New Member here: I just test drove a cx 9 signature - "dreadful A/C" is correct

:
None
New Member here: I just test drove a cx 9 signature - "dreadful A/C" is correct

So I love this car. I write car because it drives like one and feels like one and has soul like a turbo charged car should. I had no issues with the seats , I'm 6 3'' and they were almost as comfortable as the '16 XC-90. It handles better than the Volvo and the turbo makes better power in the butt dyno than the T5 Volvo. The interior, as everybody has written is beautiful.

I love this car. I despise the A/C; it's terrible. It was pushing 100 degrees here in the DC area when we drove it and for the entire 15 minute test drive , part of it over 60 mph, the cabin never cooled off. The air simply doesn't blow cold enough. Could be refrigerant, could be the condenser, the compressor who knows. But for over 45k OTD it's unacceptable. My moms base model 2013 CRV blows colder and cools faster.

if you live I the pacific NW this won't be much of an issue. But if you live in the sweltering south or muggy mid Atlantic it makes the car a skip. I'm going to drive another one in a couple days just because I want to be wrong and buy this car. Temps won't get below 95 so we shall see. I really want to buy this car - I won't by a pilot or a highlander or any variant of a minivan - they have no soul.
 
Last edited:
New Member here: I just test drove a cx 9 signature - "dreadful A/C" is correct

I love this car. I despise the A/C; it's terrible. It was pushing 100 degrees here in the DC area when we drove it and for the entire 15 minute test drive , part of it over 60 mph, the cabin never cooled off. The air simply doesn't blow cold enough. Could be refrigerant, could be the condenser, the compressor who knows. But for over 45k OTD it's unacceptable. My moms base model 2013 CRV blows colder and cools faster.
No, with enough people complaining, the AC problem on new CX-9 definitely is caused by design issue with not enough BTU capacity.

This is unfortunate that someone in Mazda design department dropped the ball. Could be just in the name of less cost, less weight, and less power consumption for better fuel economy!
 
Last edited:
I'm wondering though if this something that could ever be addressed retroactively by Mazda in a recall - I doubt they would or even could.
 
So I love this car. I write car because it drives like one and feels like one and has soul like a turbo charged car should. I had no issues with the seats , I'm 6 3'' and they were almost as comfortable as the '16 XC-90. It handles better than the Volvo and the turbo makes better power in the butt dyno than the T5 Volvo. The interior, as everybody has written is beautiful.

I love this car. I despise the A/C; it's terrible. It was pushing 100 degrees here in the DC area when we drove it and for the entire 15 minute test drive , part of it over 60 mph, the cabin never cooled off. The air simply doesn't blow cold enough. Could be refrigerant, could be the condenser, the compressor who knows. But for over 45k OTD it's unacceptable. My moms base model 2013 CRV blows colder and cools faster.

if you live I the pacific NW this won't be much of an issue. But if you live in the sweltering south or muggy mid Atlantic it makes the car a skip. I'm going to drive another one in a couple days just because I want to be wrong and buy this car. Temps won't get below 95 so we shall see. I really want to buy this car - I won't by a pilot or a highlander or any variant of a minivan - they have no soul.

I agree the AC on the new model have low cooling capacity. Even at minimum temp, the air is not cool enough like in my old cx9. Fortunately, is enough for me because here where we live we have good temp most part of the year. for high temp locations, must be a nightmare.
 
I agree the AC on the new model have low cooling capacity. Even at minimum temp, the air is not cool enough like in my old cx9. Fortunately, is enough for me because here where we live we have good temp most part of the year. for high temp locations, must be a nightmare.
Yeah see I don't think it's a power issue its a cooling issue. The air just doesn't get cold enough - that seems like refrigerant. but what do I know.
 
New owner here with about 1000 miles of experience with the car so far. I am experiencing the same anemic air conditioning as others. The air temperature coming out of the vents does not seem nearly as cold as in any of our other vehicles. I hope there is a fix in the future.
 
