2008 MAZDA CX-9 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA CX-9. WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH, THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT SEPARATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

WENT TO DEALERSHIP FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THEY STATED THAT WE NEEDED TO REPLACE OUR LOWER BALL JOINTS, CONTROL ARMS, TIE ROD ENDS AND SWAY BAR LINKS BECAUSE NHTSB HAS BEEN RECEIVING COMPLAINTS ABOUT 2008 MAZDA CX-9S CRASHING DUE TO THESE ITEMS FAILING. THE DEALERSHIP BROUGHT IT OUR ATTENTION THAT DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS, WE NEEDED THOSE ITEMS REPLACED. THEY SCARED US TO DEATH. WE SPEND $1,125 TO REPLACE THE ITEMS. I NOW HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND IT APPEARS THEY WERE CORRECT, THERE HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC CASES WHERE THE CARS CRASHED DUE TO THE SUSPENSION PARTS FAILING. I SURE HOPE THAT NHTSB MOVES FORWARD AND MAKES MAZDA PERFORM A RECALL. HOPEFULLY I CAN GET MY MONEY BACK FROM PAYING FOR THIS SERVICE. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 75K MILES ON IT...UPDATED 08/20/15 *BF UPDATED 12/10/15 *JS

WHILE DRIVING WENT TO MAKE RIGHT TURN TO HAVE CAR SERVICED FOR UNKNOWN CLICKING WHEN I WOULD ONLY MAKE RIGHT TURNS. WHEN TURNING INTO PARKING LOT I HEARD A LOUD BANG AND AUTO WAS IMMOBILE AT THAT POINT. I EXITED AND FOUND LEFT FRONT TIRE TURNED SIDEWAYS. I HAD VARIOUS DAMAGE TO LEFT FRONT WHEEL AREA HAVING TO REPLACE BALL JOINT, LOWER CONTROL ARM, BENT AXLE AND RIM DAMAGE. I WAS ALSO INFORM FROM IRWIN MAZDA THAT RIGHT BALL JOINT HAD ISSUES AND I ALSO HAD THAT REPLACED.

THE BRAKES ARE HARD TO DEPRESS AND THE CAR IS DIFFICULT TO STOP. IF I START THE CAR AND DEPRESS ON THE BRAKES AT A STANDSTILL, THE PEDAL FELLS HARD AND GOES DOWN REALLY FAR WILL I HEAR A "WHISTLING" SOUND AND ALSO A "HISSING" LIKE IF AIR IS ESCAPING.

I WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN FROM A PARKING LOT ONTO A ROAD WITH MY TWO CHILDREN IN THE CAR WHEN A LOUD CRUNCH HAPPENED, THE VEHICLE JERKED LEFT WHILE STILL MOVING FORWARD AND I WAS UNABLE TO STEER OR BREAK. THE CAR CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP AND I COULDN'T GET THE DRIVER'S DOOR OPEN. I WALKED AROUND TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND NOTICED LOOSE PARTS THAT HAD BEEN EJECTED FROM THE WHEEL, LEAKING BREAK FLUID, AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED AND HAD WEDGED UNDER THE CAR. THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE ROAD THUS CREATING A TRAFFIC JAM. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER SAID THE CONTROL ARM WAS BROKEN AND THAT MY GIRLS AND I ARE LUCKY THAT WE WERE NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE MAZDA DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT 4 DAYS AGO AND I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THEM. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT IS COVERED UNDER TREAD LIABILITY LAWS? I HAVE PHOTOS OF THE CAR/WHEEL THAT WERE TAKEN AT THE SCENE IF NEEDED.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR CX-9 WITH OUR KIDS ON SATURDAY WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED. THIS PREVENTED HER FROM BRAKING AT A RED LIGHT. THERE WERE NO DASH WARNING LIGHTS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE BRAKE FLUID WAS AT A RECOMMENDED LEVEL SINCE THE VEHICLE IS WELL MAINTAINED. WE TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL MAZDA DEALER (WHERE WE ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THE VEHICLE). ON REMOVAL OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP FOUND THE BRAKE BOOSTER FAILED BECAUSE IT WAS FULL OF BRAKE FLUID. ON CLOSER INSPECTION THEY FOUND THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER WAS CRACKED WHICH LED TO THE BRAKE BOOSTER FILLING UP AND CAUSING THE BRAKES TO FAIL. THEY SAID THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE FACTORY RECALL SINCE THIS ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS TO 2010-2011 MODEL YEAR CX-9'S EVEN THOUGH OUR 2008 CX-9 EXHIBITS THE SAME EXACT BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER DEFECT. THE BRAKE BOOSTER WAS COVERED UNDER THE FACTORY RECALL (FROM MAZDA NOTES: PERFORM MANUFACTURERS RECALL SSP93 POWER BRAKE UNIT WARRANTY). THE ONLY THING THAT PREVENTED A MAJOR ACCIDENT WAS THIS HAPPENED EARLY ON A SATURDAY MORNING WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC. IF THIS WOULD'VE HAPPENED MONDAY-FRIDAY AT THE SAME TIME IF WOULD'VE BEEN A SEVERE ACCIDENT SINCE IT'S A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION DURING THE WORK WEEK. I TRULY BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR THE 2008-2011 MAZDA CX-9'S.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA CX-9. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DIFFICULT TO DEPRESS. THE CONTACT HAD TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK UPON COMING TO A STOP DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALSO HAD TO ALLOW ENOUGH DISTANCE BETWEEN OTHER VEHICLES DUE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL NOT COMPLETELY STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING PLACE, THE RIGHT FRONT BALL JOINT BROKE AND CV JOINT BECAME DISCONNECTED, CAUSING THE WHEEL TO BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM THE CAR AND PUSHING THE WHEEL WELL BACK UNDER THE PASSENGER DOOR, MAKING IT INOPERABLE. THE TOW DRIVER SAID I MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING REALLY HARD, BUT IN THE TWO AND A HALF YEARS I'VE HAD THIS CAR, I'VE NEVER HIT ANYTHING! I DRIVE A LOT FOR MY JOB AND AM GRATEFUL THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN WHILE I WAS TRAVELING 70 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND HAS SHAKEN MY CONFIDENCE IN THIS CAR. I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED ON AN EMERGENCY BASIS, BUT THE MECHANIC TOLD ME WHILE THE OTHER BALL JOINT WAS SAFE ENOUGH FOR ME TO MAKE THE TRIP HOME (350 MILES), I SHOULD DEFINITELY GET IT CHECKED OUT AS WELL, AS IT LOOKED SUSPECT FOR THE LONG TERM. THE CAR IS AT THE MECHANIC NOW, AND I WAS A NERVOUS WRECK DRIVING IT HOME EARLIER TODAY. *TR

I HAD BEEN HEARING A KNOCKING NOISE IN MY CAR WHEN I WENT TO MAKE LEFT OR RIGHT HAND TURNS FOR APPROXIMATELY A WEEK. AFTER HAVING MY MECHANIC INVESTIGATE HE TOOK A LOOK AT THE BALL JOINTS, THEY ARE 'NON-SERVICEABLE,' WHICH MEANS THEY ARE A SEALED UNIT. HE SAID FROM WHAT HE COULD TELL THEY WERE FINE. LATER THAT DAY I ATTEMPTED TO PULL OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. MY WHEELS WERE SPINNING IN THE SNOW, I GOT OUT AND TOOK A LOOK AND MY FRONT LEFT TIRE WAS OFF! THE BALL JOINT WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED THE CAR. THE ONLY THING SECURING THE WHEEL TO THE CAR WAS THE TIE ROD. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO MY GARAGE BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE REPLACED ON THE VEHICLE (ONE PER SIDE) ALONG WITH THE CV JOINT. THEY WERE REPLACED WITH MAZDA PARTS. INSPECTION ON THE PASSENGER RIGHT SIDE REVEALED THERE WAS BARELY ANY GREASE IN THAT BALL JOINT. I HAD LUCK ON MY SIDE THAT DAY OTHERWISE I AM CERTAIN SOMEONE WOULD HAVE DIED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA CX-9. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL WHEN THE HEAT/COOL SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL RAIL WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE PART NOT BEING AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.