2014 Mazda CX-9: engine failure

Filed Jun 27, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · CT

I purchased a 2014 Mazda CX-9 back in May of 2020 w/ roughly 60k on the dash. Literally 7 months later w/ about 72k on the dash, the day after Christmas I was driving to work (I worked in the next state over) on the highway my car just shut down. No warnings, no check engine lights NOTHING! It just completely shut off and would not turn on. Thankfully because of the holiday the highway was pretty empty and I was able to swing my car across the interstate so I wouldn’t get hit by oncoming traffic. After getting out and deciding to check my oil I noticed it looked milky. I had no idea what that meant so I had it towed to a Mazda dealership in the state I live in. It was going to cost me almost $8,000 to put in a new engine because the water pump that was placed inside of the engine failed, which in turn caused my engine to seize. The extended warranty I had on my vehicle was worthless so I ended up paying out of pocket. Thankfully Mazda worked with me and had me prove that I kept up maintenance on the truck so the price was chopped in half. This happened right at the beginning of Covid when the entire world was suffering financially. I still had to make my car payments on top of shelling out 4k on a truck I hadn’t even had for a year. This is a huge issue with a lot of people that own the same vehicle and is extremely dangerous! I could’ve killed someone or worse myself when my vehicle stalled out on the highway.

Filed Jun 24, 2023 · Engine · WA

I bought a vehicle from Carvana 11/2021 with not quite 59k on it. On 6/21/2023, with 77K miles, my car had a catastrophic engine failure. I was driving my grandchildren ages, 3-12 years of age home. Safety was definitely at risk with speeds of 70 freeway were completed right before engine stopping. The mechanic shop has confirmed the car giving 3 codes related to timing belt/water pump and the other code which confirms engine failure. No warning lights had come on until I tried to restart it. Since this situation is most recent, I have not had anyone else inspect the vehicle. I am working through my options and will take recommendations for resolution.

Filed Nov 26, 2022 · Engine · TX

Sudden failure of water pump located inside the engine caused engine to shut down immediately while driving 70 mph on busy expressway. Extremely dangerous situation due to heavy traffic and high speeds traveled. Only by sheer luck were we able to coast across 4 lanes of traffic to an exit ramp and barely make it into a parking lot after crossing 2 more lanes on the frontage road. Very difficult to steer and brake due to no engine power. Repair cost was $4,433. Two subsequent follow up repairs for check engine light and oil control valve issues related to water pump failure were required and covered under initial repair warranty. Research on web indicates this is a common problem with this engine with many complaints occurring soon after 100k miles. In many cases customers reported having to replace the engine or sell the car for parts due to the high cost of repair. Locating the water pump inside the engine block was a terrible design fault and extreme safety hazard when it fails.

Filed Nov 23, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · MD

Water pump defect that led to pump failure, which led to catastrophic engine failure without any prior warning. The defect is in the internal chain-driven water pump. The pump is meant to circulate coolant through the engine while the engine is running. However, the defect allows coolant to leak from water pump into the oil pan and/or other engine components, mixing it with the engine’s oil and leading to destruction of the engine. Mazda’s internal data indicates that the company began receiving reports of premature water pump failures in vehicles identical to mine (mine is a 2014 Mazda CX-9) by at least June 2007, yet Mazda continued to sell the vehicle without fixing the defect and failed to warn customers of the defect. The owner's manuals say nothing about water pump maintenance because the water pump should last the life of the Mazda vehicle. My water pump failed and destroyed my engine at just a mere 72,400 miles. The water pump problem is caused by the elastomer bellow, which is made with hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, which is damaged by hot coolant. Due to problems with the seal, coolant leaks into other components because the water pump is located above the crankshaft. An engine will allegedly fail once coolant mixes with engine oil and travels through the engine. Mazda allegedly has done nothing to fix the water pumps and won't recall the vehicles to offer free repairs. The automaker is also not reimbursing owners who may pay thousands of dollars for repairs related to failed water pumps. When I took my CX-9 to my Mazda dealer because it was leaking coolant, the dealer informed me I needed a new water pump but then said that because of that they should just replace the engine, for a total cost of approx. $9,000. Dealer gave no explanation of why it concluded before looking inside engine or at timing chain why I must buy a new engine because of bad water pump. Clearly dealer knew defect was the reason but withheld that info. That's fraud

