2nd generation (TC) · Mazda Skyactiv (large architecture) · 561 complaints, 112 with mileage
Owners filed 561 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016–2023 Mazda Cx-9, and 112 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 15,000 and 53,186 miles. The median is 28,625 miles.
The most-reported areas are the engine (40.6% of complaints, typically around 35,200 miles), problems owners could not categorise (10.7% of complaints, typically around 15,908 miles), the electrical system (8.2% of complaints, typically around 21,250 miles).
4 recall campaigns cover this generation.
| System | Complaints | Share | Typical mileage | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 228 | 40.6% | 35,200 | 17,061–62,756 |
| Unknown Or Other | 60 | 10.7% | 15,908 | 10,300–40,069 |
| Electrical System | 46 | 8.2% | 21,250 | 10,352–53,000 |
| Power Train | 36 | 6.4% | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 33 | 5.9% | 28,000 | 10,300–40,000 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 23 | 4.1% | — | — |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 22 | 3.9% | — | — |
| Structure | 13 | 2.3% | — | — |
| Suspension | 12 | 2.1% | — | — |
| Steering | 12 | 2.1% | — | — |
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 141 | 46 |
| 2017 | 78 | 9 |
| 2018 | 167 | 25 |
| 2019 | 72 | 21 |
| 2020 | 26 | 3 |
| 2021 | 47 | 6 |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 |
| 2023 | 17 | 1 |
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 28,625 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 40.6% of complaints (228 reports, 16 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 35,200 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 17,061 and 62,756 miles.
A single system taking 40.6% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 10.7% of complaints (60 reports, 12 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 15,908 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,300 and 40,069 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 8.2% of complaints (46 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 21,250 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,352 and 53,000 miles.
The brakes account for 5.9% of complaints (33 reports, 13 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 28,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,300 and 40,000 miles.
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2018 model year drew the most — 167 complaints — while 2020 drew the fewest at 26. The median year sits at 75.
That makes 2018 an outlier: roughly 2.2 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
NHTSA records 4 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Of the 561 complaints filed against this generation, 34 reported a crash; 3 reported a fire; 20 reported an injury. Crash-involved reports represent 6.1% of the total.
These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 15,000 and 53,186 miles, with a median of 28,625. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the engine and problems owners could not categorise are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Problems owners could not categorise in particular shows a median failure mileage of 15,908, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
Direct-injection carbon deposit accumulation on the intake valves of the 2.5L turbo, producing rough cold running and misfire at higher mileage — the generic DI pattern rather than a Mazda-specific defect.
Low-pressure fuel pump impeller cracking (Denso-supplied pumps) causing stalling and no-start; recalled across multiple Mazda models of this era.
No single dominant catastrophic failure mode comparable to the first generation's water pump; complaint density is materially lower. The V6-to-turbo-four change means first-generation failure modes should not be carried forward to this page.
| Campaign | Date | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 21V875000 | 2022-07-18 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump |
| 21V750000 | 2021-11-04 | Seats:Mid/Rear Assembly |
| 19V770000 | 2019-12-04 | Tires:Tread/Belt |
| 19V403000 | 2019-07-26 | Electrical System:Wiring |