CarComplaints.com Notes: The only area of real concern for 2010 Mazda CX-9 owners is the brake booster.

In 2014, Mazda extended the warranty on the 2007-2013 CX-9 brake booster to 7 years / 90,000 miles. However this extended warranty has expired, so buyer beware.

This Mazda CX-9 brake booster failure isn't terrible in terms of repair cost — it "only" costs $550 average to fix. However it is a safety issue when the brake booster fails as it increases stopping distance. Owners have reported having to stomp on the brake pedal, & crashes/injuries have been reported due to this CX-9 brake booster defect.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,927 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Mazda CX-9 brakes problems

brakes problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2010 Mazda CX-9:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2010 Mazda CX-9 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #70

Oct 172023

CX-9

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle difficult to stop, believe it is a bad brake booster.

- Noblesville , IN, USA

problem #69

Mar 012023

CX-9

  • 120,000 miles
Braking inconsistently - sometimes easy to stop, sometimes hard. I had brakes looked at, and the man said it was the brake booster. He googled it, and found a recall online and told me to take it to my dealer. It doesn't look like there's an active recall - but a lot of complaints. What's going on" This is going to be expensive. My college age daughter drives that car. Do they have to have a severe accident to get that fixed" I can't afford to fix it right now.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #68

Aug 112022

CX-9

  • 94,000 miles
Brakes not working due to brake booster problem which was brought to the attention of Mazda. Mazda and the transportation authority agreed on an extended warranty which is no longer in effect. There have been many more complaints for this same problem, yet a recall has not been listed for this vechicle and alot of people are paying out of pocket. I already brought this to the attention of traffic safety and never received a return reply. Brakes are squishy than you end up having to put brakes all the way to get car to stop. People are unaware of this major brake and safety defect

- Asheboro, NC, USA

problem #67

Jul 302022

CX-9 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving and brakes would not work without pressing really hard. The problem was reported before on these cars and continue to be a problem. https://www.carcomplaints.com/Mazda/CX-9/2010/brakes/stiff_difficult_braking.shtml my car has been in 2 shops for about 3 months now. They had to replace several parts in the braking system. Than the rear brakes completely froze up and towed to Mazda out of Greensboro NC.

- Asheboro , NC, USA

problem #66

Sep 012022

CX-9

  • 86,524 miles
While driving the vehicle went to stop car and was unable to stop brake pedal was hard as a rock luckily I didn't hit anything or anyone. upon further research it seems that this model has an issues with the brake booster failing causing exactly what I experienced. As it turns out I did not qualify for the extended warranty on the brake booster due to a agreement between you and mazda my issue is it should be life of the model with no expiration date due to the fact it can happen at any moment. Luckily my family wasn't harmed and luckily someone else's family wasn't harmed because of this failure. My vehicle only has 86,000+ miles.

- Bellmore, NY, USA

problem #65

May 272021

CX-9

  • miles
Driving on I-5, near Gold Hill, Oregon, when the traction control system light came on and the Vehicle slowed down. I had to push the gas pedal to the floor to get the car to move and I could not shift gears! It shuddered and the wheels seemed to lock up. I could smell burning rubber. I forced the car to the next exit, pulled off and shut it down. I sat there waiting for it to cool off. When I started it again it was a little rough at first but then seemed to get better and I was able to get home. I bought the car in June of 2020 from Lithia Motors in Medford, Oregon. I also bought a Power Train Warranty For $2,500 which was set to expire on 6/10/2021. I called Lithia and made an appointment to take it to them for repairs on June 1, 2021. I got as far as Grants Pass, OR, and it did the same thing I described above. I called a tow truck and had it towed to Lithia in Medford. When I got to Medford, the Service Manager told me I would have to take it to Crater Lake Ford. When I got to Crater Lake Ford I was told to take it to Crater Lake Mazda which I did. I described in detail what the car was doing to.the Service.Manager and told him I feared it was some kind of transmission problem. I also told him I had a power Train. Warranty the would expire on June10thso time was no the essence! I never suspected the brakes because we had the bakes repaired in November of 2020 at Lithia Motors. They were making a hissing sound. They replaced the.brake booster among other brake parts for $1,300 plus. That job was still under warranty. I got a call on June 15th telling me the problem was in the gear shift. He said it was now repaired and I could come and pick it up. I paid $674 for that repair. I got three miles from the dealership and the original problem occurred. I had it towed back to Mazda and it has been there ever since!! They replaced they're (traction control module), but that didn't fix it. After test driving it the original problem occurred! It's still at Mazda.

