Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the steering, chest clip, and brakes. The 7 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2023Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/7 checked
2023 Mazda CX-9: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1
Engine off, key in hand0/2
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2023's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2023 Mazda CX-9. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4WD | 23 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2023 Mazda CX-9, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The wheel seizes at 30 mph in one report while the brake pedal goes stiff at the same moment. The vehicle runs into a ditch and hits a tree, and the airbags do not deploy. No injuries are reported. A second report describes a thud from the steering wheel just past 36,000 miles. The dealer traces it to a failed u-joint shaft and calls the part non-serviceable. That report follows repeated parking brake malfunction alerts and a weak battery that took several dealer visits to resolve.
Both filings describe a problem with Graco car seats, not with the vehicle. The crotch buckle on the Graco TrioGrow and TriRide 5-point harnesses releases with too little force. A toddler can unbuckle at highway speed even with the harness tight and the chest clip placed correctly. Graco customer support dismissed the concern. Nothing in these reports points to a fault in the vehicle's own seats, belts, or child-seat anchors.
The brake pedal sinks almost to the floor unless it is pumped first in one report. The dealer fails to fix it after 4 attempts and 4 months in the shop, despite replacing multiple parts. A second complaint describes engine power dropping to idle when the brake and gas pedals are pressed together, even by accident, which leaves the driver coasting off a freeway. An independent shop found that the system is designed to behave this way.
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2023 ranks fifth for owner complaints among 6 CX-9 years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2023 is the eighth model year of the CX-9's second generation (2016–2024).
Cars shoppers compare with the Mazda CX-9, with their own 2023 checklists.
2023 owner complaints, side by side
