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The 2020 Mazda CX-9 is a three-row SUV designed for families. The company’s slogan is “driving matters,” but it seems Mazda didn’t put enough energy into making this a model worth driving anywhere. It seems to suffer from a defective engine and a faulty electrical system.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2018 2019
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Mazda CX-9
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Structure:body | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Engine |
Problems with the Engine
By far, the most important part of the vehicle is the engine. With this SUV, the engine is what is most disappointing to some customers.
Here is an NHTSA complaint. “The Mazda CX-9 uncommanded engine acceleration reported herein did not result in any damage primarily because it commenced several seconds after I began light braking while approaching a red traffic light. My immediate response was to increase brake pressure; there was no need for me to move my leg other than pressing harder with my foot. My foot had been off the accelerator for many seconds while allowing the car to slowly decelerate while coasting toward traffic stopped at a red light. Within two seconds of commencement of uncommanded engine acceleration and with the car fully stopped, I shifted the transmission into Neutral. The engine immediately generated the noise of very high RPM. Although the dashboard includes a tachometer, I did not immediately think to look at it; instead, I turned the ignition off. A few seconds later, I shifted the transmission into Park and restarted the car which operated normally thereafter. My foot did not move off the brake pedal during any of the preceding sequence.”
While this engine issue should have received a lot of fanfare from the automaker, nothing has been said. Instead, the communications look more like this. Service Bulletin #09-005-20-3653 discusses an engine-related concern where vehicles have a rattling noise coming from the front of the vehicle. This noise is caused by loose cowl panel bolts. While this is important to note, it’s not nearly as concerning as the above complaint. If driving matters, these are situations that Mazda would address.
Problems with the Electrical System
On top of the engine failures, the electrical system is also getting a lot of negative attention.
Here is one Edmunds review. “The worst thing is the navigation. I can’t zoom once moving, I can’t use touchscreen at all and the knob is limited. Ultimately, I don’t understand why you get a bigger screen along with bigger fonts.”
Again, this concern isn’t being discussed. Instead, Service Bulletin #SSPC2b talks about the power liftgate control unit that might switch into a power saving mode when the push button start is used. This is caused by incorrect logic of the PLG Control Unit. If this occurs and isn’t noticed, the battery could completely discharge, leaving owners without a way to work and school the next day. Basically, Mazda is saying “driving matters,” but only if the vehicle starts in the first place. Otherwise, owners are out of luck.
Your Lemon Law Legal Rights
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Mazda pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Complaint Data
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 18, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While driving at freeway speed in oregon, with 85 degrees ambient temperature and a/c inside set to 74 degrees, our cx-9 sunroof exploded outward. The sound was close to a very loud pop, and not the sound of rock/debris impact. At the time of explosion, there were no vehicles nearby and no overpasses from which an object could have dropped. The vehicle had been washed the day before and there was no visible damage to the sunroof. At the time of explosion, the sunroof and interior cover were closed. Upon stopping the vehicle (within less than one mile) inspection showed that nearly no glass fell downward, and approximately 50% of the total sunroof area had blown upward and out of the vehicle. The remainder of the shattered glass was still contained within the frame, with the edges visibly curved upward as though the glass had been pulled away from the car. There were three people in the vehicle at the time (driver, front seat passenger, and middle row passenger behind the driver). The two passengers were asleep and woke abruptly thinking we had been hit by something, as the explosive bang was followed by the sound of air rushing past the hole. There was no sound of glass rattling in the area over the sunroof cover, which seems to indicate glass had not broken inward and then blew out before stopping. I (driver) kept the cover closed and promptly pulled off the freeway to assess damage. I was unable to visit a dealer for warranty assessment due to vacation travel. A phone call to my local dealer did indicate it should be covered under warranty but it has not been inspected, this has not yet been confirmed. I rarely open the sunroof cover and have only opened the sunroof itself 3-4 times since purchase two years prior (2020). I did open the sunroof to give my son fresh air on curvy roads approximately one hour prior. No injuries, but if the cover had been opened we may have had glass falling into the cabin. No other visible or audible warnings occurred. |
| Category | Structure:body |
| Date | Mar 22, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The passenger rear plastic wheel trim fell off with no incident/ damage |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Sep 17, 2021 |
| State | MN |
| Description | On 10/12/2021 we were driving on and urban street when the vehicle infront of us signaled and initiated a right hand turn. At that point were we traveling approximately 20 mph, and we were driving with active cruise disengaged. When we were around 150 feet behind the vehicle taking a right when our cx-9 falsely engaged the emergency braking. Our car with our whole family in it locked up the brakes and stopped in 80 feet short of the car taking a right. The vehicle behind us only managed to stop 10 feet short of hitting us in the rear. It is in the 4 people in our vehicles opinion that this operation was both terrifying and dangerous to use and those following. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Aug 10, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The 2020 mazda completely shut off following an exit from an expressway, turn under a bridge and slow down for a red light. The mazda electrically shut off and coasted to a braked stop in the center lane of a 3 lane road. The entire electrical system went dead, no exterior lights, signals, instrument panel or radio. There was no warning, everything electrical just shut off. In a moving traffic situation the car could not maneuver or restart without being placed in park. (there is a history of mazda cx 9's having a similar problem which sent the driver to the local dealership.) the car was restarted by shifting into park and pressing the start button, all functions appeared normal as the driver moved it to a parking lot to review the situation. The driver was unable to re-create the complete shut down and finished the trip. The driver took the mazda to the dealer following the incident and was asked to leave the mazda for observation. The driver was notified by the dealership that the problem was being elevated to the national team for diagnosis. 10 days later the local dealer called the driver and said that they; nor the mazda engineers in california; could reproduce the system shutting off or find any error codes. They wanted to return the car to the driver with no need for a repair. The driver spoke to the national mazda help line and the representative was aware of the situation. The representative reiterated that engineers had been unable to find the source for the incident in the computer logs so they could not provide a remedy. The representative offered the driver the choose of a purchase buy back and a discount on the purchase of a new car. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Feb 01, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Fuel cap light on in dec 2020. Our car mileage ~14,000 miles . We bought brand new cx9 2020 in august. Dealer inspected it and found nothing wrong. Dealer reprogrammed it. A month later jan 1,2021, fuel cap light is on on again. We ignored it thinking it is another program issue. Car started to jerk and vibrate at stop sign. We brought to dealer the next day. Dealer said charcoal box is leaking. I thought charcoal box should last a life time. They said it is not under warranty: 0 later, the jerking/vibrating issue is fixed. Hopefully that is it since we only have the car for 5 months |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Feb 04, 2020 |
| State | WA |
| Description | The mazda cx-9 uncommanded engine acceleration reported herein did not result in any damage primarily because it commenced several seconds after I began light braking while approaching a red traffic light. My immediate response was to increase brake pressure; there was no need for me to move my leg other than pressing harder with my foot. My foot had been off the accelerator for many seconds while allowing the car to slowly decelerate while coasting toward traffic stopped at a red light. Within two seconds of commencement of uncommanded engine acceleration and with the car fully stopped, I shifted the transmission into neutral. The engine immediately generated the noise of very high rpm. Although the dashboard includes a tachometer, I did not immediately think to look at it; instead, I turned the ignition off. A few seconds later, I shifted the transmission into park and restarted the car which operated normally thereafter. My foot did not move off the brake pedal during any of the preceding sequence. Only the nhtsa and possibly the manufacturer would know if this is a one in a billion-hours or a more common occurrence. I am willing to answer any questions the nhtsa or the manufacturer might have. I graduated from mit, worked over 29 years for the leading usa commercial aircraft manufacturer and am currently retired. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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