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2013 Mazda Cx 9 Recalls, Issues & Maintenance

The 2013 Mazda Cx 9 carries 4 open NHTSA recalls — most recently covering inflator module and lower ball joint. Owners report 5 recurring issue clusters, led by “Water pump failure causing coolant contamination in engine.” Mazda's Skyactiv engines use unusually high compression ratios (13:1 to 16:1) and require strict adherence to oil intervals — extending oil life on a Skyactiv engine accelerates carbon buildup on intake valves. Mazda's published Schedule 1 (severe) covers most US driving conditions. Mazda3, CX-5, CX-30, and CX-50 share the Skyactiv-G platform.

4 Open Recalls

Source: NHTSA

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Campaign #18V717000 · Dec 10, 2018

Issue: 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, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Mazda6, 2010-2012 CX-7, and 2010-2015 CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

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

Fix: 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.

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

Campaign #15V451000 · Jul 20, 2015

Issue: 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.

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 remedied. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 8515G.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Campaign #18V018000 · Sep 1, 2018

Issue: 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, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2009 Mazda6, CX-7, and CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

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

Fix: 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.

STEERING

Campaign #16V203000 · Nov 4, 2016

Issue: 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.

Risk: If the steering knuckle separates from the strut assembly, it can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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 data refreshed Sep 6, 2026.

Known issues for this vehicle

What drivers and federal regulators have officially reported about the 2013 Mazda Cx 9.

Reported to NHTSA

Water pump failure causing coolant contamination in engine

ENGINE

15 NHTSA complaints · 2018-11 → 2026-04

“Water pump is cracked and leaking through weep hole, to no fault of the driver. The vehicle has over 214k miles on it and the mechanic informed us that this is common in this vehicle of this age with that many miles on it”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11502039
“Car began shuddering/shaking and check engine light went on. Booked appointment at Mazda dealer. Upon inspection they found a significant amount of coolant had leaked into engine and timing was jumping”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11473807
“THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AT THE TIME ON A BUSY CITY STREET. WE NOTICED SOME NOISES WHICH WAS SOUNDING LIKE METAL CLANKING”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11151624

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Brake booster failure with hissing noise and reduced braking

SERVICE BRAKES

14 NHTSA complaints · 2014-06 → 2021-10

“THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MAZDA CX-9. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A HISSING SOUND WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11082208
“MY BRAKE PEDAL BECAME VERY HARD TO PRESS DOWN TO STOP MY VEHICLE. A HISSING SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE PEDAL. EVEN AT LOW SPEEDS 20-30 MILES PER HOUR I WAS NOT SURE IF MY CAR WOULD STOP”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11098510
“LOSS OF BRAKING POWER AND HISSING NOISE HEARD IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRST TIME YOU BRAKE IT FELT OKAY BUT ANY SUBSEQUENT BRAKING IT FELT LIKE THERE WERE NO POWER BRAKES”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10851192

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Front lower control arm recall delays and suspension failure

SUSPENSION

9 NHTSA complaints · 2015-11 → 2023-03

“THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MAZDA CX-9. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE STOPPED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE TWISTED INTO THE WHEEL WELL”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10893383
“I HAD JUST COME OUT OF A TRAFFIC CIRCLE AND ENTERED A STRAIGHT STRETCH WHEN I HEARD A LOUD CRUNCHING SOUND. I WOULD ESTIMATE MY SPEED TO BE BETWEEN 15MPH AND 20 MPH .THE VEHICLE SHOOK BUT I WAS ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD BUT HAD DIFFICULTY STEERING AND COULD NOT BRAKE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10913635
“THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MAZDA CX9. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V451000 (SUSPENSION) HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10855255

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Side curtain air bag deployment without collision

AIR BAGS

6 NHTSA complaints · 2013-10 → 2024-08

“Niece was driving home from college on July 24, 2024 around 7:30 PM. She heard a pop when she was 1 mile away from the house. Side airbags exploded on passenger and driver side for no reason”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11611055
“I turned in to a parking lot, as I went over a speed bump, the side curtain air bags randomly deployed. Luckily, I was going very slow and was not injured”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11423422
“WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED, THE SIDE AIR BAGS SUDDENLY INFLATED FOR NO APPARENT REASON, BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10905492

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Power transfer unit and transfer case failures

POWER TRAIN

5 NHTSA complaints · 2013-11 → 2021-09

“I BOUGHT MY CX-9 NEW IN 2013, CAR NOW HAS 102,000 MILES. CAR STARTED TO SHUTTER WHEN GETTING OFF THE EXIT FROM A MAJOR HIGHWAY. THE PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED WITH THE POWER TRANSFER UNIT”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11338892
“I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND MY MAZDA CX9 CAUGHT FIRE! I DIDN'T REALIZE IT SINCE IT WAS UNDER THE CAR AND THE CAR BESIDE INFORMED ME OF IT. THIS WAS DUE TO THE TRANSFER CASE ISSUES THAT MAZDA HAD TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THEM BECAUSE OF SO MANY ISSUES WITH THEM”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11316715
“MY VEHICLE SEEMED AS IF THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING BETWEEN GEARS ON THE HIGHWAY IT WOULD TAKE FOREVER TO SWITCH INTO HIGHER GEARS FOR HIGHER SPEEDS THEN WHEN SLOWING DOWN IT WOULD JERK AND THEN FINALLY STOP”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11013134

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Note: NHTSA also opened 2 defect investigation(s) on this vehicle that closed without action.