Filed Mar 16, 2021 · Engine · 80,000 miles · WA

I purchased a 2014 mazda cx nine a year and a half ago. The other day I was driving and I don't know where my fan got really loud so I pulled over and turned up the heat and turned off any AC. All the sun steam started coming out of my engine and the car died. After towing it to the local dealership I was told that I had two options. I could either buy a brand new car or pay $13,000 to have it repaired. Apparently the water pump broke and the engine seized up. I had absolutely no warning. No leaking, no check engine light, nothing' I later found several reviews saying this was an issue with this make & model. I still owe over $16,000 on this car and now I have to get a new car.

Filed Dec 17, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 114,000 miles · KS

I noticed a rough noise when I started the 2014 mazda cx-9. I chose to ignore it thinking it was because of the cold weather. Got to the highway on the way home to kansas city from columbus, oh. Several miles later when filling gas, I noticed a weird smell like that of a burning rubber or coolant. The car got me home same but I noticed slight smoking from the engine when I got home.took it to the mechanic and he advised it was the water pump. He didnt have the right tools to replace it so I took it to a mazda dealership who advied getting a new engine. It's been over three weeks and I'm still waiting or the dealership to find an engine they could replace with. Total cost, $4k - $5k. Extremely frustrated that mazda wouldnt recall cars with this type of engine/ water pump problem!

Filed Aug 29, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 108,000 miles · CT

My wife took our 2014 mazda cx-9 to liberty mazda for a check engine light that came on the evening before she already and an appointment for another issue. She asked them to check the light as well. After their findings they told sue the car had a catastrophic water pump engine failure. This water pump is located inside the timing chain cover and leaks coolant in to the engine. At this point we were handed over to a sales rep. Who informed us this was a foolish design with the water pump located in the powertrain behind the timing chain cover. This causes catastrophic engine failure with no warning this is wrong and should not happen. We talked to jason the sales manager who reiterated the same message and said he would put in a good word for me if cooperate called about my complaint. He did and cooperate offered us the eplan on a new car. Approximately $2,000.00 for a car valued at $12-14,000.00 this engine was manufactured by ford for mazda and the ford escapes have the same trouble. Please feel free to contact me

Filed Jun 21, 2018 · Engine · 81,000 miles · NY

I was slowly approaching a stop light when our 2014 mazda cx-9 started having vibrations, which at first came from underneath, between the driver's row and the 2nd row passenger. It immediately felt as if the car's engine was about to fail. I managed to make that right turn, carefully stepping on the brakes, and crossed a rail-road crossing. The car was running at a speed of 20 MPH. I slowed down to make another right turn towards my destination, then the engine abruptly died. The battery and check engine lights suddenly lit up on the dashboard. From the intersection's stop light to the location where the engine failed, it was a distance of approximately 0.5 mile. My wife came and picked up our 3 children from the corner of the street. My brother-in-law came to my location with jumper cables and gave my engine's battery a jump-start. The engine started but the vibrations were stronger. The car ran for another 0.3 mile before it died again. I had the car towed to the mazda dealership from where I purchased the car. After 1 day I was told that the incident was possibly due to a bad tank of gas. Another day later, I was told that something else was wrong with the engine, and that it was unrelated to the earlier suspicion of bad gas. After 5 business days, I was told that the engine's cylinder 6 needs a new cylinder head. The other option was a complete engine overhaul. The car has never been in an accident, and has approximately 81,000 mileage. The estimated cost for repairs was $5,834. This is a very serious safety issue that warrants an investigation. Had the car experienced engine failure on a busy interstate, my family and others could've been seriously injured or even killed.