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Research · Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD

2014 Mazda CX-9Recalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 54 owner complaints for the 2014 Mazda CX-9. Most complaints involve engine (19) and service brakes (9). The EPA rates it 19 mpg combined, and NHTSA gives it 4 stars overall.

Check a VINAdd to my garage
Combined MPG
19mpg
EPA · 2 versions
NHTSA overall
4of 5 stars
NCAP crash tests
Safety recalls
3campaigns
Latest Oct 2018
Owner complaints
54
Top: engine
Fuel cost / yr
$3,400est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

3 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveFree remedy

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.

Air bagsReported Oct 12, 2018NHTSA 18V717000

Steering

Free remedy

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.

SteeringReported Apr 11, 2016NHTSA 16V203000

Suspension: lower ball joint

Free remedy

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.

SuspensionReported Jul 20, 2015NHTSA 15V451000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Oct 27, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

54 complaints filed with NHTSA · Oct 2014 – Nov 2024
  1. Engine19
  2. Service brakes9
  3. Power train7
  4. Suspension5
  5. Fuel/propulsion system5
  6. Seats3
  7. Steering3
  8. Air bags3
  9. Visibility/wiper2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each CX-9 model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
200786
2008172
200959
2010195
2011171
2012221
201368
201454
201535
201699
201761
2018128
201953
202019
202140
202211
202313
Crashes reported
1
Fires reported
1
Injuries reported
0
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Engine

19 reports
“I purchased a 2014 Mazda CX-9 back in May of 2020 w/ roughly 60k on the dash. Literally 7 months later w/ about 72k on the dash, the day after Christmas I was driving to work (I worked in the next state over) on the highway my car just shut down. No warnings, no check engine lights NOTHING! It just completely shut off and would not turn on. Thankfully because of the holiday the highway was pretty empty and I was able to swing my car across the interstate so I wouldn’t get hit by oncoming traffic. After getting out and deciding to check my oil I noticed it looked milky. I had no idea what that meant so I had it towed to a Mazda dealership in the state I live in. It was going to cost me almost $8,000 to put in a new engine because the water pump that was placed inside of the engine failed, which in turn caused my engine to seize. The extended warranty I had on my vehicle was worthless so I ended up paying out of pocket. Thankfully Mazda worked with me and had me prove that I kept up maintenance on the truck so the price was chopped in half. This happened right at the beginning of Covid when the entire world was suffering financially. I still had to make my car…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 27, 2024Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11597219

Service brakes

9 reports1 crash
“Brakes stopped working while we were on vacation. Made the drive down fine, but the next day went to drive the car, pressed the brakes and the car did not come to a complete stop. Also made a funny noise when we tried to press on the brakes. My husband practically had to stand up and push all the way down to get car to stop. Luckily we were not in a congested or confined place. Ended up replacing the brake booster. Three weeks later my acceleration stopped working intermittently. I go to press the gas and the car doesn’t go. The dealership is saying it’s the brake signal.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 12, 2023Service brakesODI 11538158

Power train

7 reports1 fire
“- Water pump failed causing coolant to mix with oil. This repair cost was around $3,900. - Luckily this failure happened on our community road and was able to pull into our driveway. Mechanic stated that if this happened on the highway or regular road, this could have caused a major incident and possibly a blown motor. - No, but complaints of similar issues have been reported via my online research. - Just by the mechanic I had my vehicle towed to. - There was no indication of an issue until the water pump failed.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 31, 2022Power train, Unknown or other, EngineODI 11482138
All 2014 CX-9 problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

2 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD, Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
Engines
3.7L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic (S6)
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive · 4-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 27, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
CX-9 2WD
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.7 L · Front-Wheel Drive
172419$3,400456
CX-9 4WD
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.7 L · 4-Wheel Drive
162219$3,400480
  • CX-9 2WD
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.7 L
    17 city · 24 hwy · $3,400/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
  • CX-9 4WD
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.7 L
    16 city · 22 hwy · $3,400/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 27, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

2 tested variants
Overall rating
4/ 5
4 of 5
Mazda CX-9 SUV FWD
Frontal crash
3 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
3 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
15.1%
Overall
4 / 5
Mazda CX-9 SUV AWD
Frontal crash
3 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
3 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
14.3%
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Oct 27, 2026Vehicle 8067Vehicle 8066
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2014 CX-9 questions

How many recalls does the 2014 Mazda CX-9 have?

3 safety recalls as of Oct 27, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2014 Mazda CX-9 problems?

Owners filed 54 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are engine (19), service brakes (9), power train (7). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2014 Mazda CX-9 get?

The EPA rates the 2014 Mazda CX-9 at 19 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (2 versions rated).

How safe is the 2014 Mazda CX-9?

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the 2014 Mazda CX-9 4 out of 5 stars overall.

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Oct 27, 2026