Wify just got a 2016 CX-9 Touring, we are experiencing the something here. AC is not nearly as cold as our old 2009 cx9 GT.
 
Wify just got a 2016 CX-9 Touring, we are experiencing the something here. AC is not nearly as cold as our old 2009 cx9 GT.

Atlanta with bad A/C = hell's doorway. Yeah looks this is a systemic problem with all CX-9s. I'm really hesitant now to pull the trigger on one.
 
Have any of the new owners tinted their windows? And if so, was there a noticeable change in AC performance given the current blistering temperatures?
 
Have any of the new owners tinted their windows? And if so, was there a noticeable change in AC performance given the current blistering temperatures?

Yes, I've tinted the windows including a UV/IR film on the windshield.
The A/C doesn't struggle as much to keep the vehicle cool, but it still takes quite a while to cool after being parked outside for a time.
 
Yes, I've tinted the windows including a UV/IR film on the windshield.
The A/C doesn't struggle as much to keep the vehicle cool, but it still takes quite a while to cool after being parked outside for a time.

How long does it take to cool after being parked outside for a while? Our 2010 CX-9 GT takes maybe 5 minutes to cool down. This would be after I open all windows and let the heat dissipate a bit. Window tinting does help quite a bit, in my opinion. I guess I'm trying to see if it would be a livable situation if the CX-9 was tinted given the AC performance.
 
New Member here: I just test drove a cx 9 signature - "dreadful A/C" is correct

I'm wondering though if this something that could ever be addressed retroactively by Mazda in a recall - I doubt they would or even could.
No these kind of issues will never be a "recall". Recall is only initiated by any safety related issues. Mazda is not going to do anything on this under-performed AC system in 2016 CX-9. It's like you bought a car with an under-powered engine, the manufacture will never replace the engine with more powerful engine for you!

Many people owned both old and new CX-9's have said the air coming out of the vents from new CX-9 simply is not as cold as the old CX-9. Someone even measured the air temperature directly out of the vent and proved that the air temperature is about 10F warmer with the same temperature setting at the lowest between the two.

Window tinting would help, and I guess that's the only way to compensate a little to a weak AC system in new CX-9.
 
How long does it take to cool after being parked outside for a while?
Here in Dallas where 100F is normal, it takes about 15 minutes to cool the driver-side after the car has been sitting in the sun for 8 hours with a reflective windshield sunshade (accordion style reflector) and no window tinting. I am considering window tinting, but the windshield (which I would not tint) is large and let's through a lot of heat -- so not sure of the real impact of just tinting side windows. I am the sole driver, so I don't know if the 2nd row is uncomfortably hot. I turn off rear AC, thinking it might channel more AC to the front. The AC performance for me is not a show-stopper, but others may feel differently. I had taken enough test drives that I knew the AC was adequate but not stellar.

The AC blower noise is rather loud at full-fan. If you have the radio and AC on, the voice-guidance of the NAV gets drowned out. After 15 minutes, the car gets cool and all is OK.

Here is a random observation --- the interior of the car seems to be a large heat sink. By that, I mean the center console, steering wheel, dash etc. maintains its heat for a good 10-15 minutes after turning on the AC. Its as if the car is being heated not only by the outside but also from the inside. Not sure if that makes sense, since all cars must have the same effect. But it just seems more noticeable in the 2016 CX9.
 
Last edited:
Here in Dallas where 100F is normal, it takes about 15 minutes to cool the driver-side after the car has been sitting in the sun for 8 hours with a reflective windshield sunshade (accordion style reflector) and no window tinting. I am considering window tinting, but the windshield (which I would not tint) is large and let's through a lot of heat -- so not sure of the real impact of just tinting side windows. I am the sole driver, so I don't know if the 2nd row is uncomfortably hot. I turn off rear AC, thinking it might channel more AC to the front. The AC performance for me is not a show-stopper, but others may feel differently. I had taken enough test drives that I knew the AC was adequate but not stellar.

