Mazda CX-9 spongy pedal problems

Filed Dec 7, 2023 · Steering · 12,100 miles · SD · crash

The contact owns a 2023 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the steering wheel was seized and the brake pedal stiffened. The contact stated as a result of the failure, the vehicle crashed into a ditch and crashed into a tree. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that his wife was a passenger in the vehicle and was seated in the front passenger seat. There were no injuries sustained. The front driver's side of the vehicle was damaged during the crash. No police or fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's vacation home in Wisconsin. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been serviced by the dealer on four occasions due to a failed software update. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 12,100.

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 Apr 30, 2021 · Brakes · 73,000 miles · NJ

Our 2014 mazda cx-9 power brake booster has gotten progressively worse over the last few months and has now failed at 75,269 miles where the pedal is spongy, pedal travel is long and there is a hissing noise (air leakage) from the power booster, all resulting in severely reduced brake effectiveness - very little. We cannot safely drive the car. This is the same failure and safety defect that was the subject of odi investigation pe-14-005 (odi closed 2/10/2014) involving 2007-2013 mazda cx-9 vehicles in which the odi resume said "the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect and take further action in the future if warranted." in that case, in order to avoid a recall, in march 2014 mazda agreed with the federal safety agency/odi to extend the warranty for 7 years or 100,000 for the 2007-2013 mazda cx-9 vehicles and repair the condition and initiated special service program ssp93. This now is exactly that same condition but in the next year model - a model 2014 mazda cx-9 manufactured in 2013 that obviously received the defective power brake booster that was manufactured before the booster supplier corrected the faulty booster mold in february 2013. Yesterday (4-29-21) mazda said (mazda customer service reference # 1-378914617) our vehicle is not covered for the repair because the federal safety agency/odi agreement and ssp93 only applies to 2007-2013 vehicles where ours is a 2014, even though it was manufactured in 2013. This is not only another example of the same problem now existing in 2014 mazda cx-9's with a power booster manufactured before the february 2013 faulty booster mold correction, it is unconscionable for mazda to refuse the repair. Please - we need your help in resolving this - and need you to re-open the investigation for the safety of others. Thank you.

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 Aug 17, 2020 · Brakes · 55,000 miles · TX

My wife and daughters took a trip, and on the way home, the engine light came on. When turning on the engine to check the engine light, I noticed that the brake pedal was hard. I was thinking the engine light had to do with the gas cap not being on tight since family purchased gas on the trip back home. I drove the cx-9 to autozone to determine the code for the engine light. The attendant at autozone was unable to register a code. However, I noticed the brakes felt different on the drive to autozone. Although I had to apply more pressure to stop, it took longer to stop. It rolled to a stop. When I got back home, I heard a hissing sound coming from under the dashboard. Mazda's owner's manual regarding the engine light indicates 1.) the fuel tank level being very low, 2.) possible electrical system problem, 3.) emission control problem, or 4.) fuel filler cap is missing or lose. The next morning I drove the cx-9 to see if tightening the gas cap would correct the engine light. During the drive, the braking seemed different. I would press the brake, but the vehicle would roll to a stop instead of stopping. When I was approaching a car stopped at a red light, I had to press the brake very hard to avoid the vehicle. I parked it and called the local mazda dealer. After they performed a diagnostic test, the brake booster was determined to be faulty. I was confused about how a brake booster and an engine light correlates. I'm also trying to understand why the brake system warning light was not activated since this relates to the braking system. After additional research, I'm in complete disbelief that mazda is aware, and it has not decided to address this safety issue. Please take action to have mazda recall the brake boosters to address this issue since it's aware the problem is an equipment/materials issue.

Filed Jul 11, 2020 · Brakes · 115,000 miles · TX

My brakes started feeling spongy but hard to push when I would try to come to a stop. It felt at times like my car wasn't going to stop. I stopped driving it and the brake booster was replaced. At that time, I lost brakes completely. The brake peddle goes all the way to the floor when pressed. Hopefully the booster is a bad one.

Filed Jan 6, 2020 · Brakes · 79,388 miles · CA

Brakes really hard to press. Wife thought car wasn't going to stop and she was going to rear end car in front of her. Sometimes brake pedal would feel spongy. Over last month there was an intermittent strange noise sometimes when car was started. Mazda dealership identified the problem to be a defective brake booster. I found that the federal safety agency opened investigation on cx-9 brake issues previously and mazda identified problem to be brake booster. Mazda extended the warranty to 7 years or 90,000 miles and the federal safety agency closed investigation. Our brake booster failed at 9 years with 79,388 miles on the car. From what I have read the life expectancy of a brake booster is the life of the car. Mazda never informed us about this possible problem. Our family could have been seriously injured or killed due to this defect. Why did the federal safety agency accept an extended warranty as a solution?

Filed Jan 2, 2020 · Airbags, Brakes · 86,000 miles · OR · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 mazda cx9. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 13 MPH and attempting to slow down, the brake pedal was harder than usual to depress. As a result, the driver rear ended the vehicle in front causing a five vehicle collision at a traffic light. None of the frontal air bags deployed. The police were present and a police report was filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot where the insurance company was scheduled to have an inspector inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced the federal safety agency action number: pe14005 (service brakes, hydraulic). The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

Filed Jul 17, 2019 · Engine, Fuel system · 11,000 miles · NY

I was waiting in a stationary position, at a red light, behind some other vehicles, with my foot on the brake pedal. All of a sudden, the vehicle started to lurch forward as if someone had stepped hard on the gas pedal! I was struggling to keep the car still by depressing the brake pedal harder, but it wouldn't stop the car. I had to put it in park and turn off the engine to stop the forward thrust of the vehicle.