2010 Mazda CX-9 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other CX-9 years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 195 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Mazda CX-9. That ranks 2nd out of 17 CX-9 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes (88 complaints, 45%), typically at around 83,600 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 5 fires, 6 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.

- 195owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2010 Mazda CX-9 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems | 88 | 45% | 83,600 | “brake booster” (43%) | $1,200 |
| Engine | 23 | 12% | 85,401 | — | — |
| Power Train | 23 | 12% | 76,600 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 18 | 9% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 16 | 8% | 125,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 5% | 19,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 6 | 3% | 44,521 | — | — |
| Structure | 6 | 3% | 66,546 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 3% | 74,711 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 3% | 104,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 2% | 82,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 2% | 128,382 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 2% | 101,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 2% | 125,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 2% | 30,023 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 1,600 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 2 | 1% | 2,423 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 128,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 44,521 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 77,500 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 1% | 111,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2010 Mazda CX-9 recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
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 drive
Problem: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
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 arm
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.
Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler
Problem: Mazda is recalling certain model year 2010 cx-9 vehicles equipped with electrically heated front seats. There is a possibility under extremely cold conditions for the seat heater control circuit to overheat and fail due to insufficient electrical grounding.
Risk: This may cause burn damage of the seat cushion surface, or a risk of smoke/fire.
Fix: Dealers will install an additional ground harness on the seat heater control system. The seat heater control circuit will be replaced if necessary and/or the seat will be repaired free of charge. The safety recall began on march 9, 2010. 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
- Inadvertent Curtain Air Bag Deployment (PE19006) — opened May 2, 2019, closed Jan 15, 2021.
- Lower ball joint separation (PE15022) — opened Jun 9, 2015, closed Aug 20, 2015, led to recall 15V451000.
- Brake Booster Failure (PE14005) — opened Feb 10, 2014, closed Jun 26, 2014.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The break booster went out without any warning or indicators while driving almost resulting in a collision. There are no warning lights on the dashboard.
Front suspension broke while my husband was driving back from a fire as he is a volunteer firefighter. He states car did not have any lights on dash to report there was a problem. The next thing he knew he heard a loud squealing noise and lost control of the vehicle taking him off road in a small…
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-9. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V782000 (Air Bags). The contact called the dealer and was advised to tow the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact stopped driving the vehicle due to the recall. The contact…
Driver side Lower control arm fail off from the ball joint
Stiff brake pedal , more effort to stop and longer distant to stop.
Other Mazda CX-9 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 CX-9 | 13 | 0 |
| 2022 CX-9 | 11 | 0 |
| 2021 CX-9 | 40 | 1 |
| 2020 CX-9 | 19 | 1 |
| 2019 CX-9 | 53 | 2 |
| 2018 CX-9 | 128 | 2 |
| 2017 CX-9 | 61 | 0 |
| 2016 CX-9 | 107 | 0 |
| 2015 CX-9 | 35 | 2 |
| 2014 CX-9 | 54 | 3 |
| 2013 CX-9 | 68 | 4 |
| 2012 CX-9 | 221 | 4 |
| 2011 CX-9 | 170 | 4 |
| 2010 | 195 | 6 |
| 2009 CX-9 | 59 | 6 |
| 2008 CX-9 | 172 | 5 |
| 2007 CX-9 | 86 | 5 |
See all Mazda CX-9 problems by year, every Mazda model, or the Mazda VIN decoder.
Similar Mazda models
Embed this 2010 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 2010 Mazda CX-9?
Owners most often report service brakes, engine, power train problems. The top one, service brakes, accounts for 88 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2010 Mazda CX-9?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2010 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 2010 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.