Continue to have issues with my CX-9 and don't know what to do; please help!

NovCruisin

Member
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2017 Mazda CX-9
We bought a brand new 2017 CX9 Grand Touring 2WD and it has been quite a headache for the last two years. Did we get a lemon or are these normal problems? We own a Toyota that is a 2012 (original owners) and we've never had one single problem with that car.

It started with oil leaking. One dealership said the oil pan was cracked ($700 to replace) and the other said the drain plug was the problem b/c Mazda uses temporary drain plugs on new vehicles not meant to be replaced after an oil change. So we go with option 2 hoping the cheaper route would work. $20 they put on a new drain plug. Next oil change...leaking again. So we bought a Fumoto plug, had the dealership change the oil and tighten that sucker on. We haven't had a problem with leaking since. (BTW thanks to this forum for the Fumoto recommendation).

The tire pressure sensor is constantly on even though we have checked the tire pressure and they are fine...so we eternally drive around with that light on (mad)

Then about two months ago the check engine light came on and we took it to AutoZone who did the diagnostic test which came back as "Exhaust gas recirculation flow insufficient". We haven't been able to determine what that means...the check engine light goes on and off for this issue. We will be ordering a new air filter....don't know if that will change the issue though? We looked at the engine air filter and it looks fine to the naked eye.

This car actually burns oil which is weird. We have to "top off" the oil in between oil changes.

Now, another light is on "Engine Oil Level Sensor Malfunction" has come on. We just topped off the oil Friday, so it isn't low - I guess the issue is the actual sensor?

What the heck is going on with this vehicle?! Can anyone help me figure out what the deal is with all these problems. I think if I can't get these issues to stop, I am going to trade in for a vehicle that isn't a Mazda. I've honestly never had problems like this with any other vehicle I've ever owned (I've had Toyota new, Dodge new, Lexus used, Acura used, Buick used).

It's honestly exhausting for a 2 year old vehicle. Sadly the warranty is 3 yrs/36,000 miles and I've reached 48,000 miles so I am out of the warranty period I believe.
 
Well, that sounds terrible. What cracked the oil pan? I am surprised they did not replace that for free.

If you reset the tire light, does it just come back on? If so, they could be bad sensors - they often get damaged when garages do tire rotations.

Th warning issues sound bad and I would head to a dealer. A "Exhaust gas recirculation flow insufficient" warning has nothing to do with the air filter but something more to do with the Turbo.

To me, burning oil is bad for a new car. How many miles does it have and is it still under warranty?
 
Well, that sounds terrible. What cracked the oil pan? I am surprised they did not replace that for free.

If you reset the tire light, does it just come back on? If so, they could be bad sensors - they often get damaged when garages do tire rotations.

Th warning issues sound bad and I would head to a dealer. A "Exhaust gas recirculation flow insufficient" warning has nothing to do with the air filter but something more to do with the Turbo.

To me, burning oil is bad for a new car. How many miles does it have and is it still under warranty?

We never even were able to confirm the oil pan was cracked; we took it to 3 dealerships, only 1 out of 3 said that...so maybe that was a ploy to charge us for something we didn't need? IDK

The warranty is 3 yrs/36,000 miles and I've reached 48,000 miles so I am out of the warranty period I believe.
 
The only serious thing seems to be the CEL. I would take it to the dealer or a reputable independent mechanic to troubleshoot the issue immediately.

Cracked oil pan/drain plug issues would have been taken care of under warranty at the dealership I use. This could just be a case of a poor dealership. I would have taken it to another dealership for a second opinion, or contacted Mazda Corporate to see what they could do.

TPMS may need to be recalibrated (see Owner's Manual). If the problem persists, the issue might be due to the ABS wheel speed sensor (which is what triggers the TPMS warning). I've heard of people forgetting to reconnect the sensor during service on other vehicles. Maybe someone did the same on yours?

What kind of oil are you using (brand and weight)?


In any event, this definitely sounds like a lemon, none of these problems are common on this engine, as far as I know. Go to a local dealer (preferably not the one you originally used) and see if they can do anything for you. If not, contact Mazda Corporate and express your concerns, maybe they can do something for you. I wouldn't write the car off until that point.


