2016 Mazda CX-9 · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 52owner reports
- 75,000median miles
- $6,000median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Apr 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
69 of the 105 complaints on this car are about the engine. 52 of those describe overheating, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2016 CX-9.
Tick what matches of 52 reports
Overheating on other CX-9 years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (11 reports), the coolant hose or reservoir (6 reports), the radiator (5 reports) and the water pump (4 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the engine covers the 2016 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
What owners paid
18 of the 52 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $5,000 to $7,700.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 64,575 and 120,000 miles, from the 20 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 6 service bulletins or notices for the 2016 Mazda CX-9 that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Mazda Motor Corporation has decided to conduct a Customer Service Program (CSP11) to extend the limited powertrain warranty to 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever occurs first, for necessary repairs if the covered vehicle has coolant leaks at the cylinder ...
Some vehicles may have coolant leaks at the cylinder head around the exhaust manifold (as shown below). There may be cracks at the stud bolt hole (1) or at the outside of the exhaust manifold flange (2) on the cylinder head.
CSP11 - COOLANT LEAKS AT CYLINDER HEAD WARRANTY EXTENSION For certain 2019-2020MY CX-5, 2016-2020MY CX-9, 2018-2020MY Mazda6 that are equipped with SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine, the warranty coverage for specific repair of the coolant leak at cylinder head is extended to: 10 years (120 months) or 120,000 miles (192,000 ...
Some vehicles may have coolant leaks at the cylinder head around the exhaust manifold (as shown below). There may be cracks at the stud bolt hole or at the outside of the exhaust manifold.
2 more on the 2016 Mazda CX-9 page.
What owners wrote
“Head gasket leaking and caused major engine issue at 89,000 miles. Mazda has known of this issue, but refuses to recall it.”
Filed Nov 21, 2024 · 89,000 miles
“Head gasket blew in a 2016 Mazda CX9 while driving causing us to as safely as possible quickly get off the road from the middle lane of an interstate. This is from a known coolant leak in the cylinder head from service bulletin 01-013/21.”
Filed Feb 17, 2023
“Car overheated. check front engine and could not see any visible leaks. check all around the engine and found coolant leaking from the back of the engine. confirm by dealer that is leaking at the cylinder head.”
Filed Dec 30, 2022
“I am being told by the dealership service center that there is a coolant leak from the engine. A previous coolant look due to a hose was repaired but this is a separate issue related to the TSB for coolant leak at the cylinder head Bulletin 01-007/22”
Filed Dec 20, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 52 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
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Other problems on this car
- Check engine light or misfire 41 reports