Issues on other model years

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Complaint data refreshed Sep 11, 2026. Investigation data refreshed Sep 11, 2026.

We display NHTSA's record with attribution; we don't editorialize on what these complaints mean for any specific vehicle.

Essential maintenance

Critical for safety and preventing major damage

Engine Oil & Filter

Every 5,000 mi

Replace 0W-20 full-synthetic oil every 5,000 miles under Schedule 1. Schedule 2 (highway-only): 7,500 miles. Mazda CX-50 Turbo and CX-9: 5,000 miles regardless of schedule.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$120–$160

Shop

~$85–$115

DIY

~$25–$55

Full synthetic costs more than conventional. 5-quart 0W-20 + filter is the typical bill.

Tire Rotation

Every 7,500 mi

Rotate tires every 7,500 miles. AWD CX-5, CX-50, and CX-9: 5,000 miles to prevent uneven wear from front-biased AWD coupling.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Often free at the shop where you bought the tires — worth asking before paying.

Brake Inspection

Every 7,500 mi

Inspect brake pads, rotors, and parking brake at every oil change. Mazda3 and CX-5 front pads typically last 35,000-50,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Most shops do this free as a courtesy with any service. Don't pay separately if you can avoid it.

Brake Fluid

Every 30,000 mi

Replace DOT 3 brake fluid every 30,000 miles or 36 months.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$180–$200

Shop

~$125–$140

DIY

~$10–$25

DOT 3 or 4 — match the cap. Vacuum bleeders make this a one-person DIY.

Important maintenance

Keeps your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently

Engine Air Filter

Every 30,000 mi

Replace engine air filter every 30,000 miles. Skyactiv-G direct injection is sensitive to airflow restriction — inspect at every oil change.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

5-minute job on most cars; the airbox lid usually has clips, no tools needed.

Automatic Transmission Fluid

Every 60,000 mi

Replace ATF every 60,000 miles severe / 100,000 normal. Use Mazda FZ ATF — substitutes cause harsh 1-2 shifts and torque converter shudder.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$330–$500

Shop

~$235–$355

DIY

~$60–$180

Some sealed transmissions have no dipstick — fill is precise and best left to a shop. Many drivers can still DIY drain-and-fill.

Spark Plugs

Every 60,000 mi

Iridium spark plugs every 60,000 miles on Skyactiv-G 2.0L and 2.5L. CX-50 Turbo and CX-9 Turbo: 45,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$390

Shop

~$200–$275

DIY

~$25–$100

Iridium plugs cost more but last 100k+ miles. V6/V8 access varies wildly — some are tough.

FL-22 Long-Life Coolant

Every 60,000 mi

Mazda FL-22 (yellow): first change at 120,000 miles or 10 years, then every 60,000. Do not substitute — silicate-free formula prevents water pump damage on Skyactiv engines.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$330

Shop

~$200–$235

DIY

~$25–$60

Use the manufacturer-specified coolant — wrong color/chemistry can damage the cooling system.

Transfer Case / Rear Diff (AWD)

Every 60,000 mi

AWD CX-5, CX-50, CX-9: replace transfer case fluid and rear diff fluid every 60,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$105–$140

Shop

~$75–$100

DIY

~$15–$40

AWD/4WD vehicles only. Easy drain-and-fill on most platforms.

Recommended maintenance

Extends the life of your vehicle and improves comfort

Cabin Air Filter

Every 15,000 mi

Replace cabin air filter every 15,000 miles. Behind the glove box on Mazda3, CX-5, CX-30, and CX-50.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

Usually behind the glovebox. Shops charge labor for a 10-minute job — easy DIY win.

Fatal crash history & reported problems

Occupant deaths in fatal crashes (FARS)

6 crashes 2010–2024

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road. How to read this number

Owner-reported problem signals

Separate from the federal fatality data above: complaints owners filed with NHTSA about this year and model. These are reports of problems, unverified, and are counted here only as signals.

3

complaints mentioning a crash

1

complaints mentioning a fire

Reviewed known issues for this vehicle·Open recalls for this vehicle

Typical U.S. ranges. Actual quotes vary by shop, parts choice, and vehicle condition.

How we estimate: Dealer = OEM parts × 1.4 + labor × $165/hr. Shop = parts + labor × $115/hr. DIY = parts only.

This maintenance schedule for the 2013 Mazda Cx 9 reflects Mazda's published service intervals. Your actual service needs may vary based on driving conditions, climate, and vehicle usage. Always consult your owner's manual for model-specific recommendations.

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