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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2016 Mazda CX-9 Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
8%of 107 total for the year
Median mileage
13,850miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2016 Mazda CX-9, 8% of the 107 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 13,850 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The push button on/off switch does not protect against turning the vehicle off if transmission is accidentally left in any position other than 'p'. For example its possible to put the transmission in 'r' and turn the vehicle off. For a busy parent (target demographic of this vehicle), this is very dangerous. If on an incline, the vehicle will start rolling forward or backward (depending on incline/slope and r/d transmission position). …”

NHTSA complaint #11029996, filed 2017-09, 1,700 miles

“Driver stopped vehicle in a driveway with minimal slope, shifted the vehicle in park, turned off the vehicle and exited. Driver proceeded to rear passenger door to retrieve 1 year old from car seat. After retrieving child from car seat, driver felt rear passenger door pushing into her leg, back and head. Vehicle proceeds to roll out of the driveway backward while in park. Driver and child escape vehicle's rear passenger side door, which is pushing them along in the vehicle's path toward residential street. …”

NHTSA complaint #11268666, filed 2019-10, 26,000 miles

“Our head gasket is needing to be replaced and sounds like this is an apparent Mazda problem how wide spread it is. The cost is over $5,000 for this single repair, possibly over $6,000 if head is cracked. I only have a parts list showing $1,700 in parts. Service manager said about 18 hours at $189hr totalling $3,402.”

NHTSA complaint #11474200, filed 2022-07

“I took my car into the dealership and was told that I had a cracked cylinder head and the car is leaking coolant near the rear of the engine. This could cause the engine to cease should coolant get into the engine. The dealer (North Park Mazda, San Antonio) has confirmed this as the issue. I have received a video of the inspection from the dealership explaining the issue. The vehicle displayed a warning that it was overheating which is what prompted me to bring the vehicle in for service.”

NHTSA complaint #11503274, filed 2023-01

“While driving on the freeway in stop and go traffic the engine warning light came on. A few minutes later the data screen stated that I needed to pull over immediately as my engine was overheating. I was on a stretch of the 5 freeway north of Oceanside with no exits for several miles. I pulled over and when the light went off I got back on the freeway to try to make it to an exit. I repeated this process until I was able to exit and pulled in at the first mechanic I came to. The vehicle was losing power at that point. …”

NHTSA complaint #11521492, filed 2023-05

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202219%
2021513%
2020211%
201959%
20181310%
201747%
201698%
201539%
2014713%
201357%
2012188%
20112515%
20102312%
2009610%
20082716%
20071214%

Other parts of the 2016 Mazda CX-9

Engine
68 complaints
Electrical system
14 complaints
Brakes
11 complaints
Fuel system
8 complaints
Other or unknown
6 complaints
Body and structure
4 complaints
Engine cooling
3 complaints
Seats
3 complaints
Vehicle speed control
3 complaints
Wheels
3 complaints
Air bags
2 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2016 Mazda CX-9

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology