Brake Booster failure on 2012 CX-9 GT FWD @ 40k miles- covered by warranty extension!

IgoZoom

Member
:
2012 Mazda CX-9 GT FWD, Crystal White Pearl, Bose/Moonroof
I just thought I'd share this with you guys in case anyone else runs into a similar problem. Last week, I noticed that the brake pedal on my 2012 CX-9 seemed very hard to press at various times. I thought it might just be my imagination or just a fluke of some kind. Then as I was approaching a red light, I had to stand on the pedal with BOTH feet (and I'm about 260lbs) to get it to stop!

I knew that there was a major problem with the brake booster, master cylinder or some other major brake system component. I took it to a friend of mine at a local repair shop so I could get a better idea of what was going on. He told me that the brake booster had a vacuum leak and, even though I was technically 4,500 miles over my 36,000 basic warranty, that the dealership should still repair it under warranty.

I took it to the dealer yesterday and was very polite but told them that a brake system failure on a 2.5yr old car (that cost $39k) was very unsettling. They immediately showed me that the brake booster on my 2012 has a warranty extension and would be replaced at no cost. They had to order the part (uncertain how long that will take) but they gave me a loaner in the meantime. It's a 2012 Mazda3 i Touring 5-door, but it beats renting a car.

Just wanted to share in case any of you guys have a similar problem at some point in the future.
 
Last edited:
Whoa, thanks for sharing, was there at any time a serious catastrophic condition like rear ending someone or passing the red light into the intersection ? Or just that the brake pedal was very stiff and hard to press down but you were still able to stop like normal ?
 
Last edited:
Whoa, thanks for sharing, was there at any time a serious catastrophic condition like rear ending someone or passing the red light into the intersection ? Or just that the brake pedal was very stiff and hard to press down but you were still able to stop like normal ?

Thankfully, I didn't rear-end anyone or have any other type of mishap. A traffic ticket or an at-fault accident would have REALLY pissed me off!!!

Once I knew what the problem was, I made sure to brake very early and very hard. I also kept a lot of distance between me and the cars ahead of me AND I kept the transmission in 'manual' mode so I could downshift for engine-braking if I needed it. I parked it over the weekend, but taking it to the dealer yesterday morning was a 52-mile one-way drive (almost 40 of those miles on the freeway). I waited until after morning traffic and went for it....and luckily, I made it! But I'll be a happy camper if I never have to do that again.

I talked to the dealership this afternoon and now they're thinking it may be Thursday before it's ready. The new brake booster is ordered but didn't come in today. I'm fine with that. The 2012 Mazda3 I'm driving ain't much to look at, but even with my heavy foot I'm getting 34-36mpg overall! I miss the power of my CX-9, though. The 2.0L Skyactiv 4-cylinder in the Mazda3 is decent, but requires a firm right foot for anything close to quick acceleration. But it's still free...
 
So obviously they are aware of the problem and just offering warranty extensions....sounds like it should be a recall.
 
I picked up my CX-9 at 11am this morning (or yesterday, since I'm posting this at 1:50am on Thursday). They fixed everything perfectly and even gave it a thorough washing and cleaning inside and out at no cost! The brake pedal resistance and pressure required were back to normal levels and it was back to driving like a dream right off the lot....

But sometimes, when you least expect and are least prepared to deal with them, days go straight to hell....and this was one of them! My grandmother passed away on Mother's Day and we just buried her last Wednesday. My dad had semi-emergency colon surgery on the Tuesday prior to my grandmother passing away. The surgeon expected to release him from the hospital on the Friday before Mother's Day, but due to complications he had to stay another six days and just came home last Thursday (the day after grandma's funeral).

I think it's safe to say that I've been a bit stressed, anxious and pretty much crazy for the last few weeks. Then my brake booster went out and I remember thinking "If any more sh!t hits the fan, I'm heading to the airport and going to hide at my cousin's in Los Angeles....and maybe never coming back!?

