2008 Mazda CX-9 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jun 12, 2024 · 172 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other CX-9 years
Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 17 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 172 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Mazda CX-9. That ranks 3rd out of 17 CX-9 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (55 complaints, 32%), typically at around 110,000 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 5 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

Mazda CX-9
Mazda_CX-9_(TC) in Böblingen. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2008 Mazda CX-9 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Suspension55 · ~110,000 mi
Air Bags28 · ~120,000 mi
Power Train27 · ~104,000 mi
Service Brakes23 · ~89,263 mi
Steering19 · ~104,000 mi
Wheels16 · ~118,000 mi
Electrical System13 · ~106,000 mi
Unknown or Other11 · ~105,000 mi
Seats7 · ~71,000 mi
Service Brakes, Hydraulic7 · ~68,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Suspension problems5532%110,000“ball joint” (40%)$1,600
Air Bags2816%120,000——
Power Train2716%104,000——
Service Brakes2313%89,263——
Steering1911%104,000——
Wheels169%118,000——
Electrical System138%106,000——
Unknown or Other116%105,000——
Seats74%71,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic74%68,000——
Engine63%120,000——
Vehicle Speed Control32%71,350——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)21%200,170——
Traction Control System21%21,753——
Visibility21%26,175——
Engine and Engine Cooling11%67,139——
Equipment11%———
Fuel/propulsion System11%150,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline11%76,000——
Lane Departure11%225——
Latches/locks/linkages11%———
Seat Belts11%———
Structure11%65,000——
Tires11%16,000——
Visibility/wiper11%132,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2015, with 39 complaints
2008: 3200832009: 332010: 7201072011: 442012: 8201282013: 662014: 9201492015: 39392016: 272016272017: 25252018: 112018112019: 13132020: 6202062021: 552022: 3202232023: 222024: 120241

n = 172 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2008 Mazda CX-9 recalls (5)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveOct 31, 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V782000 · 69,879 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJul 18, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V457000 · 79,402 vehicles

Problem: 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 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. 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 rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

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.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJun 29, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V429000 · 205,377 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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.

Suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint; suspension:front:control arm:lower armJul 20, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V451000 · 193,484 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Electrical system:wiring:interior/under dashFeb 23, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V066000 · 30,600 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Lower ball joint separation (PE15022) — opened Jun 9, 2015, closed Aug 20, 2015, led to recall 15V451000.
  • Brake master cylinder leak (PE11026) — opened Aug 9, 2011, closed Apr 9, 2012.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

While driving the vehicle the brakes became hard to depress and a hissing came from my steering column, the car would not stop or respond to stop. I had to downshift to Neutral to get the speed slow enough to stop - and had passed through an intersection while in failure. I had also had symptoms I…

Service Brakes · received Jun 12, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11593959

Once you get to 70mph it starts shaking like if a the wheels will fall off.

Steering · received Oct 11, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11549308

It acting like it doesn’t want to hold air. I have to air up my wheels every morning. It’s only the back wheels.

Wheels · received Oct 11, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11549309

In 2017 had my front control arms replaced after the driver side CV arm came off of the axle due to a recall. 5 years later (about 30k miles) the same exact situation happened now with the passenger side making a left turn. Thankfully both times I didn’t cause an accident but came close due to…

Suspension · received Oct 10, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11488595

The contact owns a 2008 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, he noticed that the brakes felt loose and the braking distance had become extended while attempting to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that he heard a hissing sound while depressing the brake pedal. The…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic · received Aug 2, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11477183

Other Mazda CX-9 years

← 2007 CX-9 · 2009 CX-9 →

See all Mazda CX-9 problems by year, every Mazda model, or the Mazda VIN decoder.

Similar Mazda models

Embed this 2008 Mazda CX-9 badge on your site

Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2008 Mazda CX-9?

Owners most often report suspension, air bags, power train problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 55 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2008 Mazda CX-9?

Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2008 Mazda CX-9 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other CX-9 model years, the 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.