2011 Mazda CX-9: grinding or squealing brakes

Filed Nov 12, 2016 · Brakes · CA

A strange, hissing noise coming from the pedal area. I am having a hard time pushing the pedal during 'initial pedal application', but that effort diminished as the pedal was pressed further while driving. The brakes booster squeals very loud if you push the brakes down while not moving. I did some research and found this is a defective brake booster issue that mazda had confirmed.

Filed Oct 12, 2016 · Brakes · 128,000 miles · TX

Brake master cylinder hissing and squealing while engine is in idle. After revving (and releasing) to 2000 RPM's and applying (holding) brake pressure simultaneously, the build up vacuum pressure does not allow engine to return to idle RPM. Rpm hangs at 1500 RPM's. If vehicle is in drive while accomplishing this then the brake pressure applied is not enough to bring the vehicle to a stop. After find the cause of the issue I went online and found previous message boards about this issued were posted in early 2014 but a recall was never issued. Reported the issue to mazda (20161012) but was told that since the vehicle is 30k outside of the extended warranty then the issue belongs to the consumer. (mazdaref 1-368-227-539).

Filed Sep 13, 2016 · Brakes · 105,900 miles · KY

Driving from work today on a highway behind an electric truck that stopped abruptly, I applied my breaks kind of quickly and after stopping and taking off again when trying to apply brakes to slow the peddle would be really hard to press and it felt like the peddle was pushing up against you. There is a hissing noise when brake is applied and if you press the brake all the way to the floor there is a squealing noise. The hissing noise is inside the care and sounds to be coming from around the brake peddle area. The car can not be drove at this time because when in movement the brake is really hard to press and it takes very long distances to get stopped. I can't put my children in this car to go anyplace!

Filed Jun 7, 2015 · Brakes · 50,120 miles · MA

I have been having issues with the brakes mostly when raining or snow. At times when I go to hit the brakes they get stuck or make a grinding noise and don't want to stop. This has happened numerous times and almost caused me to hit another car on multiple occasions. I will take it in soon to have it checked now that I see that I am not the only person with this issue. Starting in jan 2015 I notice a burning smell coming from under the hood of the car. I had an oil change and checked for an oil leak to find nothing wrong with the vehicle. After running the car for at least 20 minutes the smell continues.

Filed Jun 1, 2015 · Brakes · 100,200 miles · NV

I had 3 children in car seats, myself and my oldest son in our cx9. I crested a hill and started down the other side and I applied the brakes to slow down and they were hard and would not allow me to stop. I almost hit the truck in front of me. He was thankfully watching his mirror and ran a red light to get out of the way so I didn't hit him. After standing on the brakes for what seemed like a life time they finally engaged in the middle of the intersection and hissed with a loud squealing noise. I removed myself from the intersection and at 5 miles per hour went to the nearest mechanic. I was told to call mazda because the power assist braking system had failed. I called mazda and they told me not drive it as it was unsafe. They would have it towed to the nearest dealership and would take care of it. The nearest dealership is dolan mazda kia in reno nevada. I was informed by steve to look at it in the shop I was looking at $125. And that it was no longer under warranty because my cx9 has over a 100k mls. And the warranty ran out at 90k. The brakes failed unexpectedly with no warning. I was never notified about this safety issue from mazda nor the dealership I purchased it from. I see that the federal safety agency has closed it's investigation with no recall or that mazda customers were informed. My family could have been seriously injured or even killed.

Filed Apr 9, 2015 · Transmission · 33,739 miles · PA

Traveling with family on i95 started smelling a burning odor. Later developed a distinct vibration and grinding sound. Got it home now non usable. Vehicle was previously repaired at my shop , a loss due to hurricane sandy, and as such branded. Faulkner mazda and mazda corporation both denied any warranty claim due to title branding even though both admitted it was a safety issue , although the service dept at faulkner did add "that anything could cause an accident". I am just lucky that it didn't grenade while on the interstate at speed with my family in the car. Corporate mazda advised me to save my receipts in case they issue a recall in the future. Will not recommend mazda to anyone in the future.

Filed Mar 30, 2015 · Transmission · 57,480 miles · NC

The mazda 2011 cx-9 crossover SUV seems to have a defect in the power transfer unit (ptu). Mazda north american operations issued a letter to mazda owners informing about a special service program to extend the warranty coverage for the repair of the power transfer unit (ptu) on "certain 2010-2011 cx-9 all-wheel drive vehicles produced from july 28, 2009 through december 2, 2013." I quote the letter. On march 18, 2015, I began to experience a problem whereby my 2011 cx-9 made a grinding and snapping sound when in reverse mode. This behavior was followed by a pungent odor in the cabin. I contacted the nearest dealership and tried to get an immediate appointment to examine the vehicle. However the dealership could not accommodate me nor expressed any awareness of the symptoms. Yet, the letter was published since last year. I contacted a local mechanic and had them inspect the vehicle and they diagnosed the problem exactly as described in the letter from mazda. In fact, the mechanic is aware of this problem with mazda and lincoln brand vehicles. Currently, I am having trouble getting immediate assistance from the dealership or mazda north american operations. I called several times to the dealership and they were unresponsive. Is the federal safety agency aware of this ptu defect and what was necessary to require a recall/replacement of the ptu 'prior' to inevitable failure as we experienced? Thank you.

Filed Feb 14, 2014 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 27,140 miles · CA

I have not had a accident yet, however since I purchased the car new I have had trouble with the front brakes, especially the right wheel. The dealer say there is nothing wrong and I have complained about this issue several times at regular service. I know something is wrong, the pedal fades and there is a grinding and sometimes hissing noise from the front right. It needs to be corrected by the dealer before something really bad happens.

Filed May 15, 2013 · Brakes · 56,770 miles · TX · crash

Approaching a red light on a dry sunny day, my brakes failed halfway through coming to a stop. At first my vehicle (2011 mazda cx-9 sport with 56,000 miles) was slowing down normally and then suddenly there was grinding/crunching noises and despite pressing the brake, the vehicle was no longer stopping. I slammed the brakes, pumped a few times, and the vehicle simply failed to slow down or stop causing me to slam into the rear of the vehicle in front of me. I took the car into a mechanic who notified me that both of my "front calipers were possibly defective," and my front rotors were "uneven and wearing on the outside." however, my brake pads were good and did not need to be replaced. Good thing I was already stopping for the red light; therefore I estimate going about 10-15 MPH (speed limit on street was 35 and I was already midway through coming to a stop at the light). Imagine if I need to brake while going 60-70 MPH on the interstate! Or worse, driving in the rain!