2011 Mazda CX-9 - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 Mazda CX-9 SUV FWD has not been rated for overall safety by NHTSA. However, it does come equipped with standard electronic stability control, which is a great safety feature as it helps to prevent skidding and loss of control. Unfortunately, this model does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems, which could enhance its safety features further.

In terms of specific ratings, the CX-9 received a 4-star rating for rollover possibility, indicating a moderate risk of rollover. However, detailed crash ratings such as front crash, side crash, and pole crash are not available due to the lack of ratings.

It's worth noting that this model has had 164 complaints reported, which is a relatively high number, and it has been subject to 4 recalls. The high number of complaints and recalls may indicate potential issues with this vehicle that could affect its overall safety and reliability.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

164

Recall Count

4

Investigation Count

3

Safety Rating

Not Rated

Search Vehicle Details

Advanced Search

The advanced search lets you search by safety ratings and features. This will return a list of vehicles that match your search criteria.

Safety Features

2011 Mazda CX-9 SUV FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 Mazda CX-9 SUV FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 Mazda CX-9 SUV FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 Mazda CX-9 SUV FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2007 Score 2011 Score 2023 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 Not Rated 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 Not Rated 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2007 Score 2011 Score 2023 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 Not Rated 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2007 Score 2011 Score 2023 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2011 Mazda CX-9

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 mazda cx-9. the contact stated while driving 20 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the brakes. the contact stated that the brake pedal was firm and difficult to depress while attempting to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. the failure mileage was 67,000."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-03-02

Complaint:
"braking trouble recent in weeks in 2011 mazda cx-9 vehicle. had mechanic (euro motorsports in chagrin falls oh) check it out. turned out to be a faulty brake booster. mechanic test drove car; braking failed and he almost rear-ended another vehicle. he found on line a mazda service notice dating from april 4, 2014 called ssp93. mazda issued an extended warranty of 7 years or 90,000 miles, whichever came first, to have defective part replaced by an improved part. but we were never informed by mazda of bedford, where we bought the vehicle. currently, our vehicle has about 83,000 miles. never knew there was a problem until recent trouble with the braking. there are thousands of cx-5, cx-7, and cx-9 vehicles in operation in u.s. right now; probably many owners have no idea there is a brake defect in their vehicles that could cause a serious accident, potentially fatal. mazda should have done a recall in 2014, not an extended warranty. although brake boosters are supposedly good for at least 150,000 miles of driving, our brake failure at around 83,000 miles proves otherwise. nhtsa should order mazda to recall all vehicles with the defective brake part and replace them at mazda's expense, probably hundreds of dollars each time. we do not want to have our brake booster replaced by our regular euro motosports mechanics because a recall must typically be repaired by the dealer. we already filed a complaint with state of ohio attorney general's office, but their people say the complaint must first go through bbb. no urgency on their part at all, even when informed potentially fatal flaw in the brakes. to avoid dangerous accidents, nhtsa should act more swiftly. thanks."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2022-01-09

Complaint:
"sirt: i purchased my 2011 mazda cx 9 from my close friend [xxx] on dec.05 of 2014! [xxx] had not been issued a special services program about the brake booster! well i never received this info either? in fact i had two recall that were taken care of by the local mazda dealer here in thousand oaks calif. this known brake booster detonation has been known by mazda.iot is a very dangerous condition and is not to safe to drive the car at all- i will not drive the car and seethe original matter should have been let it be known to myself and feel the matter should be addressed asap by mazda -thank you [xxx] adding backing -very hard brake - when driving it had to really stand hard on the brake to stop car b! all indications point to a brake booster failure ! to summarize io was never notified by mazda about the special service program for the repair of this extremely unsafe brake problem! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2021-01-04

Complaint:
"i went from having brakes to having to push the brake to the floor, which still did not stop the car, all in the same day. i was lucky not to wreck but could not stop for stop signs or stop lights all while my 22 month old was in the vehicle. something in the brake system messed up, and it still had a full thing of brake fluid. i believe that it is the brake booster causing this problem. *tr"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2022-04-05

Complaint:
"brakes when applied would sometimes go to the floor before stopping. the brake booster has gone bad and very dangerous almost causing an accident. brake pedal soft and sometimes will not stop."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2021-05-12

Complaint:
"brakes really hard to press. wife thought car wasn't going to stop and she was going to rear end car in front of her. sometimes brake pedal would feel spongy. over last month there was an intermittent strange noise sometimes when car was started. mazda dealership identified the problem to be a defective brake booster. i found that nhtsa opened investigation on cx-9 brake issues previously and mazda identified problem to be brake booster. mazda extended the warranty to 7 years or 90,000 miles and nhtsa closed investigation. our brake booster failed at 9 years with 79,388 miles on the car. from what i have read the life expectancy of a brake booster is the life of the car. mazda never informed us about this possible problem. our family could have been seriously injured or killed due to this defect. why did the nhtsa accept an extended warranty as a solution?"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2020-03-01

Complaint:
"brake booster is leaking. takes longer to stop. called mazda and reported issue."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2019-10-10

Complaint:
"brake pedal is very hard and vehicle is not stopping well almost causing an accident"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2021-05-09

Complaint:
"our vehicle has lost braking power and is unsafe to drive any distance now. it is very difficult to get the vehicle to stop and keep it stopped once it has stopped moving without putting it in park. i have been advised this is in relation to mazda ssp 93. mazda has advised that is it my responsibility to have this vehicle towed to the nearest dealership, pay for repair labor, and pay for a rental car while repairs are being made. i am in complete disbelief that a known manufacturer's defect related to braking and general safety of everyone on the road was not immediately issued as a recall. we were provided zero notice that there was even potential for brake failure."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2021-05-09

Complaint:
"when trying to stop at an intersection, the brakes did not respond as usual. even with pressing the brake pedal as hard as i could, the stopping distance increased by at least 30 feet which placed me in the middle of the intersection. this is worse in hot conditions. there is also a hissing noise when the brake pedal is depressed. this continues to happen and does not feel safe to drive. a mechanic said it may be the power brake booster. i noticed that this was investigated, mazda issued a special service program which ended in 2015. the letter issued at that time said it was not necessary to take action unless there was a problem at that time. mazda should extend the service program because this is clearly a safety issue."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2019-02-07

Recalls for the 2011 Mazda CX-9

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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..."
Consequence:
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2018-10-12

Recall:
"mazda north american operations (mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012 cx-7, cx-9, and 2009-2012 maza6 vehicles. these vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. the inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling."
Consequence:
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2019-10-31

Recall:
"mazda north america operations (mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 mazda6, and 2007-2011 cx-7 and cx-9 vehicles. these vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling."
Consequence:
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 30, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V356 and all vehicles that were not remedied under that campaign are now covered by this one.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2017-06-29

MAZDA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

MAZDA ranks 16 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

Related Vehicles

Why not check out other MAZDA vehicles?

2021 CX-5
MAZDA
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 87
  • Recall Count: 0
View Car
2015 MAZDA6
MAZDA
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 54
  • Recall Count: 3
View Car
2022 CX-5
MAZDA
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 19
  • Recall Count: 0
View Car
2008 B-SERIES
MAZDA
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 11
  • Recall Count: 3
View Car