CSR

Mazda · NHTSA safety record

2021 Mazda CX-9

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

37

Complaints

7

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Mazda CX-9 have filed 37 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2021 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 20 of them (54%). The typical failure was reported at 51,093 miles, the median across the 4 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY

21V750000 · September 27, 2021

The defect
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2020-2021 CX-9 vehicles equipped with 60/40 split bench second-row seats. The left-side second-row seat may unexpectedly slide forward during a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
The risk
A seat that slides forward during a crash can transfer excessive force onto a belted occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the internal parts of the affected second-row seats, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 4, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5221I.

Mazda North American Operations · up to 8,648 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 37.

ENGINE 20 54%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 16%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 11%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 8%
POWER TRAIN 3 8%
AIR BAGS 2 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 3%
STEERING 1 3%
SUSPENSION 1 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 11.

2021 2022 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

1 injured · crash · towed

I was in a parking lot and came to a stop and placed the car in reverse to back into a parking space. The back-up camera was on and I began to back into the parking space when the car suddenly lurched/jerked forward and accelerated on its own. The car jumped the parking lot median strip and I hit a tree head on. I had my seatbelt on and the airbag deployed. The car then reversed back off the median into the parking lot. I turned off the car. Insurance company will have it inspected. The vehicle is a total loss. I was injured with a large lower abdomen hematoma and airbag burns on arms, wrists, and chest as well as various bruising. I was fortunate to have not hit pedestrians who were

NHTSA complaint 11550295, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 4,000 miles

AS I WAS DRIVING DOWNHILL WITH MINIMAL SNOW ON THE GROUND, I TAPPED MY BRAKES ABOUT 7 TIMES BEFORE THEY LOCKED UP. I WENT TO TURN TO STAY ON THE ROAD AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULDN'T BUDGE CAUSING ME TO GO OFF THE ROAD, INTO AN EMBANKMENT. VEHICLE WAS GOING ABOUT 5-10MPH WHEN THIS OCCURED ON A CITY STREET.

NHTSA complaint 11397703. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

The driver side airbag did not deploy in a front end collision on the drivers side. When approaching a vehicle that had come to a sudden and complete stop, the brakes were applied hard to the Mazda CX-9 in order to stop, but after about 1 second they just totally let go and there was no braking at all and the Mazda continued to move forward until it slammed into the vehicle that was stopped. The MyMazda app sent a message that stated that there was a Brake System Malfunctiom which is exactly what occurred and caused the accident.

NHTSA complaint 11495745. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed

2021 Mazda CX-9 Frontal collision at a speed between 10-20 mph. Car shut down after collision and was not drivable. Concern is the driver side airbag did not deploy. (Neither did passenger but there was no person in the passenger seat)

NHTSA complaint 11523765. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed

The vehicle was parked stationary in the driveway with the engine running for 3-5 minutes with the A/C on. The vehicle then accelerated forward into my garage causing damage. Once I entered the vehicle, both the dash and shifter displayed park. Current TCU system internal failures have been reported from the pulling of data from Mazda.

NHTSA complaint 11755863. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned: On 6/12/2026 While drive on the highway with our daughter in the car and we experienced a high speed stall. The engine failed and we lost power. We barely got the car of the highway and coasted into a parking lot. 2) Life threating for Father, Mother and daughter and other drivers on the highway. 3) The Mazda dealer stated they were unable to reproduced problem. The diagnostic report showed few random misfired on two cylinders 2 & 3. Autozone detected codes P0300 with Secondary DTCs U0442-00 4) There car was only inspected by the dealer. The vehicle has not been inspected by Mazda the manufacturer. We requested Mazda to escalate this to

NHTSA complaint 11752508, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
This complaint refers to Mazda and it's dealer refusal to properly execute the warranty work under the SSPD5 Valve Stem Seal Class Action Campaign and does not follow the Court's approval of the final Settlement Agreement. I assert that Mazda and it's dealer are not following the SSPD5 repair procedures. 1. I have documentation and complaints going back to Dec-2023 with this particular dealer that I have experienced low level oil consumption within the 7,500 mile oil change interval. The dealer did not detect oil leaks in any of the engine systems. 2. I presented the vehicle to the dealer with the Engine Oil Level Warning Light illuminated. The Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P250FF:00 should

NHTSA complaint 11749820, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Check engine light comes on and error P0303 comes on. Had an independent mechanic do the following and after each one, error P0303 still came on 1. Swap the ignition coils from 2 to 3 2. Swap spark plugs from 2 to 3 3. Swapped injectors 4. Compression test 5. Leak down test 6. Changed the spark plug, coil and injectors 7. Looked for vacuum leaks. Mechanic believes that it is related to the cracked cylinder head in the recall, MC-10232269-0001.pdf. My vehicle is just outside of the recall range and has 87k miles on it. Other research online shows other people with the same vehicle and similar milealge are also having this problem.

NHTSA complaint 11745150. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

crash

Backup camera shows three to four feet before red collision line is not accurate causing severe damage to my garage door.

NHTSA complaint 11704278. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My MazdaCx9 engine consumes (burns) an excessive amount of oil, necessitating frequent top-offs between oil changes.This issue started after the first oil change and continued since then.

NHTSA complaint 11632117. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Mazda CX-9

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 19 1
2019 52 2
2018 126 2
2017 61 0
2016 103 0
2015 35 2
2014 54 3
2013 68 4
2012 221 4
2011 170 4
2010 195 6

Other 2021 Mazda models

Every Mazda on this site — 81 vehicles, 161 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst