Poll 2.5T Coolant Leak/Engine Replacement

[ctbale]

2018 CX-9 with 30k miles...just finding out about this problem. I keep my cars long term and this is definitely making me want to sell my CX-9 and just get an electric car. The Subaru Solterra seems like a good option

100,000 CX9s in the TSB VIN range. 36 people voted yes on this pole. If I loved the car otherwise I probably would just pay the $2,000 and update the head myself.... if I was going to worry about it all the time.

 

[JPL]

2018 CX-9 with 30k miles...just finding out about this problem. I keep my cars long term and this is definitely making me want to sell my CX-9 and just get an electric car. The Subaru Solterra seems like a good option.

If you go for an electric vehicle, I'd recommend almost anything over the Solterra/Bz4X. They are half baked EV's from companies not interested in making them. Less than half the charging speed of Hyundai/ Kia/Tesla, so a challenge on any road trip. Less range, less power, no frunk, not even a glove box. Nevermind the ugly black fenders. It could suit some people's needs/taste so it's up to you.

I love EVs and my next car will be one. Best to look at serious ground up EVs from companies who are all in. Unfortunately, the Japanese brands are a full generation behind because Japan doesn't agree with the EV path.

 

[copofop]

100,000 CX9s in the TSB VIN range. 36 people voted yes on this pole. If I loved the car otherwise I probably would just pay the $2,000 and update the head myself.... if I was going to worry about it all the time.

I don't put much stock in this poll. It is a nice car, but it's pretty unsettling to think that the car you paid good money for that you've already paid off and planned to keep long term could potentially have a major engine problem that is due to the manufacturer's own screw up and add on top of that there's a strong possibility the consumer will be on the hook for paying for the fix. That's BS. I'm definitely not buying another Mazda.

 

[copofop]

If you go for an electric vehicle, I'd recommend almost anything over the Solterra/Bz4X. They are half baked EV's from companies not interested in making them. Less than half the charging speed of Hyundai/ Kia/Tesla, so a challenge on any road trip. Less range, less power, no frunk, not even a glove box. Nevermind the ugly black fenders. It could suit some people's needs/taste so it's up to you.

I love EVs and my next car will be one. Best to look at serious ground up EVs from companies who are all in. Unfortunately, the Japanese brands are a full generation behind because Japan doesn't agree with the EV path.

I haven't looked into it too much, but that's a good point about the Japanese brands not wanting to commit to EVs. My next car will definitely be an EV. No oil changes, no spark plugs, no transmissions no differentials, so much maintenance that you just don't even have to think about. And best of all, no ga$. This CX-9 cracked cylinder head debacle is just another reason to pass on ICE vehicles for an EV.

 

[hollandog]

I haven't looked into it too much, but that's a good point about the Japanese brands not wanting to commit to EVs. My next car will definitely be an EV. No oil changes, no spark plugs, no transmissions no differentials, so much maintenance that you just don't even have to think about. And best of all, no ga$. This CX-9 cracked cylinder head debacle is just another reason to pass on ICE vehicles for an EV.

For real, I got the model Y for all the reasons you listed and I have solar panels. Literally free gas. Love the car, not so much for the CEO.

My original plan was to keep the CX-9 long term for best of both worlds but not sure with this coolant leak. I'm still debating if the best choice to keep it or trade it for the R1S that I have on order. How Mazda is handling this really put me off the brand too along with the spider crack on the screen.

I change my own oil for the CX-9 and most other easy maintenance since the bumper to bumper warranty was over. Seriously don't have any faith on the dealership nor corporate to step up if I need to replace the head or engine down the line.

