Second generation (TC)
2018 Mazda CX-9
The most reported problem on the 2018 Mazda CX-9 is overheating, with 69 complaints, usually around 76,000 miles.
- 128owner complaints
- 2recalls
- 4involved a crash
- 66,000median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 17, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
What is your CX-9 doing?
Each one opens a sheet built from the owner reports of that problem on the 2018 model year.
Is the 2018 Mazda CX-9 reliable?
The 2018 Mazda CX-9 has 128 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, less than half the median of 331 for 2018 SUVs on this site. Of the 10 CX-9 model years since 2014, it has the most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to the 2017 and 2019
- The 2018 stands out from the model years on either side. It draws 14 complaints for each year on the road, while the 2017 draws 6 and the 2019 7.
- Top problem
- One problem takes up much of the file: overheating, named in 69 of the 128 complaints (54%). A quarter of the 31 owners who gave a mileage for overheating saw it by about 56,000 miles, and half by about 76,000.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 5 of the 128 complaints (4%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, a little under the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 4 reports mention a crash, 1 mentions a fire and 2 people were hurt.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- No recall on file is on the same system as overheating and misfire. For those, the complaints are all there is.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2023 at 39 and have dropped every year since, to 10 in 2025. So far in 2026, 12 more have come in.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: engine overheats or leaks coolant, 69 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
128 complaints is 2.2 times fewer than the median 2018 model on this site and 2.6 times fewer than the median 2018 SUV. Among the 2 CX-9 model years here it ranks 1st for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2018 Mazda CX-9
Mazda filed 469 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2018 Mazda CX-9. 58 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car, 2 of those a warranty extension. 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.
Engine overheats or leaks coolant 7 bulletins · 69 complaints
This Service Alert supersedes the previously issued SA(s) and TSB(s) listed below: The changes are noted in Red. SA-035/24 05/31/24 DESCRIPTION There is a concern that some water pumps are being replaced that are not faulty, due to signs of a very small ...
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 ...
5 more on this problem
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 ...
There is a concern that some water pumps are being replaced that are not faulty, due to signs of a very small coolant leak from the bleed hole.
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.
Coolant Leaks At Cylinder Head: 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 (2).
Check engine light or misfire 13 bulletins · 52 complaints
Some customers may complain about a poor acceleration and rough idling or the CHECK ENGINE light ON with DTC P0301:00, P0302:00, P0303:00, P0304:00.NOTE: Only turbo engines are applicable; non-turbo engines are NOT applicable.
Some customers may complain about a poor acceleration and rough idling or the CHECK ENGINE light ON with DTC P030X:00 (only turbo engines are applicable; non-turbo engines are NOT applicable). - In most cases, P030X is stored, but sometimes not.
11 more on this problem
Some vehicles may experience the Check Engine Light ON with DTC P0171 (Fuel Trim too Lean) and possibly DTCs P030X (Misfire). Vehicles having this concern should use the following Inspection/Repair procedure.
Some vehicles may exhibit an occasional rough idle accompanied with DTC P0300:00 (Random misfire) due to the following: 1. While closing the EGR valve, carbon deposit etc. pinched at the valve seat prevents the valve from closing completely. 2.
Some vehicles may experience the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON with DTC P2610 and P2507 stored in memory after engine start and room fuse 15A (A) removed. P2610:00: Instrument cluster internal engine off timer performance problem.
Some vehicles may experience the check engine light and automatic transaxle warning light ON with one or more of these DTCs stored in the TCM memory (P0842, P0847, P0872, P0877, P0780, P1738).
After parking the vehicle in temperatures below freezing, some customers may experience a lack of power with the check engine light on and DTCs P0638:00 and/or P2112:00 stored in memory.
Some customers may complain about poor heater performance even after the engine reaches normal operating temperature. This may be caused by a plugged heater core.
Some vehicles may exhibit the check engine light on with DTC P0456 stored in the PCM memory. P0456: EVAP system leak detected (very small leak).
The vehicles listed above are equipped with a push button start/stop ignition system. Unlike previous Mazda models, there is no key cylinder on the steering column.
Some customers may experience a check engine light on and DTC P0401:00 stored in memory without any drivability issues. P0401:00 - [PCM] EGR flow insufficient detected. This concern may be caused by the detection logic for the DTC is too sensitive.
After parking the vehicle at temperatures below the freezing, some customers may experience a lack of power with the check engine light on and DTC P0638:00 and/or P2112:00 stored in memory.
Plus 1 older ones not listed here.
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 31 bulletins · 17 complaints
Some vehicles may have one of the following DTCs stored in memory along with a system status notice on the Multi-information display OR display a system status notice with no DTC: C1001:92 - Forward sensing camera (FSC) poor field of view [Gen 6 vehicles] ...