So, I was about 10-12 miles from my house in my CX-9 heading back from the dealership this morning. I was on a 55mph highway but have a bad habit of going 70-ish when no one else is on the road. I went around a blind curve and there were two deer standing in the middle of freakin' highway!!! I didn't have time to even think about trying to avoid them or steer around them...all I could do was stand on the brake pedal (which worked well at least) as hard as I could with both feet and hang onto the steering wheel as I plowed into them! (eyeballs)

It looked more like I had hit a cow or maybe a utility pole rather than two 130lb-ish deer. One went thru the bumper/grille, right thru the radiator (and right into the engine shearing dozens of small parts and pieces loose in the process. Something happened that caused the engine to spray oil all over the place, so that doesn't sound good. It also appears that the transmission case is damaged and it's very likely that the transmission is trashed also! The other on went up over the hood, slamming into the windshield and somehow leaving several dents in the front edge of the roof, breaking the moonroof glass and knocking one of the roof rails loose. My driver's side mirror and driver's door were badly damaged by hooves as the poor thing fell off the roof when I stopped.

I must have ran off the edge of the road during the collision because both of my left (driver's) side wheels are bent and have major cosmetic damage and both tires on that side are flat. There are also some nasty gashes all the way to the paint on the bottom of the driver's side front and rear doors and the black trim at the bottom was ripped loose. I had it taken the body shop where my bro-in-law works and his boss called and said the damage estimate was at least $16k and that was being very conservative! If the transmission is trashed, that's another $4k. My insurance company told me if the damage is really near the 70% of value mark (which $16k would be), they will let me choose whether to repair it or declare it a total loss. If it hits 80% they total it automatically. I've already decided that I want it totaled.

I was thankful that both of the poor creatures were dead by the time I got out of the car. I'm not a hunter and the thought of killing an animal makes me physically ill, but if one or both of them weren't killed on impact, I was ready to dig my Glock 19 out of the glovebox and go do an "Old Yeller" on them out of sheer mercy! BTW, I do keep a gun in my vehicles (and I have a 'Carry Permit') because I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a person trying to harm me or anyone I care about. Can't kill animals but would put a person down in a split-second and without a second thought if they were a threat! I watched a teenage thug rob an older lady at a drive-up ATM and punch her in the face about seven years ago. I held him at gunpoint until the police arrived and haven't left home without it since!

Anyway, I am sad to say that my CX-9 is a goner! I'm planning to buy another CX-9 (either a new 2015 or slightly used 2014) to replace it. But it's still a little sad seeing such a great car die such a nasty death. On the upside, none of the airbags needed to deploy to protect me and they DID NOT....so that spared me the shotgun ringing in my ears and various contact burns and bruises.

On a related topic, I've reached the conclusion that deer are very stupid animals! They see and hear about their deer friends getting mowed down daily, yet they still insist on standing in the road or crossing it when they hear a car coming! And even if you manage to honk and brake to get them to move before you hit, some will jump back in front of you again at the last second anyway. They're sort of like big squirrels with hooves....and they can do some freakin' damage!(rolleyes)
 
Wow, really sorry to hear all the bad luck you've had recently, when it rains it pours, at least you're okay. Makes me wonder if those cheap deer whistles really work? I might get some just for piece of mind,
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
you're the second CX9 to hit a deer within a year, another member hit a deer and actually thought about doing a 2012 smiley face bumper to 2013+ Kodo bumper facelift but auto shop already ordered the 2012 bumper so it was too late.
Post some pics if you have time.
 
Last edited:
When I bought our 2011 I read about this issue, and that Mazda had extended the warranty. I need to follow up and see if it has ever been replaced. My wife drives this everyday, and we have twins on the way. I know they won't replace it if there is not a failure currently, but it helps to know if it has been.
 
Thanks op. This post got me on the right track of researching the extended warranty for brake boosters.

My wife's car's ('12 CX-9 GT AWD at 37k-ish) brake felt like you had to stand on it to stop. After reading what I can online, called the dealership and talked with a service rep who didn't know much as she was new, on a Saturday. Since she couldn't really tell me anything, I just scheduled an appt for Monday.

