Who has got the highest mileage CX-9 out there?

Re: brakes - not worth spending a lot of extra money on up-sold claimed "premium" pads or rotors, in my humble opinion. With the exception of I think it is worth it to get rotors with an E-coating to protect the non-brake pad surface from rust. Pads - Tried many and they all seem to have about the same performance. CX-9 brakes are just too small and there is no Brembo big brake kit made unfortunately. Best thing to do is just don't tailgate, and effective braking for red lights and stop signs. Slamming on brakes to a stop with pad printing will kill your longevity, and over torquing of wheels will also affect your brake life. I'm on at least my 4th set of brakes at 101k miles.
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Transmission - there are entire threads on your all wheel drive issue. Not going to even touch on that. See those threads to participate.
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Wind noise - you can put your front windows down and pull down your run channel and re-adjust the rubber and that helps vastly, or you can replace your rubber run channels for the front door glass. The run channel loosens and I've found particularly in the back of the front windows the channel moves rearward. Try pulling the channel forward towards the mirror to close the gap at the back of the glass.
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Good luck!
 
about the brakes, any compatible Ford Edge kits (they have the same platform). And if ever bigger kits are avail, hope they will not drastically affect the electronic brake assist (EBD, EBA, ABS).
 
Just purchased a CX-9. Only my second Japanese vehicle. I keep my vehicles forever, do all the maintenance myself, and hope to do the same with this vehicle.

Here are the vehicles I have had over the years and the mileage before I got rid of them.

1984 300ZX - sold at 185,000 miles....replaced brakes and an alternator
1998 Audi A4 - sold at 150,000..replaced brakes and a control arm
2005 Mercedes Benz ML-350 - did the EGR at 40k, water pump at 80k, Front shocks and crankshaft position sensor at 100K, A/C Pulley Bearing at 105K. Vehicle has 118,000 right now and I have no intention of getting rid of it...

I have read a lot about problems like transfer cases and water pumps, so I'd like to feel good about this purchase and have some people weigh in some super high mileage vehicles!!!!

Thanks


What generation CX-9 did you get? This is critical as they are built differently. Because in this case, how long the 1st Gen CX-9(2006-2015) lasted, will not be very indicative of how long the 2nd Gen will last, they were built and designed with completely different critical components. I explain below.

1st Gen, used a Ford V6(either 3.5 or 3.7liter depending on the year), with a Ford designed AWD(Totally flawed design, as it seems 10 out of 10 of them failed due to the transfer case, and when the driveshaft seizes up, it could take down the transmission and or engine down with it as somethings moving and something is locking up). The Ford designed V6 was known to have some water pump issues later in life as well. There might be some other minor quirks, I've read about A/C going in and out later in it's life, etc. You might have a decent outlook if you bought the FWD setup(as most of the major problems: Engine/Transmission stemmed from the transfer case in the poorly designed AWD system), I've briefly read that some backyard tinkerer's tried to make fixes for the AWD transfer case to make it work, since if it was replaced with a new one, the same result would happen down the road, this affected many Ford vehicles with this AWD setup as well.

2nd Gen, totally Mazda designed in Japan, uses the 2.5 Liter Skyactiv motor with a dynamic pressure turbo with a Mazda designed AWD system. Foresee-ably more reliable, though time will tell, Mazda is usually pretty thorough in their testing with their testing mules, though things can still be overlooked. The transmission is built by Aisin of Japan, one of the best automatic transmission makers in the world(they make all of Toyota automatic transmissions, some of the older torque converted Audi transmission, and in the recent past they built virtually all of VW/Audi/Porsche's manual transmission... this is just to name a few... what makes Aisin legendary in general, is that the transmissions seem to be thoroughly test, overbuilt, and well manufactured/designed/engineered, one of the most legendary transmissions they built stock was the Supra MK4, stock that transmission was able to take 800+ lbs/ft and 800 whp... talk about overbuilt.)... having said this, Mazda did do some hands on designing with the Skyactiv automatic transmission, so we'll see how well it holds up.

As for spark plug changes, it really depends on what the vehicle was shipped with, generally luxury brands shipped with more expensive Iridium plugs and recommend OEM(because they are also Iridium) in order to achieve those high mileage intervals. Mainstream brands sometimes give them Platinum (last around 50k miles)or sometimes Iridium(last around 100k miles). I personally still have my stock Iridium plugs on my Mazda with close to 140k miles on them... granted I inspect them often and clean them by spraying them down with carb cleaner, give them a mild scrub with a nylon brush(never use a steel brush! That'll damage it for sure) and then torching them until all the carbon is burned off... people may argue "this doesn't work cause...", but it does, and I'm not telling anyone to do it as well, do it on your own risk, but my plugs are still going strong with no misfires, others do it as well, the only sign of wear I had was the carbon building on the tips, which I cleaned off. Disclaimer, again do it on your own risk, I'm not recommending it. If your plugs are already fouled and deformed, then you have other issues and "restoring" them won't work.
 