 

[jal142]

I don't know if this has been addressed but this poll is meaningless. Here is why. The sample being polled is not a valid sample. You really need to remove any of 38 vote that were made by people BROUGHT TO THIS FORUM BECAUSE THEY WERE SEEKING INFO ABOUT THIER CRACKED HEAD. It not a random sample. We dont have people in this forum that signed up because GOD DAMIT I NEED TO FIND OUT WHY MY HEAD ISN'T CRACKED, and then placing thier votes. This poll just adds to the consternation. I might not be explaining it well but the group that voted is heavily biased towards "cracked head". Its like being in an AA meeting and asking the question "how many people have had problems with alcohol". You get 100% yes, and then us that info to think everybody who drinks is an alcoholic. There needs to be a disclaimer on the OP to calm people down. 38% of the CX9 owners have cracked heads?? Really???

I went back and collected some statistics on the responses in this thread.

16 of the "yes" responses were from people who had been registered for 3 weeks or less. I'd classify those as "people brought to this forum" due to this issue.

That leaves 20 other responses. Those folks had been registered for an average of 5.3 years before making their "my engine is leaking coolant" post. I'm also aware of a few other members that never answered this poll but experienced the issue, so the 20 failures in the population of long time forum uses is actually a few more.

Even if you throw away the people with no post history (and some of those posts could be fabricated, there is at least one banned user who was making things up), the 20+ failures amongst the CX-9 forum regulars doesn't paint a good picture. There don't seem to be that many active users in this subforum to be honest.

 

[MGMGT16]

There don't seem to be that many active users in this subforum to be honest.

Small company making a vehicle that isn’t popular with little to no aftermarket support makes it hard to build a larger base of active people on a forum. Something like the 4Runner which has sold between 100k and 150k vehicles every year since 2010 (current generation) and has tons of aftermarket support; all those forums are super active. So much so that there are 2 different flavors to choose from. The CX-9 will never be that popular. Which is a shame because it’s a very nice car that punches above its class. I had every intention of keeping mine until the wheels fell off, but the coolant leak potentially putting it out of commission for months and costing $7k to fix along with getting offered the same I paid for it made for an easy decision

 

[ctbale]

Yea, I have belonged to a lot of forums and I join to find out things like how the vehicle works, maintenance tips, and guides on how to make the car better. The average person who buys this car is not popping the hood and crawling underneath the vehicle. They buy it as a transporter. Frankly I have thought about selling my 2022 touring but not sure what I would buy. I am a single 61 year old male with a dog and a girlfriend (notice the order I listed that) and this car works for me. If I owned a cx9 that was built prior to June 9, 2020, and out if warranty, I would swap the head out just so I wouldnt ALWAYS be thinking about it. Head is $700 ish. I would reuse the orig valves after cleaning them up, all new gaskets and seals. I would do it my self. Cant see it costing over $1500. Lots of costs to selling a car and buy a new one and I just don't feel like spending that right now.... just to find another problem on another car.

 

[copofop]

Does anyone know if Mazda's fix is just installing a new, but unchanged head design that may experience the same crack problem later or did they actually modify their manufacturing process so the crack definitely won't happen again?

 

[Tchman2016]

Does anyone know if Mazda's fix is just installing a new, but unchanged head design that may experience the same crack problem later or did they actually modify their manufacturing process so the crack definitely won't happen again?

The head design HAS been changed along with the gasket to eliminate the problem.

 

[copofop]

Small company making a vehicle that isn’t popular with little to no aftermarket support makes it hard to build a larger base of active people on a forum. Something like the 4Runner which has sold between 100k and 150k vehicles every year since 2010 (current generation) and has tons of aftermarket support; all those forums are super active. So much so that there are 2 different flavors to choose from. The CX-9 will never be that popular. Which is a shame because it’s a very nice car that punches above its class. I had every intention of keeping mine until the wheels fell off, but the coolant leak potentially putting it out of commission for months and costing $7k to fix along with getting offered the same I paid for it made for an easy decision

You sold your 2016 CX-9 for the same you paid for it??? How did you manage that?