I then called Mazda warranty to confirm about the extended warranty and this person was almost as clueless as I kept asking "is there or isn't there" and she stated they'd consider it so call back after diagnosis on Monday. Asked about towing and rental or loaner and again, it would be out of pocket first but call back after diagnosis and they'd conisder it. Thanks for everything, got off the phone. Now comes Sunday, I had a friend who had AAA so I had it towed that way so there's no out of pocket.

I called Monday to confirm the Sunday dropoff and about the situation (there were other things needing attention other than the brake booster). The service rep this time knew exactly what's what, told me he'd seen it enough instances, it should be covered and after finding out how long the repair would take would call back regarding a loaner everything at no cost, no need to call Mazda warranty back. Got a call a few hours later, indeed it was the brake booster so they told me to come down and get a loaner, got a Mazda 5 (thankfully) as a Mazda 3 would have been too small for the family. During the same call the rep tells me the part is on back order for 2 weeks (I guess I'm not the only one!) so we get to keep the loaner for the duration, again all covered at no cost under the extended warranty it falls under.

Anyway, we're on day 2 of the loaner but wanted to share the experience with others who happen to come across this post.
 
My wife told me last week that in the morning her brake pedal was hard to press and she heard a hissing noise. Of course when I got home and checked it out, it didn't repeat for me and I heard nothing (might be I've slowly lost my hearing after 20 years of riding around on a fire engine with the siren blaring). Well, I took her car to my dad's shop (he's owned a garage in Yorba Linda for 42 years, and I'm lucky enough to do all my own repairs in a professional shop.) I did the usual oil and filter change, air filter, cabin filter and bled the brakes. Initially she said it sounded better and braked better. then she heard and felt it again. Thank goodness for this site, I did a search and discovered this post and the brake booster problem. When I went to my dad's shop and checked on his online mechanic guide (Mitchell on demand and Identifix) we came up with nothing. I even hooked up the scanner and checked for codes. I was also able to check the pressure wave in the hydraulic system with the scanner (all looked good).

When I called the dealership ( a new one called Capo Mazda - they bought the Phillips Mazda dealership in Mission Viejo), they said no problem, we'll take care of in 1/2 a day and will give us a loaner car. She's going in on Wednesday to get it fixed.

This site and forum are great.

Thanks

Scott
 
My wife told me last week that in the morning her brake pedal was hard to press and she heard a hissing noise. Of course when I got home and checked it out, it didn't repeat for me and I heard nothing (might be I've slowly lost my hearing after 20 years of riding around on a fire engine with the siren blaring). Well, I took her car to my dad's shop (he's owned a garage in Yorba Linda for 42 years, and I'm lucky enough to do all my own repairs in a professional shop.) I did the usual oil and filter change, air filter, cabin filter and bled the brakes. Initially she said it sounded better and braked better. then she heard and felt it again. Thank goodness for this site, I did a search and discovered this post and the brake booster problem. When I went to my dad's shop and checked on his online mechanic guide (Mitchell on demand and Identifix) we came up with nothing. I even hooked up the scanner and checked for codes. I was also able to check the pressure wave in the hydraulic system with the scanner (all looked good).

When I called the dealership ( a new one called Capo Mazda - they bought the Phillips Mazda dealership in Mission Viejo), they said no problem, we'll take care of in 1/2 a day and will give us a loaner car. She's going in on Wednesday to get it fixed.

This site and forum are great.

Thanks

Scott

I'm glad that you found this site before the brake booster actually failed while you or your wife was driving it. My drive to the dealership without the help of the brake booster was NOT fun! I live about 55 miles from the dealer and drove under 60mph the whole way, staying at least a dozen car-lengths behind any other car. With the help of the manual shift function, so I could downshift to help me slow down when needed, I made it.

But I really think Mazda should still do a full recall rather than waiting for them to fail and then covering them under warranty. I hope there haven't been any accidents because of this, but it's very possible. But at least they aren't ignoring it like some other companies do and pretending like nothing is wrong.

If you haven't had the front lower control arms checked (there is a recall to inspect and replace if necessary), make sure they do that while it's there.

