2016 Mazda CX-9 Engine Problems
Owners have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2016 Mazda CX-9, 64% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 35,200 miles. The words owners use most often: “cylinder head” (47% of reports).
- 68engine complaints
- 35,200median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $6,550typical repair cost reported by owners
- 60%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Cylinder head: mentioned in 32 of 68 complaints (47%)
- Coolant leak: mentioned in 16 of 68 complaints (24%)
- Manufacturing defect: mentioned in 5 of 68 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2016 Mazda CX-9 at $6,550, and half of them between $5,700 and $8,400.
Based on 13 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2022–2026), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 8 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 68 complaints, 1 mention a crash.
Mazda CX-9 engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 CX-9 | 20 | 51% | 51,093 |
| 2020 CX-9 | 5 | 26% | 2,200 |
| 2019 CX-9 | 23 | 43% | 43,878 |
| 2018 CX-9 | 76 | 59% | 39,500 |
| 2017 CX-9 | 43 | 70% | — |
| 2016 CX-9 | 68 | 64% | 35,200 |
| 2015 CX-9 | 17 | 49% | 83,874 |
| 2014 CX-9 | 19 | 35% | 91,675 |
| 2013 CX-9 | 17 | 25% | 88,950 |
| 2012 CX-9 | 25 | 11% | 65,000 |
| 2011 CX-9 | 15 | 9% | 81,000 |
| 2010 CX-9 | 23 | 12% | 85,401 |
| 2009 CX-9 | 4 | 7% | 105,344 |
| 2008 CX-9 | 6 | 3% | 120,000 |
| 2007 CX-9 | 3 | 3% | 105,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2016 Mazda CX-9. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
We discovered the problem by accident -- pulled out of our garage and there was a coolant puddle on the garage floor. No dashboard warnings, no overheat messages, no visible symptoms before that. That's what makes this failure mode dangerous: it loses coolant silently, and you find out from a…
Cracked head cyclinder leaking. Unsafe to drive, coolant can leak into engine if not already. They are aware of it and extended a warranty for the issue in 2024. However people like me, my coolant didn't leak until this year 2026. There have been lawsuits on this issue, but they are still failing…
My car have a manufacturer engine defect that the company or corporation is not willing to fix. Only because I exceeded the warranty I call them (MAZDA) an told them that it wasn't under my control the these issues happened after the warranty expire. But they still refuse to help me.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2016 Mazda CX-9s have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 68 owner complaints about engine for the 2016 Mazda CX-9 (64% of the 107 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Mazda CX-9 engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 35,200 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2016 Mazda CX-9?
Owners report a typical cost of $6,550 (half paid between $5,700 and $8,400), from 13 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2016 Mazda CX-9?
The most frequent phrase is “cylinder head”, in 32 of 68 complaints, followed by “coolant leak” (16).
See all 2016 Mazda CX-9 problems or engine problems across all CX-9 years.