 

[sm1ke]

Yea, I have belonged to a lot of forums and I join to find out things like how the vehicle works, maintenance tips, and guides on how to make the car better. The average person who buys this car is not popping the hood and crawling underneath the vehicle. They buy it as a transporter. Frankly I have thought about selling my 2022 touring but not sure what I would buy. I am a single 61 year old male with a dog and a girlfriend (notice the order I listed that) and this car works for me. If I owned a cx9 that was built prior to June 9, 2020, and out if warranty, I would swap the head out just so I wouldnt ALWAYS be thinking about it. Head is $700 ish. I would reuse the orig valves after cleaning them up, all new gaskets and seals. I would do it my self. Cant see it costing over $1500. Lots of costs to selling a car and buy a new one and I just don't feel like spending that right now.... just to find another problem on another car.

If I'm being honest, I really want to just upgrade to a CX-90, but I know it's not a good financial decision for me at this point in time. When my 2018 hits the 7-year mark, if I still want to keep it, I'll probably do the same (installing new head and gaskets). It's a worthwhile investment for an otherwise bulletproof car, IMO.

The head design HAS been changed along with the gasket to eliminate the problem.

To be fair, we can't say for sure that it completely eliminates the problem. But I'm sure it reduces the chance of this problem happening to an even lower percentage than it already is.

You sold your 2016 CX-9 for the same you paid for it??? How did you manage that?

I think MGMGT16 bought their car used, near the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. Prices for vehicles in general have gone up since then, so that may explain it.

 

[MGMGT16]

You sold your 2016 CX-9 for the same you paid for it??? How did you manage that?

Bought used at a decent price. Car market went up so the added mileage was taken care of by the market values. Told the dealership it had a small coolant leak and they never inspected it. We just swapped keys

 

[pmirich]

So, I'm Now a member of the cracked head club.
purchased new a 2019 CX5 GTR with 67K no Mazda warranty but thankfully purchased an extended policy that covers for up to 100K no deductible but, I am being strung along waiting for the company to have a 3rd party inspector verify my claim so that the dealer can begin the repairs.
So far Its been a week and I am still waiting.
At this point I am not even sure that this car will be worth holding onto since it's left to be determined that the Mazda engineers have fully resolved this issue.

 

[ctbale]

So, I'm Now a member of the cracked head club.
purchased new a 2019 CX5 GTR with 67K no Mazda warranty but thankfully purchased an extended policy that covers for up to 100K no deductible but, I am being strung along waiting for the company to have a 3rd party inspector verify my claim so that the dealer can begin the repairs.
So far Its been a week and I am still waiting.
At this point I am not even sure that this car will be worth holding onto since it's left to be determined that the Mazda engineers have fully resolved this issue.

If it was my car I would have a $35 oil analysis done on the engine oil. If the coolant got in your engine oil you're looking at a long block. If no coolant got in the engine oil it's just a head and that car will be solid after the repair

 

[pmirich]

If it was my car I would have a $35 oil analysis done on the engine oil. If the coolant got in your engine oil you're looking at a long block. If no coolant got in the engine oil it's just a head and that car will be solid after the repair

I am very confident that I didn't get coolant in the oil since I had the oil changed the very day I smelled coolant and saw the leak after getting home from the oil change service 8 mile round trip from my home.
Had my car towed to the dealer that was about 40 miles form my home.

 

[ctbale]

Your good. Head replacement is not the end of the world, not that difficult either. If I had to pay for it, the dealership wouldnt be my first choice. Hope your sleezy company that sold you the service contract pays up. I feel your pain

 

[copofop]

I may be joining the cracked cylinder head club soon.....https://mazdas247.com/forum/t/engine-coolant-reservoir-level-low-maybe-leaking-2018-cx-9.123879111/

 

[javierHere]

Hi, I am sorry you are having to deal with this issue especially with low mileage and not getting any headway from your Dealer / Mazda. I have a 2016 CX-9 and it had 104K. It was over the extended warranty of 100k. Originally my local dealer said it would have been a sure shot to get this issue covered if I was under 100K miles, but he was going to submit it anyway. I worked with a really good service guy (luckily). I was sincere and not aggressive in my initial discussions.

