CX9 replacement of both front lower control arms and spacers

tstex

Member
Hello to all,

It's been awhile, but I still have my 2009 CX9 Grand Touring w 113K miles. I share it btw my daughter and I, but I use a comp car too.

Someone who rode w me said when I hit a bump, it kind of makes a "blonk" sound coming from the passenger side up front. With the basic recall that was on CX9's made from 2006-2013, which mine is, did anyone else go thru the recall installation process and have a problem w and strange sounds afterwards?

Also, even if they did the recall, could there be other parts worn out that is causing this? My friend looked under my car and said both control arms were replaced, but there is something else going on...I want to take it into the dealer, but be educated on their potential responsibility if this is an issue due to the nature of the recall or a defective result thereof,,,

I would appreciate all of your feedback in what were your results and anything that occurred as a result of the recall installation.

Thank you very much,
tste

RECALL NOTICE

August 5, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC (August 5, 2015) – Mazda has decided to implement a voluntary recall to include certain 2007-2014 MY CX-9 vehicles. On these CX-9 vehicles produced from October 24, 2006 through December 28, 2013, water may enter the front suspension ball joint fitting. Driving on roadways during the winter months in areas that use roadway salts can lead to salt and water intrusion into the ball joint, causing corrosion, which can result in looseness of the ball joint in the fitting. As a result of the looseness, a rattle may occur at the lower control arm ball joint. After extended operation in this condition, in the worst case the ball joint and lower control arm may separate.
Approximately 193,000 US vehicles are involved.
The repair is to replace both front lower control arms and spacers. Due to parts availability, priority will be given to vehicles registered in states that use roadway salt: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Minnesota, Missouri, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York.
Owners of subject vehicles will be notified by mail in September.
There have been no reports of accidents or injury related to this issue.
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through more than 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
 
Last edited:
As far as advice I don't know. What I will tell you is I have a similar noise when going in reverse and turning one side only. The only difference between the old control arms and the new re-designed ones is that they added clips that go on top of the ball joint to keep them from coming out. The price has also gone down considerably for those new type control arms. At the beginning of the recall they were going for almost 300 per side part only. Now they are about 140 for each side. The only other part that goes more than once is the tie rod ends for some reason. These parts are kind of small for the size and weight of the car. I ordered moog problem solvers from rock auto for the tie rod ends because they have greasable fittings which prolong the life of the part. Hope this helps.
 
I had the recall done, which made me quite happy getting new parts like that. Paying out of pocket for those things would cost a fortune with labor. I didn't notice anything but slight improvement / tighter ride quality after the recall. Maybe your strut mounts/strut bearings are going? I have ridden in plenty of cars with bad strut mounts and that's usually the tell tale sign is that aweful popping noise going over bumps. I actually had my left rear strut start leaking like a champ suddenly, but it wasn't making any noise. That was a lot of fun to replace right and left. NOT.
 
Back