Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.
AVOIR's read: a solid ownership case with specific caveats below.
Owners have filed 86 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007 Mazda CX-9, and it carries 5 recalls. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.
| Area | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 23 | 27% |
| Air bags | 13 | 15% |
| Power train | 5 | 6% |
| Steering | 4 | 5% |
| Suspension | 3 | 3% |
| Structure | 3 | 3% |
| Service brakes | 3 | 3% |
| Service brakes | 3 | 3% |
| Suspension | 2 | 2% |
| Unknown or other | 2 | 2% |
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.
Well I was backing up from a parking spot when put out of the blue my vehicle wouldn't move . The drive side wheel is not working and these little around thing where on the ground . Before that happen the driver side tir
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
Coolant was leaking into my engine where the oil goes and I was unaware. The vehicle stalled in me while driving because of this. Even after figuring out what the issue was and trying to have it fix it became inoperable.
NHTSA complaint: Engine
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MAZDA CX-9. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 17V457000 (AIR BAGS) AND 15V451000 (SUSPENSION) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CO
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
THERE IS A SYSTEMIC EVAP SYSTEM ISSUE WHERE THERE IS A LEAK THAT EITHER SHOWS THAT THE GAS CAP IS OFF OR THE CHECK ENGINE CODE FOR LARGE EVAP LEAK. MESSAGE BOARD TRAFFIC SHOWS THIS AS A PROBLEM ACROSS MULTIPLE YEAR MODEL
NHTSA complaint: Fuel/propulsion system
I TOOK THE CAR TO PEP BOYS AND THEY TOLD ME TO CALL BECAUSE MY WHOLE GAS TANK IS BAD AND IT SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON IT .AND ALSO FORD SAID THE SAME....SO MY TRUCK HAVE A MAJOR GAS LEAK AND A RUSTED OUT GAS SYSTEM.
NHTSA complaint: Power train
TODA MI FAMILIA IVAMOS EN EL FREE WAY DE VISITA A UNA CIUDAD QUE SE ENCUNTRA A UNA HORA DE DONDE NOSOTROS RADICAMOS CUANDO DE REEPENTE EMPESO A TEMBLARSE EL MOTOR LO LLEVE CON MI MECNICO ME LO REVISO COMPLETO Y ME DIJO
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MAZDA CX-9. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, A SNAP NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO DRIVE INT
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
I WAS DRIVING HOME ON A BUSY INTERSTATE WHEN MY CAR STARTED SHAKING AND LOSING POWER. THEY CAR LOST ALL POWER AND I COULDN'T TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF OTHER DRIVERS. I WAS ALMOST HIT MORE THAN ONCE
NHTSA complaint: Power train
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2007 Mazda CX-9. Recalls are free to have fixed at a franchised dealer regardless of who owns the car now, but only if they were never done, so check the VIN of the specific car rather than trusting the model.
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 deg
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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
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
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, fre
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 (Sa
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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,
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.
Risk: Over time, the ball joint corrosion may result in the front lower control arm separating from the ball joint, causing a loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 2007-200
| Reliability raw | 67 | good |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity est. | 75 | good |
| Maintenance | 80 | excellent |
| Depreciation | 87 | excellent |
| Performance | 67 | good |
| Efficiency | 33 | below average |
Percentile ranks against other SUVs in the catalog.
What stands behind each score for this car:
Owners have filed 86 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and suspension is the most reported area with 23 of them (27%). There are 5 recalls on record. Check any specific car against its VIN before buying.
AVOIR scores its reliability 67/100 (good) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.
AVOIR scores its longevity 75/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2007 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.
AVOIR's read: worth a look, because a solid ownership case with specific caveats below. Its overall ownership score is 71/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.
Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.