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2021 Mazda CX-9

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
A
Safety Signal
92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns1
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA38
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA24 mpg
20232022202120202019201820172016

The 2021 Mazda CX-9 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the CX-9 2WD, is EPA-rated at 24 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 38 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
CX-9 2WDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl turbo222824$2,600
CX-9 4WDGas4WD2.5L 4-cyl turbo202623$2,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 43127, 43135.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2021 Mazda CX-9 is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Seat Belts

5221I
8,648 vehicles
ProblemMazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2020-2021 CX-9 vehicles equipped with 60/40 split bench second-row seats. The left-side second-row seat may unexpectedly slide forward during a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."RiskA seat that slides forward during a crash can transfer excessive force onto a belted occupant, increasing their risk of injury.FixDealers will replace the internal parts of the affected second-row seats, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 4, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5221I.
NHTSA campaign 21V750000reported Sep 27, 2021Mazda North American Operations

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
38complaints filed

7 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2021: 1 · 2022: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 5

Most-cited components

Engine20
Unspecified6
Service Brakes4
Forward Collision Avoidance3
Power Train3
Back Over Prevention2

What owners describe

“I just purchased this vehicle 2 months ago. Yesterday my oil light came on, I pulled over and checked the oil it was completely low. I had to put a quart of oil in it. After that I did some research and learned this seems to be an issue with some 2021 models the cx9 included. There needs to be a recall on this and Mazd…”Jan 2, 2024 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“I was in a parking lot and came to a stop and placed the car in reverse to back into a parking space. The back-up camera was on and I began to back into the parking space when the car suddenly lurched/jerked forward and accelerated on its own. The car jumped the parking lot median strip and I hit a tree head on. I had …”Oct 16, 2023 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report
“6/29/2023--Vehicle stopped suddenly with i-ACTIVESENSE system malfunction, Dynamic Stability Control malfunction, Engine malfunction, engine output reduced, Front radar sensor malfunction. Dealer said these faults due to bad battery--replaced battery per Service Manager [XXX] at Lakeland Mazda. 9/10/2023--Incident #2 w…”Oct 4, 2023 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆15%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other CX-9 model years

A

2023 Mazda CX-9

0 recalls · 12 complaints

A

2022 Mazda CX-9

0 recalls · 9 complaints

A

2020 Mazda CX-9

1 recalls · 19 complaints

B

2019 Mazda CX-9

2 recalls · 53 complaints

B

2018 Mazda CX-9

2 recalls · 126 complaints

A

2017 Mazda CX-9

0 recalls · 61 complaints

A

2016 Mazda CX-9

0 recalls · 104 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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