My symptoms to come to the conclusion that I had this specific issue noted in this TSB were: white billowing smoke, funny exhaust smell. Then the following day overheated. Come to find out I had zero coolant with no visible leaks. So I refilled the coolant and headed over to my local dealer (San Diego area). I had to pay a non-refundable $250 diagnostic fee which would end up going towards the final bill. They concluded the leak was internal and qualified for the fix (see attachment). Initially they quoted me 11K for a new motor if Mazda was not going to cover it! I was thinking time to cut my losses, trade in and start looking for a new ride. Gratefully, Mazda agreed to cover for a replacement engine which I had to pay $1K of it (my initial $250 included). So new motor (block and head, sparkplugs, gaskets etc. Kept my original turbo and they provided a 12K mile warranty on the new motor. One thing to add is how this service guy went above and beyond was that I had a modified air filter and catch can (though I knew it had nothing to do with this issue). I told him I would swap back to the OEM parts, but he said don't worry about it and he would not mention it in his report.

From all the different post and Mazda forums I read up on, it seems to boil down to your dealership / service person and ultimately Mazda corp. I agree they should be handling this in a procedural way. I to purposely bought my car knowing it was built in Japan where quality standards are high. Car runs like a champ now and plan on driving it till the wheels fall off. Glad to provide any more information to anyone if it can help.

You are very lucky. Did you always take your car to a Mazda certified mechanic?

Mazda USA recently refused to pay any cost associated with replacing the engine of my less than 5 year old Mazda. It is obvious that the Mazda defeat in the engine was at fault, TBS-01-013-21

I took my car to a Mazda dealer mechanics for 3 years. The last year and a half I took it to my personal mechanic. Mazda was not interested to see those records.

They claim that their Mazda mechanics might have caught the issue earlier. However, an email or a letter to customers letting the owners know that there could be a potential issue was never sent to me. I think this is irresponsible. I should have been notified about such a defeat.

This was a very expensive family purchase for us. We now had to pay $10K to replace the engine. Mazda USA refused to help. I read many similar cases where Mazda USA paid to have the engine replaced and in other cases paid at least for the labor.

 

[javierHere]

thank you so much for this uplifting information. I was very kind as I had no idea what had happened or why. I was patient waiting but got nowhere. I started to google and research and soon realized all of this information on the defect. I was clearly denied coverage by the Mazda Corp. At this point, I was going on two weeks and now I was starting to get a bit more aggressive. I decided to go to the dealership and speak with the manager yester and he called in the head of mechanics. They were trying to get out of assuming responsibility by telling me I was not a loyal customer because I did not have my car serviced with them and that if I had things would have been different! I could not believe they were even saying this. I asked them if they were discriminating me. I showed them the documents that supported my findings and provided them with all of my service documents from day 1 to current to show proof it had nothing to do with my negligence in maintaining my car. When they saw the documents I had, the mechanic stated that was for inhouse to know how to fix the leak. He said they felt the problem was not a safety issue and that's why a recall has not been done. I asked them what if my engine would have blown on the freeway is that not a safety issue? He finally agreed to call the warranty dept and stated they were good friends and he would see what he could do. This was short of me having to tell them my next step was the media to make others aware of the problem. In the end, the manager continued to mention that if I would have serviced my car with them things would have been different as I was not considered a loyal customer. I told him that is discrimination, manipulation and illegal and he nodded his head yes! In the end, I now realize it was the dealership. They are assuming responsibility and working with my 3rd party warranty and finally gave me a loaner and going to cover my rental car expenses.

Wow... Which dealership was this? I was working with Puente Hill Mazda and Mazda USA refused to help me out. I had to pay $10K to get the engine replaced. 2017 CX-9 93K miles on it. So unfair.