2020 CX-9 Battery dead and can’t get to jumper in trunk!

Own a 2020 CX-9 and happy so far. Only complaint is that the battery dies (happened few months after getting it from dealership) if I listen for more than 15 minutes to the radio with the engine off. Thought it was a faulty battery but the agency checked it said it was fine...They say the battery is meant mostly to start the car. Happened again today and I was prepared (or so I thought) because I had bought a battery jump starter. Only to find out there is no way to open the trunk without battery power! Can’t believe this is something that would happen with vehicles of this level. If you have a mechanical malfunction on the road and you don’t have power how are you supposed to get your emergency kit in your vehicle?
 
I feel like this is something that happens especially to vehicles of this level. Good luck getting into a tesla with those fancy flush door handle without battery power.

joking aside, i think this is common to all power liftgate and electric actuated lock. the good news is you can easily get in the trunk through the rear seat. I believe there is also a manual release inside the hatch ( usually you have to pop a cover to access it). But you still need to crawl into the cargo area to release it.
 
Ignoring the fact that your battery shouldn’t be dead after 15 minutes, @youri is correct. Right in the middle of the lift gate is a small cover for the manual release...

D9759202-C3DB-478C-A762-80CF92D35205.jpeg


Or since this sounds like a common enough thing for you, just keep the jump starter under the driver’s seat.
 
I feel like this is something that happens especially to vehicles of this level. Good luck getting into a tesla with those fancy flush door handle without battery power.

joking aside, i think this is common to all power liftgate and electric actuated lock. the good news is you can easily get in the trunk through the rear seat. I believe there is also a manual release inside the hatch ( usually you have to pop a cover to access it). But you still need to crawl into the cargo area to release it.

Yep, I can confirm that there is a manual release in the trunk, but you do have to access it from inside the car by removing a small panel on the liftgate interior. I believe the process is shown in the Owner's Manual somewhere.
 
Aside from that, this is definitely not a normal thing to happen. While carrying a battery jumper/booster cables in the trunk is good practice, it should not be expected in a car that is only one year old.

Refer to this Special Service Program MC-10179088-0001

Your issue is likely a faulty power liftgate control unit. This should be replaced by the dealer at no cost to you.
 
Thought it was a faulty battery but the agency checked it said it was fine...They say the battery is meant mostly to start the car.
More deflection and BS from dealerships. They'll say anything to avoid actually having to fix it under warranty.
Keep hounding them. This is not normal for a one year old vehicle.

An aside: How did they check it? did they actually do a load/draw check, or just stick a voltmeter on it and call it a day?
 
Good luck getting into a tesla with those fancy flush door handle without battery power.
They have a procedure for it. Kind of neat, but a pain. Funny thing is that with the vehicle plugged in, if it gets to full charge and stops charging, the small battery for the computer can be drained. Seems like an oversight.
 
More deflection and BS from dealerships. They'll say anything to avoid actually having to fix it under warranty.
Keep hounding them. This is not normal for a one year old vehicle.

An aside: How did they check it? did they actually do a load/draw check, or just stick a voltmeter on it and call it a day?
My thoughts exactly! I have set an appointment at dealership. Hope they do not give me the runaround. Is there a way to actually contact Mazda Japan about bad dealership practices? I'm in Panama, Republic of Panamá.
 
My 2019 CX-9 FWD GT has the original battery and it's going strong. I've only got over 5K miles on it and since I'm retired the vehicle will sit for 2 or 3 weeks without being started and it cranks up without hesitation.

I don't see how a 1 year old vehicle should be experiencing this kind of failure unless there's something wrong going on. Years ago I had 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP that's battery would fail every two years without warning and strand me. I ultimately just replaced the battery every two years as a preventive measure.

The 2013 Toyota Venza Ltd. I had before buying the CX-9 had the OEM original battery for 6 years and never gave me trouble. I'd try another dealer if yours isn't giving you any satisfaction. Good luck.
 
My 2019 CX-9 FWD GT has the original battery and it's going strong. I've only got over 5K miles on it and since I'm retired the vehicle will sit for 2 or 3 weeks without being started and it cranks up without hesitation.

I don't see how a 1 year old vehicle should be experiencing this kind of failure unless there's something wrong going on. Years ago I had 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP that's battery would fail every two years without warning and strand me. I ultimately just replaced the battery every two years as a preventive measure.

The 2013 Toyota Venza Ltd. I had before buying the CX-9 had the OEM original battery for 6 years and never gave me trouble. I'd try another dealer if yours isn't giving you any satisfaction. Good luck.
Only 1 Mazda dealer in my country... so I'm stuck. If I could reach mazda Japan... that would get their attention!
 
sm1ke wrote, "Refer to this Special Service Program MC-10179088-0001"

Print it, check that your VIN matches what's on the notice, or the production date if those VINs were only for U.S. cars, and take it to your Mazda agency. Something is drawing the good battery down, and the module above is very likely. One test the agency should have done was to put a clamp-on DC ammeter on the battery cable (or in-line ammeter) and note the amperage draw with the car shut off. It should be almost zero. Any amperage above that shows that something is draining the battery, and it needs to be found and fixed.

By the way, my May 2016 battery tests at 87% capacity, good for more months.
 
Last edited:
Some Audis that have their batteries in an area other than the engine bay, have connections to the battery in the engine bay. Are you certain this is not the case with your vehicle?
 
Back