- Selma, OR, USA

problem #64

Apr 082021

CX-9

  • 166,900 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have been experiencing issues with my brakes. Very hard to push, not coming to a stop, sounds like air & makes a hissing sound when brake are applied.the 1st time I noticed I was driving straight on a 2 lane St. A car was coming from the off ramp on the right of me & cut me off. I tried to brake but, they were so hard to push down, I had to jump into the next lane in order to not rear end her but, because I honked my horn, the lady jumped into her next lane causing me to have to cut back over again, all the while my brakes are really hard to push, the car wouldn't stop. They made hissing sounds. I had my mechanic check, states it's the brake booster & there may be a recall. I checked online, just a warranty. Mazda will repair before 90K or 7 years. I called Mazda, who said they only make recalls with safety issues. I'd say the brakes malfunctioning is definitely a safety issue. The 7 yr expiration was up in 2018. When I bought the vehicle it already had 105K, so the warranty was expired. That makes no sense. It should have been a recall. What happens to people like me who buy the Mazda Cx-9 after the 7 yr or 90K mile expiration" it doesn't apply to us and we have to pay out of pocket? knowing that this was a safety issue and that it was happening to 2010-2011 Cx-9 models, it should have been deemed a recall. Especially when people buy used cars. This is not just an isolated issue or incident. This was literally listed by people with the same complaints. I have not been able to fix my vehicle. It's my source of transportation to get to work. I definitely believe this should have been a safety recall because people are still having issues. What if someone dies. Who'll be at fault if a persons brakes go & they get into an accident & get injured or die? there have been so many complaints regarding this issue, how could it be deemed a warranty and not a safety recall"

- West Springfield, MA, USA

problem #63

Sep 032020

CX-9

  • 68,000 miles
I experienced a several braking problems in my car in the fall of 2020. I took it to the Mazda dealership and they replaced the braking system per Mazda's ssp 93 bulletin. However, Mazda informed me that my car was outside of the extended warranty for this issue and I had to pay for the repair myself. I argued that it was clearly a safety issue because the braking system performed so poorly that I nearly got in multiple accidents. Mazda stated that it was not a safety issue, therefore no recall was necessary, and I wouldn't be covered for the repair. I believe the NHTSA needs to make this a full safety recall. The braking failure is very dangerous to drivers and Mazda needs to take full responsibility for this issue.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #62

Sep 152020

CX-9

  • 135,000 miles
Hissing sound when break pedal is applied. Power break booster failure. This is when the vehicle is stationary or moving on any street.

- Pacifica, CA, USA

problem #61

Sep 182020

CX-9

  • 152,600 miles
The vehicle suddenly lost braking power, and the brake pedal would sometimes feel "spongy" and sometimes feel rock-hard, with varying results for braking power. I went to a mechanic who said the brake booster failed, and we found this was a known problem with the Mazda Cx-9, however NHTSA's investigation was resolved when Mazda covered this problem for one year from the date is closing the NHTSA investigation. This apparently is still a problem, though. I called Mazda's customer service, and they refused to acknowledge this problem existed and would only give the scripted "there are no open recalls on your vehicle".