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We have a 2009 GT AWD now FWD with 192000. I did remove the drive shaft and the PTU about a month ago and it has been flawless. Thanks very much to PUMA who guided me through it. i was doing the maintenance on the ptu which was an awful PITA but it had started to leak and drip on the exhaust plus with all the warnings about failure i just took it off.
we like the car so much we bought another 2014 FWD with 61000 last week. we travel a lot more and didn't want any trouble.
I just simply cant make up my mind to sell it at with 192000 working perfectly before troubles or keep it and see what happens??$$ how far it would have gone.

If i have to give it away for 4500- i would rather keep it also it doesn't look like anyone is gonna touch it with that many miles.

i would love to know about transmission replacement cost and that ford engine replacement cost. i would like to know what i am potentially getting into.
i would love to hear some thoughts from some high milers as well. also i have a good working well maintained ptu with a slight leak - if anyone want an excellent boat anchor
 
Brakes:
Brake discs almost never actually warp. Cast iron just about never warps. Here's more on brake judder commonly mis-described as warped rotors:
https://www.apcautotech.com/getmedia/aff05081-b7c5-4089-b572-28081c018d29/CommonCausesofBrakeJudder.pdf

One common cause of the brake judder is using pad friction material that isn't suitable for the heat developed by that driver in that car. Upgrade the pad materials. If one wants to upgrade the rotors, avoid drilled rotors. Slotted rotors are OK. Look at your old rotors. If road salt has caused serious rust clogging the cooling slots, get the anti-rust coated rotors mentioned above.
 
Hello. My cx-9 from 2008 currently has a mileage of 178 thousand miles. The car has full power, the engine works nicely.
 
Hi, I have a 2010 CX9 that just hit 150,000 miles. So far I've only replaced front left/right wheel bearings and front/rear brakes. We went on a road trip last March from Houston to Roswell, Roswell to El Paso, El Paso to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Palm springs, Palm springs to Arizona, Arizona to El Paso, and El Paso back to Houston. We have also done several drives from Houston to Miami and back. Luckily haven't had any issues. Overall the cx9 has been great but only concern I have is the internal water pump :(
 
Great thread! Wife*s 2012 CX9 has 78k mi and I was thinking about getting rid of this due to the impending water pump and PTU issues, but after seeing this I may hang on for another couple of years
 
I have a 2010 CX-9 Grand Touring with all the trimmings that’s due to turn 170k within the next day or two. I’m the third owner and I got it used at 130k for $6500. It needed a lot of basic maintenance when I got it but otherwise it’s been a reliable workhorse and I’ve put 40k on it in the past 9 months. Here’s what I’ve done to it while I’ve had it (everything except the tire and wheel bearing was DIY so not too expensive):

- New battery
- New brakes/rotors
- Several oil/filter changes
- New air filter
- New low beams (HID)
- Full ATF change (sequential drain and fills) plus adding a tube of friction modifier to fix a nasty torque converter shudder. Given the state of the old fluid I’m guessing the previous owners never changed the fluid
- Replaced right rear tire and wheel bearing (that’s not the car’s fault though - I drove over a grate that wasn’t secured and the right rear of the car fell into the hole and busted the tire sidewall and wheel bearing)
- Reattached gas tank heat shield which detached and was rubbing on driveshaft and making an awful grinding noise

As far as future potential maintenance goes:
- The A/C doesn’t work so I’ll have to do some diagnostics when it gets warmer - hopefully it’s something simple like a bad relay or just needs to be recharged and not in need of a new compressor.
- It looks like the previous owner replaced the transfer case and the current one isn’t in great shape either. It seems that they’re notorious for crapping out and I’ll probably need a new one in the somewhat near future.

Other than that it works perfectly fine and I’m very pleased with how the vehicle is holding up, especially given the high mileage, amount of work that needed to be done when I got it, the low original price, and heavy usage.
 
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2009 CX-9 GT FWD. Currently at 140000 miles. Bought at 65K miles. Have replaced spark plugs, fuel injectors (only one bad), and at least one set of brakes (pads and rotors), and two batteries, replaced wiper motor also.
 
Just purchased a CX-9. Only my second Japanese vehicle. I keep my vehicles forever, do all the maintenance myself, and hope to do the same with this vehicle.

Here are the vehicles I have had over the years and the mileage before I got rid of them.

1984 300ZX - sold at 185,000 miles....replaced brakes and an alternator
1998 Audi A4 - sold at 150,000..replaced brakes and a control arm
2005 Mercedes Benz ML-350 - did the EGR at 40k, water pump at 80k, Front shocks and crankshaft position sensor at 100K, A/C Pulley Bearing at 105K. Vehicle has 118,000 right now and I have no intention of getting rid of it...

I have read a lot about problems like transfer cases and water pumps, so I'd like to feel good about this purchase and have some people weigh in some super high mileage vehicles!!!!