EDIT: just saw your recent post. That temporary drain plug thing is BS, I think.
 
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One thing at a time. The oil leak--the oil pan is steel. It's very unlikely that it could be cracked. Most likely is that the (not-temporary) drain plug needed a new gasket. 35 item. The other possibility is that the grease monkey that previously changed the oil was actually a gorilla who overtightened the plug and damaged the threads. In any case, you're fixed, now. And...if they wanted $700 to replace the oil pan, always demand to see the removed part and have them show you the problem--the crack in this case. If there's no crack, don't pay. Always, always, have the problem written on the repair order, not just the service writer's guess on what work to do. You're there to get the problem fixed, and, no fix-no pay. And, this would be covered under your drivetrain warranty unless there has been damage.

Tire pressure sensor--do the '17s have the system that uses the ABS wheel rotation sensors or actual pressure sensors? Whichever, get it fixed. If it is a pressure sensor, any tire shop can replace it cheaper that the dealership. Any good repair shop can troubleshoot the ABS wheel rotation sensors.

Exhaust gas recirculation--that might be a problem with the exhaust gas recirculation valve or maybe just a loose wire connector. This is still within the 5 year/60,000 mile drivetrain warranty. This might also be covered under the federal 8 year/80,000 mile emission component warranty.

The burning oil should not happen. You are still within the drivetrain warranty period, so get it fixed. Ditto for the oil level sensor.
 
I had a small leak but fixed it with new drain plug and gasket. You should first measure the oil going in and out to determine how significant the oil consumption is. All brands all engines will burn oil but first determine how much.
 
One thing at a time. The oil leak--the oil pan is steel. It's very unlikely that it could be cracked. Most likely is that the (not-temporary) drain plug needed a new gasket. 35 item. The other possibility is that the grease monkey that previously changed the oil was actually a gorilla who overtightened the plug and damaged the threads. In any case, you're fixed, now. And...if they wanted $700 to replace the oil pan, always demand to see the removed part and have them show you the problem--the crack in this case. If there's no crack, don't pay. Always, always, have the problem written on the repair order, not just the service writer's guess on what work to do. You're there to get the problem fixed, and, no fix-no pay. And, this would be covered under your drivetrain warranty unless there has been damage.

Tire pressure sensor--do the '17s have the system that uses the ABS wheel rotation sensors or actual pressure sensors? Whichever, get it fixed. If it is a pressure sensor, any tire shop can replace it cheaper that the dealership. Any good repair shop can troubleshoot the ABS wheel rotation sensors.

Exhaust gas recirculation--that might be a problem with the exhaust gas recirculation valve or maybe just a loose wire connector. This is still within the 5 year/60,000 mile drivetrain warranty. This might also be covered under the federal 8 year/80,000 mile emission component warranty.

The burning oil should not happen. You are still within the drivetrain warranty period, so get it fixed. Ditto for the oil level sensor.


A very well written and useful post. I would listen to this guy and take his advice.


ps. This forum should have a like button. Solid post Mr. PTguy!
 
Thank you all for very helpful information! We have an appointment (at a different Mazda, not the one we bought it from) today. Hopefully they can diagnose the issue and it is covered under warranty...that would be the best case scenario! I will come back to report the findings on that.

I agree with everyone about it likely not being a cracked oil pan. We actually change the oil ourselves and have done it on every car we've owned for 20 years, so to think using our hands that we would have the force to crack the pan seems unlikely. Like someone mentioned though, that issue is 'solved'. We haven't had any problems after replacing the drain plug with a fumoto plug.

For the tps, we aired up the tires last night and reset the tps button. Hopefully that'll do; honestly I'm not sure if we ever reset the button. So that issue could be "user error" (i.e. I'm an idiot).

Will report back though and thank you again for all this information!
 
We bought a brand new 2017 CX9 Grand Touring 2WD and it has been quite a headache for the last two years. Did we get a lemon or are these normal problems? We own a Toyota that is a 2012 (original owners) and we've never had one single problem with that car.

