was attempting to move over to the shoulder, smoke appeared from underneath the engine hood which made it difficult to safely move over to the shoulder. She believed the car was on fire so immediately exited the vehicle along with her sister whom was pregnant. I arrived within minutes and noticed the engine compartment was smoking and coolant/engine oil leaking underneath the car. The car was towed to my local Mazda dealership where I was advised days later the engine needed to be replaced due to blown head gaskets. They advised the vehicle over heated causing oil and coolant leaking from c

11/10/2022 ODI #11493144.0

A strong coolant smell was noticed in the interior of the car and from the engine compartment. The diagnosis from the Mazda service facility was that there was coolant leaking from the head on the engine. Eventually this would have led to overheating of the vehicle which could have resulted in significant engine damage. The manufacturer has issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) for this problem. Cracking of the head that leads to coolant leaks is a known problem with this engine in several different models of Mazda including CX-5, CX-9, and Mazda 6. Our vehicle has remained in the shop since it was taken in on 11/8/2022.

11/09/2021 120,000 mi ODI #11439847.0

The contact owns a 2016 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air conditioning became warm and the fan was abnormally loud. Additionally, the engine temperature gauge was high. The contact pulled over and refilled the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who initially diagnosed that the water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. However, when the contact took the vehicle back to the independent mechanic for the water pump replacement, the mechanic diagnosed that the cylinder head was warped and referred her to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure a

11/03/2025 ODI #11697196.0

In June of 2022 I started having a strong antifreeze/engine coolant smell inside the cab of my vehicle and also outside the vehicle. I had the car checked for a radiator leak, but there wasn’t one. I took my car into my local Mazda where they found that the engine coolant was leaking into the heads of the engine. Mazda kept my car for 5 months and repaired the problem, it cost me $4000 and they had added a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty for the parts. My car is a 2016 Mazda cx-9 at the time of the repair it had 70,430 miles on it. Now a few years later I am having the same issue with the coolant smell inside the cab and outside my vehicle, it goes into the shop for diagnosis on Monday November 10,2025. The car now has 118,000 miles on it. I had purchased an extended warranty for the car at

11/02/2023 ODI #11553315.0

Car started running rough and losing power intermittently. After arriving home and parking the car, a puddle of coolant started at the rear of the engine. Online research indicates this is a known issue for the 2016 CX-9. Head gasket failure causes coolant leak from back side of engine at the head gasket. Coolant is still leaking 24 hours later without the car being run.

electrical 2 complaints shown

12 total in this category · severe · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
12/29/2017 24,000 mi Crash ODI #11057465.0

Immediately upon making a sharp right turn into a parking spot, the car suddenly accelerated at a very fast pace without me pushing the gas pedal. My immediate reaction was to press on the brake, but it did not stop. The car slammed into a planter in front of me. The car moved so quickly that it was lodged into the bushes and had to be pulled out by a tow truck. I immediately called the dealer service department and told them what happened. The service manager's immediate reaction was to scoff at the idea that the car accelerated on it's own. My husband met me at the dealer and had subsequently found information about a recall of cx-9 models from 2012 for a similar malfunction. He showed it to the same manager who immediately knew the issue of the recall but was quick to mention it was t

12/18/2019 67,000 mi ODI #11289823.0

With no warning the smart brake system malfunction and the front radar system malfunction warnings come on and I am unable to use the cruise control. In addition the parking brake light comes on and the parking brake is not on as I am driving.

powertrain 1 complaint shown

8 total in this category · severe · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain cluster analysis →
12/26/2022 ODI #11498923.0

At an intersection the engine stalled and car was extremely hard to restart (took several minutes). I later noticed oil and coolant dripping from the engine and coolant mist/vapor from the exhaust. Later I learned it was possibly related to Mazda's own TSB Bulletin No: 01-013/21 where a manufacturing defect caused coolant to enter the combustion chamber and hydro lock the engine (where I stalled and had hard time restarting). I had to have the car towed home. At home I noticed the passenger underside of the vehicle coated with oily/watery residue of possible oil or oil/coolant mix. Vehicle had 66K miles on and Mazda dealer refused to fix.

wheels 1 complaint shown

3 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $400 · see wheels cluster analysis →
12/11/2023 ODI #11559545.0

The vehicle has tire pressure monitoring system malfunction warnings and parking brake malfunction warnings even after taking to dealership to be fixed. Was told it’s a known problem by Mazda, should be recalled, but there were not any current recalls for the issue.

other 1 complaint shown

11/18/2016 5,500 mi Crash ODI #10926822.0

After a minor rear end accident, the driver front seat now rocks side to side and is distracting and unsafe. It was taken to the local Mazda dealership that provided an inspection and said that there is no problem with the seat. They state that it is normal for their seats to rock side to side. How unsafe and frightening. Please see attached documentation from the dealership.

suspension 1 complaint shown

11/06/2018 49,000 mi Crash ODI #11149815.0

I was t-boned on passenger side of my Mazda cx9 air bags did not work on my Mazda.other vehicle air bags did go off.I was traveling about 45 MPH when other car plowed into mine.

Showing 300 of 99 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2016/Mazda/CX-9#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-07-21. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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