2019 Mazda CX-9: What to check before buying

Cracked cylinder heads that leak coolant dominate these reports. Symptoms include coolant on the ground, a low reservoir, weak cabin heat, rough idle and a high engine temperature warning that limits power. Several owners say coolant drips onto the exhaust, which raises fire concerns, and some report no warning before the car lost power in traffic. Most reported failures fall between 63,000 and 124,000 miles, though some engines fail earlier. Many owners cite a Mazda service bulletin on cylinder head coolant leaks. Dealers often quote a full engine replacement, and some owners report claims denied after the warranty ran out.

Cracking center screens show up again here, spreading from the corners until the display is hard to read. Mazda reportedly declined coverage on 2019 models. Separate reports describe wipers that switch on by themselves with the switch off and sometimes refuse to stop, with no cause found by the dealer. One owner reports warning lights, poor acceleration and then a fire at the rear passenger side after parking at 61,000 miles. Other complaints cover a dead battery blamed on the power liftgate module and driver-assist features that failed and steered toward oncoming traffic.

Most of these reports describe the same cylinder head coolant leak covered under the engine heading. Coolant leaks from the rear of the engine or into the combustion chamber, which causes overheating, smoke from the tailpipe, and a car that loses power and slows down by itself. Dealer pressure and compression tests confirmed the leak in some cases. One failure came at only 30,000 miles, just past the warranty period. A single separate report describes the vehicle jumping and sometimes stalling while driving.

Backup camera problems here come from two sources. In one crash report, the camera image froze on the screen while it still looked live, and the driver backed into a parked car. Shifting to park and back into reverse fixed the image. The other reports tie a distorted or hard-to-see camera view to spider cracks in the center display, at around 28,000 to 40,000 miles. One owner says Mazda refused to help because the car had not been serviced at a Mazda dealer.

Soul Red Metallic paint chips heavily under normal driving, with one owner noting damage before 30,000 miles. A separate report describes the passenger-side rear wheel well trim molding coming off at interstate speed at about 21,820 miles. The dealer agreed to replace the trim, but the parts were not available, so the car went unrepaired. No crash or injury reports appear in this category.

Creaking and knocking from the front suspension, especially on the driver's side, is the main complaint. Owners trace the noise to the lower control arm bushings and ball joints and say the steering feels looser. They cite a Mazda bulletin on front suspension noise, though the dealer found no problem in one case. Front struts reportedly wore out at about 40,000 miles. One report involves the collapse of an aftermarket lower control arm, not a factory part, and another actually describes engine overheating.

A clicking noise when turning the wheel comes from a loose bolt in the steering column. Owners cite a Mazda service bulletin and say the fix is covered under warranty, but cars past warranty are charged for a complete steering column. In a separate report, a tie rod failed while the car was reversing to parallel park at about 10,600 miles, bending the front driver's side wheel inward. That car had to be towed.

Sudden hard braking with no obstacle ahead is the most serious report here. It happened at 35 mph with the driver's foot on the gas. Afterward the screen showed smart brake, front camera and brake override malfunction warnings, and the check engine, traction control and parking brake lights came on. The second complaint is a general list of problems, including rusted brake discs and the engine shutting off twice while driving.