Thanks
I've got a CX-9 with 215,000 miles on it.

So far the only problems I have had with it is a dead battery. Recently, I had the rear differential go out. My local mechanic is telling me it is the relay in the diff. I also have had some problems with the vehicle starting. It was doing fine with no known issues (i.e. weak starter, weak battery). Called road side assistance to attempt to jump start the car to no avail. Towed it to my mechanic and they cleaned the battery terminals and swapped out the battery in the smart key and it started right up for them. However, after I got it home it would not start again. Another form in here referenced the RFID chips in the aux key and the smart key. Other than the two issues, my goal is to keep the car. Its the grand tour edition so front and rear a/c, leather seats, third row, dual climate control. You get it. Last note, it was recently on the lift doing a pre-check before a trip and not one leak. Solid engine and trans.
 
HI Everyone. FIrst timer here and have been researching 2nd Gen CX-9s. I'm looking for a 2016 or newer GT with AWD and it looks like I'll have to shop in the higher mile inventory (once this hit the used market). Came across this thread and am hoping to reignite it now that some time has passed. How are your 2ND GENS holding up? Turbos causing issues? AWD systems working well still? Anyone with some 2016's? Major/Minor issues now that most owners of that year should hit around 60-70k miles?

Thanks again. This is an awesome forum!
 
Got my '09 GT AWD back in August; 248,000 km (154,000 miles). Seems low considering this replaced my '02 Grand Prix GT that had 415,000 km (258,000 miles).

So far the 9 is great with no major issues. The PTU fluid was a bit dark, bit no sludge. I have all the previous service records and this thing was pampered over the years. At this point my only concern is the water pump.
 
I bought my 2011 gt awd on 150K miles on it in 2018. It has 172K miles right now. I hope I can drive it for a while.

- Trans fluid replacement (diy)
- new radiator (mechanic)
- rotor and brake pad replacement(diy)
- power steering fluid replacement(diy)
- transfer case fluid replacement (mechanic)
- HVAC unclog and cleaning (diy)
- wind noise fix (diy)
- electric problem fix - removing the BSM (diy)
- electric problem fix - car shut off (diy)
- Transmission was kicking when I put on "D" after rain or humidity over 80% during the summer. Fixed - (diy)
- tune up (diy)
- rear shocks replacement (diy)
 
Just purchased a CX-9. Only my second Japanese vehicle. I keep my vehicles forever, do all the maintenance myself, and hope to do the same with this vehicle.

Here are the vehicles I have had over the years and the mileage before I got rid of them.

1984 300ZX - sold at 185,000 miles....replaced brakes and an alternator
1998 Audi A4 - sold at 150,000..replaced brakes and a control arm
2005 Mercedes Benz ML-350 - did the EGR at 40k, water pump at 80k, Front shocks and crankshaft position sensor at 100K, A/C Pulley Bearing at 105K. Vehicle has 118,000 right now and I have no intention of getting rid of it...

I have read a lot about problems like transfer cases and water pumps, so I'd like to feel good about this purchase and have some people weigh in some super high mileage vehicles!!!!

Thanks
My 2008 CX9 is on 27300 and running smoothly.
 
Hello all,

2010 cx9, GT, with 155,000 miles.

Cx9 started having a nasty engine vibration a few days ago. Did a diagnostic test and showed a misfire in cylinder #1. I went ahead and replaced all of the spark plugs and that didn't fix the issue. Then replaces the coils and kept having the same issue.

Did another test and it gave a code for fuel injector #1 and #5. Replaced them both and no more vibration. So far the car is running well and now get 17 to 18mpg city. Before it was around 14mpg. i will eventually replace all of the injectors but this is good for now.
 
I've got a CX-9 with 215,000 miles on it.

So far the only problems I have had with it is a dead battery. Recently, I had the rear differential go out. My local mechanic is telling me it is the relay in the diff. I also have had some problems with the vehicle starting. It was doing fine with no known issues (i.e. weak starter, weak battery). Called road side assistance to attempt to jump start the car to no avail. Towed it to my mechanic and they cleaned the battery terminals and swapped out the battery in the smart key and it started right up for them. However, after I got it home it would not start again. Another form in here referenced the RFID chips in the aux key and the smart key. Other than the two issues, my goal is to keep the car. Its the grand tour edition so front and rear a/c, leather seats, third row, dual climate control. You get it. Last note, it was recently on the lift doing a pre-check before a trip and not one leak. Solid engine and trans.
Hi, what year is your cx9?
 
I have a 2010 cx9 with 126000. I bought it about a year ago with just under 116000. I have changed all spark plugs shortly after getting it due to slight hesitation. Changed transmission fluid once ( one drain and refill) change oil every 3 to 4,000 miles. Recently changed right rear wheel bearing about 124000. Right now trying to figure out hellatious miss. Changed all 6 coils, and back 3 plugs, but misses even worse now. I'm looking at forums to see if that is common
 

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