Take care.
 
My wife told me last week that in the morning her brake pedal was hard to press and she heard a hissing noise. Of course when I got home and checked it out, it didn't repeat for me and I heard nothing (might be I've slowly lost my hearing after 20 years of riding around on a fire engine with the siren blaring). Well, I took her car to my dad's shop (he's owned a garage in Yorba Linda for 42 years, and I'm lucky enough to do all my own repairs in a professional shop.) I did the usual oil and filter change, air filter, cabin filter and bled the brakes. Initially she said it sounded better and braked better. then she heard and felt it again. Thank goodness for this site, I did a search and discovered this post and the brake booster problem. When I went to my dad's shop and checked on his online mechanic guide (Mitchell on demand and Identifix) we came up with nothing. I even hooked up the scanner and checked for codes. I was also able to check the pressure wave in the hydraulic system with the scanner (all looked good).

When I called the dealership ( a new one called Capo Mazda - they bought the Phillips Mazda dealership in Mission Viejo), they said no problem, we'll take care of in 1/2 a day and will give us a loaner car. She's going in on Wednesday to get it fixed.

This site and forum are great.

Thanks

Scott

Bump.

I must have missed this thread initially--and I also don't recall getting any notice mailed to me from Mazda about the warranty extension. I just had this failure and took my CX-9 to my local garage. They thought it was an odd failure for 60K miles (let alone 40K of the OP!), and did some research and found the warranty extension, and told me about it. Brought it over to Mazda, got a loaner, and I'm waiting for it to be fixed.
 
So last week I was driving my wife's 2012 CX-9 and noticed that it had very little boost. Even worse, mostly it was very hard to press (no boost), sometimes it was spongy (after hard braking.) She claimed that I didn't know what I was talking about, but funny enough, she HAD been complaining about a whooshing sound at her feet.

So yeah, we had the brake booster failure. Unfortunately, she is a high-mileage driver and we are at 101120 miles :(

Regardless, I called the dealership where we purchased the car new, and they knew about the problem and the extended warranty, but said we would not qualify. When asked if I was going to still bring it in for diagnosis, I was immediately offered a loaner as this was a safety issue. Kudo's for that! I am hoping he is also contacting Mazda on my behalf, but if not I told him I would also try calling them. Has anyone else had luck getting Mazda to cover this beyond the extended warranty?
 
...Has anyone else had luck getting Mazda to cover this beyond the extended warranty?

So, kudos to my dealer and the service manager, Ken at Bob Moore Mazda in OK...truck fixed with no cost to me. This is why I love my Mazdas.
 
Mazda CX9 Brake pedal issues

Hi,

I have a 2012 Mazda CX 9 Touring, that I really like but I have started to have an issue with the brakes being hard to push, I was wondering how to tell if the extended warrantee would cover this issue since it looks like it's a defective part?

Any help would be GREATLY Appreciated!

Ron




I just thought I'd share this with you guys in case anyone else runs into a similar problem. Last week, I noticed that the brake pedal on my 2012 CX-9 seemed very hard to press at various times. I thought it might just be my imagination or just a fluke of some kind. Then as I was approaching a red light, I had to stand on the pedal with BOTH feet (and I'm about 260lbs) to get it to stop!

I knew that there was a major problem with the brake booster, master cylinder or some other major brake system component. I took it to a friend of mine at a local repair shop so I could get a better idea of what was going on. He told me that the brake booster had a vacuum leak and, even though I was technically 4,500 miles over my 36,000 basic warranty, that the dealership should still repair it under warranty.

I took it to the dealer yesterday and was very polite but told them that a brake system failure on a 2.5yr old car (that cost $39k) was very unsettling. They immediately showed me that the brake booster on my 2012 has a warranty extension and would be replaced at no cost. They had to order the part (uncertain how long that will take) but they gave me a loaner in the meantime. It's a 2012 Mazda3 i Touring 5-door, but it beats renting a car.

Just wanted to share in case any of you guys have a similar problem at some point in the future.
 
Back