Some customers may complain that the ambient temperature on the instrument cluster is displayed more than 50 °F (10 °C) lower than the actual temperature, resulting in insufficient performance of the air conditioning.
29 more on this problem
Some customers may complain about infotainment center display. Peeling, spider cracks and white dots.
Some vehicles may experience the symptoms mentioned below, which can be fixed with the latest software update (Version 74.00.324 or later). The system performance has been improved as follows: Ver.
Some customers may complain about the following message displayed in the Multi-Information Display: In the following cases, the MRCC with Stop & Go function system is canceled when the vehicle is traveling at 19 mph (30 km/h) or less: * The Forward Sensing ...
Symptom troubleshooting tables to diagnose MAZDA CONNECT concerns. No. 1 Blank Screen No. 2. Rear View Camera is not displayed No. 3 Rebooting No. 4 Infotainment System Has No Sound No. 5 Commander Switch Does Not Work No. 6 Bluetooth device will not pair No. ...
AUDIO, NAVIGATION AND PHONE CONCERNS WITH MAZDA CONNECT INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM (6TH GENERATION). All Mazda Connect vehicles in new car inventory must be updated to the software version listed below in this TSB as part of the New Car Ready Step 3 process. Make sure the new vehicle specialist receives a copy of this bulletin.
Some customers may experience a SBS/SCBS, LAS/LDWS and/or HBC warning light on. A system error message may also be found in the center display. DTC U3000:04-0A (Forward sensing camera (FSC) internal malfunction).
Some customers may experience the MAZDA CONNECT rebooting or the screen turning black under any temperature. When the concern occurs, MAZDA CONNECT reboots repeatedly, and if the SD card is removed during this reboot cycle, the rebooting cycle ends.
Some customers may complain about the following MAZDA CONNECT¢¢ Temperature Warning message: ¯· Display is too Hot. Screen performance may be decreased until it cools.
Some vehicles may exhibit a Connectivity Master Unit (CMU), a BLUETOOTH® hands-free unit or text messaging related concerns.
Some vehicles may exhibit that the SBS/SCBS warning light (amber) turns ON right after the engine is started with DTC U0420:68 [FSC] stored in memory.
Plus 19 older ones not listed here.
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 6 bulletins · 11 complaints
Some vehicles exhibit brake related concerns such as brake noise, brake judder or brake dragging. If you encounter a customer complaint for any one of these symptoms, refer to the following information to understand why symptoms may occur, and to better ...
Front Brake Noise Symptom 1: Some vehicles may exhibit a click noise when first moving forward or reverse from a stop OR when first applying the brakes while moving forward at slow speeds.
4 more on this problem
Some vehicles equipped with electric parking brake (EPB) may exhibit a grinding noise from the rear brakes when braking. This may be caused by the rear brake pads not having the capability to remove the rust from the rear brake discs.
Some vehicles may exhibit grooves (1) in rear brake disc plate(s), as shown below. This concern is mostly found on new or low mileage vehicles, when the brakes are new.
Some customers may report a slight clunk/bang/buzz noise or jolt from the front of the vehicle. This concern will most likely occur during the vehicles first forward movement after starting the engine.
Some vehicles may exhibit a squeaking noise from the front brakes during light braking. This concern usually occurs when the front brake pads have been worn to certain levels.
Turbo failure or loss of boost 1 bulletin · 7 complaints
While inspecting turbocharger housings, you may see cracks (fractures) as shown below. The cracks do not affect engine performance or cause any noise, so replacement is NOT necessary.
Complaints filed by year
39 complaints came in 2023, 1.9 times the year before. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
Recalls that include the 2018 Mazda CX-9
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3, Mazda6, 2019 CX-3, 2018-2019 MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and 2019-2020 Mazda2 vehicles. The impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 CX-9 vehicles. The wiring harness may disrupt electrical communications and disable the passenger frontal air bag, turn signals, and/or engine starting system.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will repair the wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3419E.
All 2 recalls on the 2018 Mazda CX-9, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Buying one used? How to research one car’s history before you pay
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2018 Mazda CX-9?
Overheating, with 69 of the 128 complaints. Owners who gave a mileage for it put the median at about 76,000 miles.
At what mileage do 2018 Mazda CX-9 problems start?
Of the 51 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 35,000 miles and half by about 66,000.
Is the 2018 Mazda CX-9 better or worse than the 2017 and 2019?
Counted per year on the road, the 2018 has more complaints than both the 2017 and the 2019: 14 a year against 6 and 7.
How many 2018 Mazda CX-9 complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
5 of them (4%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for overheating on the 2018 Mazda CX-9?
No recall on file for the 2018 Mazda CX-9 is on the same system as overheating. Another recall may still cover your car, so check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.