The AC blower noise is rather loud at full-fan. If you have the radio and AC on, the voice-guidance of the NAV gets drowned out. After 15 minutes, the car gets cool and all is OK.

Here is a random observation --- the interior of the car seems to be a large heat sink. By that, I mean the center console, steering wheel, dash etc. maintains its heat for a good 10-15 minutes after turning on the AC. Its as if the car is being heated not only by the outside but also from the inside. Not sure if that makes sense, since all cars must have the same effect. But it just seems more noticeable in the 2016 CX9.

Interesting observation actually. Mine will be parked in the shade and or in a garage at work most of the time so I'm terribly worried about it. When I took the test drive the car hadn't been taken out the day before so it had been sitting in 100 degree weather for a good 30 hours probably. Im gonna pull the trigger - I'm having a hard time finding another 3 row suv that has the same soul as the CX-9. I'm used to driving modified turbo charged cars so the thought of getting behind the wheel of a pilot or highlander makes me cringe. but not to worry I'll grab an e55 wagon or an old S6 avant or another twin turbo allroad or S4 on the cheap as my second car one of the days and mod the piss out of it...
 
New Member here: I just test drove a cx 9 signature - "dreadful A/C" is correct

Here in Dallas where 100F is normal, it takes about 15 minutes to cool the driver-side ...
Here is a random observation --- the interior of the car seems to be a large heat sink. By that, I mean the center console, steering wheel, dash etc. maintains its heat for a good 10-15 minutes after turning on the AC. Its as if the car is being heated not only by the outside but also from the inside. Not sure if that makes sense, since all cars must have the same effect. But it just seems more noticeable in the 2016 CX9.
Do you have black interior?

Windshield tinting is effective. It's light-colored and barely noticeable. It you do side window tinting you should include the windshield too as it's a large area like you said.
 
This is another good example of how "little" things can make or break auto sales. Especially now with the immense info on the internet. It costs billions to develop a model and if a car has one weak point, it can be a financial failure. Weaker than average AC and people are passing. Not criticizing that, just saying.

Others said "no panoramic roof", pass. No V6, pass. No ventilated seats, pass. Mazda must be kicking themselves right now for not just going all the way with features at launch.
 
There's a clear tint for the windshield. Our CX-9 has it. My installer used Llumar Air Blue. It really helps a lot since it blocks UV rays. It is noticeably cooler on the dashboard before I had it installed more than 5 years ago. It's probably doing front seat passengers a lot of good too since it blocks the UV radiation from burning the skin. It's worth every penny and more.
 
This is another good example of how "little" things can make or break auto sales. Especially now with the immense info on the internet. It costs billions to develop a model and if a car has one weak point, it can be a financial failure. Weaker than average AC and people are passing. Not criticizing that, just saying.

Others said "no panoramic roof", pass. No V6, pass. No ventilated seats, pass. Mazda must be kicking themselves right now for not just going all the way with features at launch.

Buyers can be real picky and some of those features mentioned are not must haves for me. But a good AC is a must.

Panoramic sunroof are nice but heavy glass burns more fuel and disrupts the driving dynamics by making the vehicle top heavy. I, personally, would not want one. The V6 is a nice to have but not a deal breaker if the 4 banger is plenty capable
 
Last edited:
New Member here: I just test drove a cx 9 signature - "dreadful A/C" is correct

I have the sand interior. What tinter do you use in Dallas? (btw, I am actually in Plano too).
Our CX-5 doesn't have any aftermarket tinting as the AC in CX-5 is pretty adequate and I'd like to see better in the dark. I use only removable sunshade on windshield but have heard many good things on windshield tinting like crikey just said. I don't have any recommendation for tinter in our area. But if I would do the tinting I'll go to my dealer, Town North Mazda in Richardson, asking Alex the sales manager to find out who is their tinter.
 
Back