Question about a 2013

Hello!

I'm just about to buy a 2013 Mazda CX-9 Touring. It has 57K miles and is in great shape. It's not the AWD version it's the FWD.

Are there anythings to be concerned about for this year of CX-9? It seems like it would be pretty reliable. Does anyone have any experience with this particular year?

Thank you everyone

Check the engine green coolant level, make a mental note or take a picture of the current green coolant level, go for test drive, wait a couple of days, then go back and check the engine coolant level again. If it drops, run away as fast as you can...... Search water pump in the cx9 how to section. Then you will understand, doesn't matter if its AWD or FWD, if water pump seal is faulty coolant leaks into the engine. Also search on YouTube. CX9, Ford Edge, Ford Flex water pump failure.

Sorry for double posting. Phone will not let me edit my post. How many are effected by the water pump issue? Is it super wide spread? I didnt see any TSBs on it..?

Ghostprime said:

Sorry for double posting. Phone will not let me edit my post. How many are effected by the water pump issue? Is it super wide spread? I didnt see any TSBs on it..?

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it's a well known Ford design flaw .... it's not a Mazda engine in the 2013 CX-9, it's the Ford Duratec 3.7L engine

https://www.fordf150.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=120721

this unfortunate owner had a 2013 CX-9, engine failed at 61,000 miles due to water pump seal failure and coolant leaked into the engine case....

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Mazda/CX-9/2013/cooling_system/water_pump_failure_led_to_engine_failure.shtml

the problem is the water pump blade is made of plastic and starts deteriorating and starts to wobble which in turn stresses the blade axis and causes the seal to fail and allows coolant into the engine cavity



see video below :36 second mark , just a sheer madness design, one side of water pump is coolant other side is engine oil, water pump is buried deep inside on the side of engine block, so it's not an easy job to replace, it can be done, but you need the right tools and experience.
If O-ring seal break coolant start leaking, tell tale sign is if you keep seeing coolant level dropping for no reason.
There should be no coolant drop, it is a closed loop system.

So, in the above links where owners aid there was no warning prior to engine failure, that's not true, all they had to do was check the coolant level on a regular basis, they would have noticed the coolant dropping dangerously low.

It happens to both CX-9s and Mazda 6's with the 3.7L engine. Don't know how common it is, but it happens enough that there are complaints to the NHTSA and to Mazda and on a variety of websites. There's even a You Tube video. It happened to my Mazda 6 and my research revealed that the CX-9s have the same issue. I reached out to Mazda and they will not help if the car is past the 60k warranty. Even though it's a design issue. This engine is a Ford design, called Duratec, and it affects Ford F150s and Flex's. There is a class action suit filed on behalf of the Ford owners. I have spoken to the lawyers who filed on behalf of Ford owners, and they are interested in adding Mazda. So if you had this issue, send me a message.