It started with oil leaking. One dealership said the oil pan was cracked ($700 to replace) and the other said the drain plug was the problem b/c Mazda uses temporary drain plugs on new vehicles not meant to be replaced after an oil change. So we go with option 2 hoping the cheaper route would work. $20 they put on a new drain plug. Next oil change...leaking again. So we bought a Fumoto plug, had the dealership change the oil and tighten that sucker on. We haven't had a problem with leaking since. (BTW thanks to this forum for the Fumoto recommendation).

The tire pressure sensor is constantly on even though we have checked the tire pressure and they are fine...so we eternally drive around with that light on (mad)

Then about two months ago the check engine light came on and we took it to AutoZone who did the diagnostic test which came back as "Exhaust gas recirculation flow insufficient". We haven't been able to determine what that means...the check engine light goes on and off for this issue. We will be ordering a new air filter....don't know if that will change the issue though? We looked at the engine air filter and it looks fine to the naked eye.

This car actually burns oil which is weird. We have to "top off" the oil in between oil changes.

Now, another light is on "Engine Oil Level Sensor Malfunction" has come on. We just topped off the oil Friday, so it isn't low - I guess the issue is the actual sensor?

What the heck is going on with this vehicle?! Can anyone help me figure out what the deal is with all these problems. I think if I can't get these issues to stop, I am going to trade in for a vehicle that isn't a Mazda. I've honestly never had problems like this with any other vehicle I've ever owned (I've had Toyota new, Dodge new, Lexus used, Acura used, Buick used).

It's honestly exhausting for a 2 year old vehicle. Sadly the warranty is 3 yrs/36,000 miles and I've reached 48,000 miles so I am out of the warranty period I believe.

The power train warranty is 5/60. The EGR one could be nothing or it could be a pretty big deal - the engine recirculates exhaust gas to avoid pinging and detonation at low RPMs. If that system is not working properly the engine could be damaged.

I would get that car to the dealer ASAP and inform the Mazda service writer of the exact code the AutoZone people found. That's not a code I would drive around with until I got a more detailed explanation.
 
So here is the latest I update:

They said the EGR was just something that needed to be "reset" on the programming, like a computer glitch.

They said the oil sensor was likely damaged but they initially tried to pass the blame onto us saying it could be due to bottoming out and the only way to fix the oil sensor is to replace the entire pan; when we pressed them and asked 'how do you bottom out a car that sits so high off the ground' and climbed under with them and there was no evidence of damage like scraps, they said they needed to keep it overnight to investigate further.

They gave us a loaner and we are supposed to go back today.

Does it sound right that the EGR can just be reset? I worry it's something more serious that they are passing off.

Is that true the oil sensor can only be fixed by being replaced and can only be replaced by changing the entire pan?
 
it could be due to bottoming out and the only way to fix the oil sensor is to replace the entire pan; when we pressed them and asked 'how do you bottom out a car that sits so high off the ground' and climbed under with them and there was no evidence of damage like scraps, they said they needed to keep it overnight to investigate further.
Another example of the service writer guessing about the problem instead of a technician looking at it. As we all know, the underside of the engine is covered by a plastic piece for aerodynamics. If you'd bottomed-out, that would easily show damage.

Always keep in mind that the service writer is a salesman first, last, always. They're paid on commission. If they don't sell you service, they get fired. Selling you an unneeded oil pan gets them a bigger commission check than writing up a warranty repair. We need the service writers, but we can never trust them to put our interests first.

I don't know about the EGR valve reset. If the reset doesn't work, you'll see with the Check Engine light. I also don't know about the oil level sensor--I didn't even know our cars had one. It seems likely that the oil pan would have to get to it, but that's a warranty problem, not your problem.
 
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Well the dealer agreed to replace the entire oil pan, under warranty! So that's great news! Hopefully that, plus the resetting of the EGR, and all will be well!

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond!
 
As for the tire sensor...that has to do with the tire width.
Mine was equipped with 255/55/R18 and the sensor would trip often.
But when I put winter tires the size for those were 235/65/R18.
Tire sensor has never tripped since Jan/2019
 
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