2010 Mazda CX-9: soft or spongy brake pedal

Filed Sep 15, 2022 · Brakes · 86,524 miles · NY

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.

Filed Sep 22, 2020 · Brakes · 152,600 miles · NC

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 the federal safety agency's investigation was resolved when mazda covered this problem for one year from the date is closing the federal safety agency 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".

Filed Sep 11, 2020 · Brakes · 66,945 miles · FL

Brake booster spongy...known mazda issue,the federal safety agency 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.

Filed Jul 2, 2019 · Brakes · 100,000 miles · TX

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

Filed Feb 13, 2018 · Brakes · 140,000 miles · NC

Hissing sound near brake pedal followed by extremely hard pedal and much effort to stop.

Filed Aug 31, 2017 · Brakes · 97,049 miles · CA

Mazda cx-9 when applying the breaks, pedal at one point during breaking process becomes spongy, as pedal resistance appears to release. When foot pressure is removed from break pedal and reapplied, break pedal pressure is very hard to press and breaking efficiency is diminished considerably as though break booster has failed. Breaking issue appears to occur primarily when coming to a stop at reduced speeds. Noticed issue with recent ca heat wave, vehicle appears unsafe to operate. With wife participating as a driver in carpool, she just recently experienced the condition and is concerned that it can result in an accident if not addressed. Certainly appears to be the same issue indicated here: http://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2014/government-closes-mazda-cx-9-brake-pedal-investigation.shtml

Filed Jul 15, 2017 · Brakes · 98,000 miles · TX

Upon stopping, brake pedal became hard to depress and car would not brake effectively. Braking action became degraded, time frame was one day. It was intermittent, but would not stop effectively creating a hazard. Unable to judge stopping distance due to brake degradation. Took to mechanic who replaced brake booster, said most likely a vacuum issue. Said this is a recall item on same part for ford escape 2010 and lincoln mkz. Ford owns most of mazda and the cx-9 uses ford made parts. Upon research, mazda and the federal safety agency both know of the issue, but have not issued a recall notice. Ford has warrantied the same part for 150,000 miles, mazda has not issued recall for same part with same problem and risk. Upon research of online boards regarding the same problem, there have been several repairs by mazda owners for the same problem. This failure on my car is at 98,000. With the takata airbag recall, and not being able to get replaced and the brake booster problem, presents significant hazard to mazda cx-9 owners for risk of rear end collisions due to brake booster failure and takata airbag deployment potentially causing serious harm or death to the driver and passenger. I am wanting the federal safety agency to move forward past the monitoring phase and ask for a recall or warranty of the vacuum booster failure at higher mileage as ford has already done the same for their vehicles for the same part.

Filed Aug 27, 2015 · Brakes · 137,000 miles · NJ

Hard brake pedal. Progressivelly getting worse. Brought car to my local mazda dealer, was told although there is a campain to replace the booster, my vehicle exceeded the mileage. I feel the defective booster should be recalled without a mileage restriction based on safety.

Filed Mar 20, 2014 · Brakes · 31,000 miles · TX

I noticed a hissing sound when pressing the brake pedal today 3/20/2014 and loss of brake pressure. I notified the dealer and they promptly told me to bring it in right away to be looked at. I did however a google search for mazda cx9 brake issue and notice there are 7 other incidents with cx-9 brake issue explaining the same symptoms. "the federal safety agency complaints say that the problem causes a hard pedal, increased braking effort and reduced braking effectiveness. Some complaints allege that they hear a hissing noise during braking similar to the sound of air leaving the tires. No injuries or crashes have been reported." I showed the dealership the google search from the internet...pertaining to 2010 cx-9 brake issues. Mazda dealer sounds like they are aware of the problem...and should be taking proactive corrective measures to fix this problem.