Recalled components: air bags and suspension. Most-described problem: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal (34 complaints, 20%). Most-reported area: brakes (99 complaints, 58%; median mileage when it happened: 71,200).
4Safety recalls
170Owner complaints
7Complaints citing a crash
3Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026
Mazda replaced the CX-9 with the CX-90 for 2024.
4 safety recalls for the 2011 Mazda CX-9
Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix and full notice
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 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.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012CX-7,CX-9, and 2009-2012 Maza6 vehicles.
Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6, 2011-2012CX-7, and 2011-2015CX-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, 2010-2012CX-7, and 2010-2015CX-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 Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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."
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.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix and full notice
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, 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.
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Mazda6, and 2007-2011CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles.
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.
The fix and full notice
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 2007-2009 vehicles registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The second phase will be for model year 2010-2014 vehicles in the same states. Finally, all remaining vehicles will be remedied. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 8515G.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2014CX-9 vehicles manufactured October 24, 2006, to December 28, 2013.
NHTSA listing: CX-9. Components: Suspension: front, control arm, lower arm; Suspension: front, control arm, lower ball joint. Mazda campaign 8515G.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has opened 3 investigations that name the 2011 Mazda CX-9; all 3 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
Inadvertent curtain air bag deployment
Preliminary evaluation PE19006Closed Jan 15, 2021 (opened May 2, 2019)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE19-006) on May 2, 2019 to investigate two Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) and Early Warning Reporting data related to allegations… NHTSA's full summary
NHTSA listing: CX-9. Component: Air bags (side/window, curtain).
Lower ball joint separation
Preliminary evaluation PE15022Closed Aug 20, 2015 (opened Jun 9, 2015)
In an July 7,2015 letter to NHTSA, Mazda identified a safety defect that could result in lower ball joint separation in approximately 193,484 model year (MY) 2007 through 2014 Mazda CX-9 vehicles… NHTSA's full summary
NHTSA ties this investigation to recall 15V-451, listed above.
Preliminary evaluation PE14005Closed Jun 26, 2014 (opened Feb 10, 2014)
In March 2014, Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) initiated Special Service Program SSP93 to extend the warranty coverage for a specific brake booster fault condition on model year (MY) 2007-2013 Mazda CX-9 vehicles.
A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.
What owners report
Owners have filed 170 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 CX-9. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Brake failure or a soft or hard pedal34 · 20%
Median 79,900 miles at failure, from 33 reports with mileage
Stalling or shutting off7 · 4%
Suspension parts (struts, ball joints, control arms)7 · 4%
Median 71,200 miles at failure, from 92 reports with mileage
Powertrain25 · 15%
Median 87,000 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
Air bags22 · 13%
Engine15 · 9%
Suspension8 · 5%
Electrical system5 · 3%
Speed control4 · 2%
Unknown or other5 · 3%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Mazda CX-9 recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2011 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2012 CX-9 drew the most (33) and the 2011 drew 13.
Owner complaints
2011: 170 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Mazda CX-9
Model year
Complaints
2010
195
2011
170
2012
221
2013
68
2014
54
2015
35
2016
106
2017
61
2018
128
2019
53
2020
19
2021
39
2022
10
2023
13
Safety recalls
2011: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Mazda CX-9
Model year
Recalls
2010
6
2011
4
2012
4
2013
4
2014
3
2015
2
2016
0
2017
0
2018
2
2019
2
2020
1
2021
1
2022
0
2023
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 170 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Mazda CX-9, the problems described most are brake failure or a soft or hard pedal (34), stalling or shutting off (7), and suspension part problems (7). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2011 Mazda CX-9?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no open investigations for the 2011 Mazda CX-9. It lists 3 closed ones; the most recent closed on Jan 15, 2021.
How do I check if my CX-9 has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Mazda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Oct 2, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: CX-9.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.