- Garner, NC, USA

problem #60

Jul 012020

CX-9

  • 66,945 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brake booster spongy...known Mazda issue, NHTSA closed issue when Mazda agreed to extend warranty, without recall. Our problem occurred after warranty ended...proving brake recall needs to happen!!!! on July 1st,2020, my wife's trip back home nearly turned tragic when the car wouldn't brake(felt spongy) down the highway ramp. Fortunately for her, there were no cars at the intersection as the car zoomed right at 60 mph.eventually, she was able to maneuver it to the right lane and drove it home with hazard lights on. Rightfully distraught about the whole ordeal, we had to thank our stars for having her home alive and without causing injury/death to others. On my drive to the mechanics I heard air hissing and felt the brake really hard to push. Again hazard lights/ manual drive got us there. The mechanics immediately suggested that this is a known problem with Mazda Cx-9 and that Mazda was aware of it. He said that Mazda had provided extended warranty for customers who had the issue until March 2015. We were grossly unaware of any of this, as we never had the problem until this July. Not sure how we went on for so long without any problem( may be proper care/use?),but any issue with a brake should have been addressed by a complete recall, not by just providing extended warranty for a limited time, just for people currently experiencing the issue.Mazda customer service downplayed the complaint as owner's expense as we did not have the warranty. Our situation proves that brake issues are not solved by extending warranty, and the only way to address this is by issuing a recall and correcting the problem. In addition, there might be many more Mazda owners still driving their vehicles, completely unaware of this problem, thus constituting hazardous driving conditions. The next time we might not be as lucky to escape without injury/death.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #59

Feb 032020

CX-9

  • miles
About 1 month ago I noticed my car making a hissing sound when my foot was on the brake pedal at a red light or stop sign. If I was a long red light or in a drive thru for more than 5 minutes I noticed my car would begin to tremble. Then about a week ago I noticed if I had to brake suddenly, the brake pedal was very hard to push down making it almost impossible to stop. I took the car to the dealer on 2/3/2020 and the technician mentioned that they have been having problems with the brake booster.

- Buena Park, CA, USA

problem #58

Oct 162019

CX-9

  • 125,000 miles
There are noises coming from the front tires, when driving. No one could pinpoint the problem. Brake booster went out a couple months later.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #57

Nov 012018

CX-9

  • miles
Vehicle pulsates while braking while driving fast or at slower speeds. The steering wheel does not shake. The brake pedal does not pulsate. The vehicle brakes were changed several times with new rotors and pads on all four tires. I noticed there was a recall on lower control arms #15V-451. It only was inspected at the time of recall but never changed. Could it be possible that they are now worn and can be changed per the recall.

- Albertson, NY, USA

problem #56

Jun 172019

CX-9

  • 114,000 miles
The brake pedal became very hard to push. I assume it could be the brake power booster or brake master cylinder.

- Montgomery, IL, USA

problem #55

May 252019

CX-9

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda Cx-9. while driving at any speed, the brakes lost power and the brake pedal was difficult to depress without warning. The contact called Mazda of clear lake at 281-823-5000 (located at 20101 gulf freeway, webster, tx 77598) and was informed that the warranty was expired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Highlands, TX, USA

problem #54

Jun 032019

CX-9

  • 100,000 miles
The brakes are hard to push, appears spongy and makes a hissing noise when pressure applied.

- Highlands, TX, USA

problem #53

Jun 172019

CX-9

  • 156,000 miles
When I apply my brakes it sounds like they are releasing air, and they seem to be harder to apply them. It also makes this sound while I am stationary applying the brakes. I have 156K miles on the car, is this normal?

- Vincent, AL, USA

problem #52

Jun 012019

CX-9

  • miles
Brake pad become very hard to push. I can't stop the car as usual.

- Canton, MI, USA

problem #51

Dec 262018

CX-9

  • 99,000 miles
Having braking issues while driving on the highway as well as city streets the brake pedal is gets hard to depress and braking diminishes almost completely. According to research Mazda has already identified the problem exists with the power brake booster. There is a defect in the rubber of the diaphram. Instead of issuing a full recall Mazda extended the warranty period. My car of course was just outside the warranty period so Mazda would not do anything about it. This seems like a serious safety component that can cause an accident and kill someone. We had many close calls because of this defect in their product that caused our braking to be almost non existent. The brake booster was replaced on our own dime and the problem was fixed.

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?