I searched the forums last night, but just thought I'd throw this out there, too. We finally need a 7-seater and I'm looking at a seemingly pretty good deal on a 2012 CX-9. Anything besides this very common brake booster problem to check out? I see this was the model year right before a cosmetic upgrade, maybe that's the reason for the good price. Anyway, if anyone has time to comment on this model year, i'd appreciate it. If this car is anything like my other Mazda - a Protege5 I've had for 15 years with no issues at all, this will be a steal.
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what to look for in 2012 CX-9
- Thread starter asterix
- Start date
Stay away from the awd models. If you search transfer case issues in the forum and you will see. I would stay away from this generation of cx9s altogether. I have a 2010 that I had the transfer case replaced at 34k. Bought the car used and didn't find the forum until after the purchased the car.
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Sorry I just saw a previous thread on this from January 2017 - and it answered my questions. Reliability doesn't seem the same as the ol' P5. blame Ford?
I'm not sure if this question is still relevant since I'm replying a week after it was posted. But I still thought I'd offer my input.
There are only two real issues with these models- the transfer case on AWD models (as already mentioned by a previous member) and the brakes. The front brake problem was two-fold in my case. The front rotors were replaced multiple times in the first 30k miles. Each time, they would warp and the shaking/vibration would return in less than 10k miles. The dealer never solved the issue, but a few hundred bucks spent on a pair of slotted high-performance rotors did the trick. I have almost 40k miles on those rotors and they are still performing perfectly. The other problem was the power brake booster failing around 50k miles. It was a known, fairly widespread issue and they extended the warranty on the part to cover it.
Other than my braking woes, my FWD 2012 CX-9 Grand Touring has been and continues to be a great car! I bought it new in November 2012 and I just passed the 70k mile mark. It still looks and feels like a new car and it's a blast to drive (in general, but especially for an 'almost-full-size' CUV/SUV). Based on the fairly limited data available, primarily the website TrueDelta.com and Consumer Reports, the 2012 (and surrounding years) of the CX-9 are average to above average in terms of reliability and durability.
My advice would be to give the 2012 serious consideration if it's a FWD model. As with any used vehicle, have a mechanic check it out before you sign on the dotted line. But the used CX-9s are often excellent deals because they're overlooked by used car buyers much the same as they were when they were new. I got an awesome deal on my 2012 because the revised 2013 models were already on the lot. It stickered for $39k and I paid $29,800 plus sales tax! Now that they're 4-5 years old, they are even better values.
astriuminc
Member
- :
- CX-9 2013 AWD
I searched the forums last night, but just thought I'd throw this out there, too. We finally need a 7-seater and I'm looking at a seemingly pretty good deal on a 2012 CX-9. Anything besides this very common brake booster problem to check out? I see this was the model year right before a cosmetic upgrade, maybe that's the reason for the good price. Anyway, if anyone has time to comment on this model year, i'd appreciate it. If this car is anything like my other Mazda - a Protege5 I've had for 15 years with no issues at all, this will be a steal.
two words: water pump, see link below, doesn't matter if it's FWD or AWD, it's a Ford design flaw, once the water pump seal fails, the coolant gets into the engine and destroys it. besides that, common problems are AWD transfer case, brake booster failure, wheel bearings fail,
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123845243-Water-pump!!!!
video shows a Ford Flex but it's the same exact engine in the CX-9
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