KnownCarProblems2008 Mazda CX-9 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 172 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Mazda CX-9, most often about the suspension (32% of complaints, typically around 108,500 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about CX-9 model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory3 recalls for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2008 Mazda CX-9 problems
Suspension
55 complaints · 32%Half of these problems showed up before 108,500 miles. Parts named most often: front.
The contact owns a 2008 Mazda CX-9. While approximately 20 MPH, the front driver side tire separated from the axle. The vehicle skidded, but the contact was able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle sustained lower control arm, outer tie rod end, stabilizer link, axle, and drive belt damage. The vehicle was towed to the…
When driving under 20 MPH entering into our neighborhood, heard a loud "pop" - then the front left tire suspension 'popped off' the tire, causing the car to lose control and hit the curb with the right tire. It appears that the suspension just "popped off" the joint causing the tire to become 'dislodged' from the…
Brakes
30 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components.
The contact owns a 2008 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that the brake pedal was partially depressed and the contact had to keep pumping the brake in oder to get the vehicle to stop. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the vacuum booster failed. In addition, the brake fluid was leaking into the…
While driving and coming to a stop, the brake pedal went real hard and car would not stop appropriately. This happened multiple times, checked the brake fluid is full as well as changed brakes themselves..problem still there and progressively worse, un drivable because of compromised braking. There is only 75k miles…
Air bags
28 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 120,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Takata recall: I have been waiting since july 2016 for replacement airbags. I have called dealers and never receive a call back to repair my vehicle. They claim the bags are unavailable.
Received initial recall notice (0717a) of the potentially fatal takata airbag in february 2017 and instructed not to let anyone ride in the passenger side of the car, and was told airbag replacement parts were not available. It is now september, 2017 - over 6 months later - the airbag replacement parts are still not…
Transmission
27 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 104,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
I was making a right turn from a parking lot onto a road with my two children in the car when a loud crunch happened, the vehicle jerked left while still moving forward and I was unable to steer or break. The car came to an abrupt stop and I couldn't get the driver's door open. I walked around to the front of the car…
When accelerating after driving for a few minutes maybe 10-15 after the vehicle has had time to warm up, as I am applying pressure to the gas pedal and it is shifting into gears (usually into gears 3,4, & 5) the vehicle is showing that it is into the next gear but you feel it shift after the fact so it is delayed and…
Steering
19 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 104,000 miles. Parts named most often: linkages.
I was making a right turn from a parking lot onto a road with my two children in the car when a loud crunch happened, the vehicle jerked left while still moving forward and I was unable to steer or break. The car came to an abrupt stop and I couldn't get the driver's door open. I walked around to the front of the car…
I had the recall done on the a arms and ball joints replaced and it's only been a year also the rear stablizer links have failed also again after factory replacement.
Wheels and tires
17 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 115,000 miles. Parts named most often: pressure monitoring and regulating systems.
I had been hearing a knocking noise in my car when I went to make left or right hand turns for approximately a week. After having my mechanic investigate he took a look at the ball joints, they are 'non-serviceable,' which means they are a sealed unit. He said from what he could tell they were fine. Later that day I…
Was driving on neighborhood road, heading toward a state highway when all of the sudden a large boom occurred and I lost total control of the car and went up the curb and onto the sidewalk. I thought I'd blown a tire but got out and saw the entire wheel was disconnected - the suspension ruined. Would be happy to share…
Electrical
13 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 106,000 miles.
One day, my keyless don stopped working. The next day the door kept locking while I was driving almost every time I turned the steering wheel. Then the drivers door wouldn't unlock, when I manually unlocked the door it was hard to do. I luckily had the windows rolled down, got out the vehicle and as soon as I shut the…
When accelerating after driving for a few minutes maybe 10-15 after the vehicle has had time to warm up, as I am applying pressure to the gas pedal and it is shifting into gears (usually into gears 3,4, & 5) the vehicle is showing that it is into the next gear but you feel it shift after the fact so it is delayed and…
Other or unspecified
11 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 105,000 miles.
One day, my keyless don stopped working. The next day the door kept locking while I was driving almost every time I turned the steering wheel. Then the drivers door wouldn't unlock, when I manually unlocked the door it was hard to do. I luckily had the windows rolled down, got out the vehicle and as soon as I shut the…
When accelerating after driving for a few minutes maybe 10-15 after the vehicle has had time to warm up, as I am applying pressure to the gas pedal and it is shifting into gears (usually into gears 3,4, & 5) the vehicle is showing that it is into the next gear but you feel it shift after the fact so it is delayed and…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Mazda CX-9 recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began october 4, 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 17v-012.
Full defect summary
Mazda north america operations (mazda) is recalling certain 2012 cx-7, cx-9 and mazda6 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 included in "zone a" above, mazda is recalling certain 2009 cx-7, cx-9 and mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia, or "zone b." additionally, unless included in "zone a" or "zone b" above, mazda is recalling certain 2007-2008 cx-7 and cx-9 sold, or ever registered in the stat
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Suspension: lower ball joint
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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 remaining vehicles will be r
Full defect summary
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.
Electrical: interior/under dash
Risk: Drivers will experience certain functions that are uncontrollable which will cause serious difficulties in driving increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the seat harness and fasten the seat frame with a cable tie. The harness covering will be repair free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 16, 2009. Owners may contact mazda at 1-800-222-5500.
Full defect summary
Mazda is recalling 30,600 my 2007-2009 cx9 vehicles equipped with power adjustable seat with position memory function. The seat harness routed underneath the seat cushion may interfere with the front cover bracket which is attached on the front side of the seat cushion. Due to this the covering of the seat harness may be damaged, the core wire of the harness may touch with the bracket and result in short circuit.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Lower ball joint separation
Summary
In an july 7,2015 letter to NHTSA, mazda identified a safety defect that could result in lower ball joint separation in approximately 193,484 model year (my) 2007 through 2014 mazda cx-9 vehicles (NHTSA recall no. 15v-451,mazda 8515g).mazda indicated that damage to the ball joint boot may allow water to enter the front suspension ball joint fitting during use which may result in premature ball joint wear and a progressively looser joint.in january 2014, mazda implemented redesigned lower control arms in production vehicles to improve the durability of the lower ball joints.the redesign involved changing the shape of the top surface of the ball joint boot cover and adding a suspension plate t
Brake master cylinder leak
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe11-026 to investigate possible brake performance loss due to brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder into the brake booster in model year (my) 2008 mazda cx-9 vehicles.in response to odi's information request letter, mazda identified a problem with the manufacturing process for the master cylinder primary plunger that could result in inappropriate surface finish.odi's analysis of complaints and field reports determined that the problem was isolated to several months late in the production of the my 2008 cx-9 vehicles.mazda indicated that changes to the plunger machining and inspection processes were incorporated late in my 2008 vehicle
Questions about the 2008 Mazda CX-9
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Mazda CX-9?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: suspension (55 complaints, typically around 108,500 miles); brakes (30 complaints, typically around 78,000 miles); air bags (28 complaints, typically around 120,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Mazda CX-9 have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 31, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Mazda CX-9?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about CX-9 model year since 2000, with 172 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.