2012 Mazda CX-9 Recalls, Complaints & Specs
4 safety recalls list the 2012 Mazda CX-9, and owners have filed 221 complaints with NHTSA. At least one recall carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory. Check your own VIN below.
4 safety recalls for the 2012 Mazda CX-9
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Inflator module (air bags) Do not drive
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…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The…
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Inflator module (air bags) Do not drive
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…
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…
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Inflator module (air bags) Do not drive
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2012 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 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…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The…
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Suspension: lower ball joint and suspension: lower arm
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2014 CX-9 vehicles manufactured October 24, 2006, to December 28, 2013. The affected vehicles have front suspension ball joints that may corrode from water leaking into the fitting.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both the left and right lower control arms, free of charge. The recall began on September 14, 2015. The recall will begin with model year 2007-2009 vehicles registered…
221 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2012 Mazda CX-9 have filed 221 complaints with NHTSA; 9 describe a crash. Reports cite 8 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 62,172 miles. Complaints peaked in 2016 with 42 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“While drive i feel like there is sticking something below the car when i am accelerating. And the acceleration became hard. Also i heard a weird noise at that time. Then a saw a leakage below my car.”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, June 9, 2025 · Vehicle speed control
“My driver and passenger side curtain airbags randomly deployed without a collision. Thankfully I was at a stop sign when this happened. If it happened while I was driving, I’m sure I would have wrecke”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 4, 2025 · Air bags
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2012 Mazda CX-9 (CX-9 2WD, CX-9 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 19 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 16–17 / 22–24 |
| Fuel | Regular |
| EPA class | Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD |
| Engine | 6 cyl, 3.7 L |
| Transmission | Automatic (S6) |
Compare Mazda CX-9 model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Mazda CX-9 model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Mazda CX-9 | 4 | 67 |
| 2008 Mazda CX-9 | 5 | 172 |
| 2009 Mazda CX-9 | 6 | 59 |
| 2010 Mazda CX-9 | 6 | 162 |
| 2011 Mazda CX-9 | 4 | 170 |
| 2012 Mazda CX-9 | 4 | 221 |
| 2013 Mazda CX-9 | 4 | 68 |
| 2014 Mazda CX-9 | 3 | 54 |
| 2015 Mazda CX-9 | 2 | 35 |
| 2016 Mazda CX-9 | 0 | 107 |
| 2017 Mazda CX-9 | 0 | 61 |
| 2018 Mazda CX-9 | 2 | 128 |
| 2019 Mazda CX-9 | 2 | 53 |
| 2020 Mazda CX-9 | 1 | 19 |
| 2021 Mazda CX-9 | 1 | 39 |
| 2022 Mazda CX-9 | 0 | 10 |
| 2023 Mazda CX-9 | 0 | 13 |
Checking a specific 2012 Mazda CX-9
How do I know if my 2012 Mazda CX-9 has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 4 campaigns currently list the 2012 Mazda CX-9; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Mazda dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 15V451000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Mazda models
- 6263,130 complaints
- MAZDA32,987 complaints
- CX-52,451 complaints
- MAZDA62,234 complaints
- Tribute2,102 complaints
- CX-71,132 complaints
- Protege1,076 complaints
- Mpv938 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.