2019 CX-9 - list of design problems/complaints

I am currently driving a rental Nissan Pathfinder that has the tire pressure information and 360 surround camera. Surprisingly, the camera is almost as bad as what is found in the CX-9. Was really surprised at this. The lines that curve are nice though. The tire pressure information is not useful to me at the moment but I could see it being something nice to see when there is a problem.
 
The CX-9 is a great car with no major shortcomings in my opinion. However, three missing options that do annoy me, that also would not cost Mazda much to include, are the following:

- TPMS with individual tire pressures. My wife and my last several cars have had this feature and it has come in handy. I also like to keep my tires inflated almost perfectly and seeing the individual pressures alerts me to which tire could use a pound or two.

- Lack of brake hold feature. Very convenient feature when you're driving in the city from stoplight to stoplight. The peculiar thing is this feature is available in the CX-5.

- Side mirrors not tied to memory seats. Would be really nice to not have to adjust each mirror individually when getting in the car after my wife has driven it.

These 3 features would not cost much to add, so I can't see how this is a cost saving move. However, the impact of having all 3 would be impactful to the holistic view of the car. Moreover, these features are all available in the CX-9 direct competition.
 
Oh, I just realized that I do have something to complain about.

The wheels, specifically the rims. I'm not sure about the 18s that come on the GS/Touring trims, but the 20s that come on the Signature and GT are way too heavy. I know that this is probably a viable area for Mazda to cut corners on, as not many people would notice the difference unless they were swapping wheels.

To compare, Niche makes a wheel called the Misano. It is a cast wheel, just like the OEM wheel. The 20x9 Misano weighs about 30lbs, while the OEM 20x8.5 weighs over 39lbs. Shaving 9lbs of unsprung rotational weight off per corner should result in a noticeable improvement in handling, acceleration, mileage, and braking performance.

I would be willing to bet that the CX-5 GT Reserve and Signature's 19s are also heavy as they share the same design style.
 
Oh, I just realized that I do have something to complain about.

The wheels, specifically the rims. I'm not sure about the 18s that come on the GS/Touring trims, but the 20s that come on the Signature and GT are way too heavy. I know that this is probably a viable area for Mazda to cut corners on, as not many people would notice the difference unless they were swapping wheels.

To compare, Niche makes a wheel called the Misano. It is a cast wheel, just like the OEM wheel. The 20x9 Misano weighs about 30lbs, while the OEM 20x8.5 weighs over 39lbs. Shaving 9lbs of unsprung rotational weight off per corner should result in a noticeable improvement in handling, acceleration, mileage, and braking performance.

I would be willing to bet that the CX-5 GT Reserve and Signature's 19s are also heavy as they share the same design style.

Pretty sure most OEM wheels average a good amount heavier than the average aftermarket, especially an expensive aftermarket one. OEM's are usually stronger. The CX9's you can tell are rock solid. For a 3-row crossover, it doesn't concern me that they are heavy. If I had a sports car, it would matter though.
 
2018/2019 TPMS is different from 2016/2017 TPMS. Or am I wrong?

You are correct. It appears that Mazda switched to the direct sensor system in 2018. The previous generation uses this system, too.

For some reason, the CX-9 has always had a basic TPMS without individual pressure readouts. GM crapboxes had individual pressure readouts a decade ago, there's really no reason not to have it.
 
Pretty sure most OEM wheels average a good amount heavier than the average aftermarket, especially an expensive aftermarket one. OEM's are usually stronger. The CX9's you can tell are rock solid. For a 3-row crossover, it doesn't concern me that they are heavy. If I had a sports car, it would matter though.

Yes you're right, most OEM wheels are heavy (and as a result, rock solid), but IMO they could still improve. To me, it's just like the lack of individual TPMS sensor reading issue that a lot of people are concerned with. They could have very easily just chosen a wheel design that could still be just as strong, have the same load rating, but weigh a little (or a lot) less. For example, the Jeep GC Overland 20" wheels are a 5-spoke design and weigh in at 35lbs.

Enkei, BBS, etc. manufacture heavy OEM wheels as well as lightweight aftermarket wheels, they just use the heavier OEM wheels because they're cheaper. It's just a matter of Mazda cutting one less corner. Honestly I'd rather they change the wheel to a lighter design instead of almost any other luxury improvement they might make in the future (pano roof, lane centering tech, hands-free liftgate, whatever). I mean, if Jeep can do it, Mazda can too.

In addition, while our CX-9s are 3-row crossovers, they are/were rightfully touted as the "driver's crossover". A lighter wheel would further reinforce the experience. It's actually pretty cool that they were able to make the CX-9 handle as well as it does with such heavy wheels in the first place, but there's always room for improvement.
 
To me, most of these seem like annoyances rather than outright problems the latter of which implies a defect or quality deficiency

My #1 concern is road noise. The driver's side window specifically lets on more road noise than my old Toyota and even the 6 on highway driving. It is less noticeable with music playing but if there is wind, it will be audible. I believe Mazda has tried to fix this in more recent models but I haven't had a chance to evaluate it

The battery drain on the key fob seems higher than normal but this is common this this style of fob and not just the CX-9

The tire wear is higher than normal as well. At 18k miles, I was at 4/11 tread depth which seems a bit quick even with religious rotations. Again, it is not unheard of for OEMs to slap on some crappy tires. I am assuming my next set may fix even the noise issues noted above.

The infotainment is slow and clearly at end of life relative to competition. The main issue I have, however is sometimes is a blank display particularly in cold condition.

Finally, I am noticing that some trim pieces that won't stay in place as well as leather coming off the plastic seams. I will address this in the warranty followup and see what they say.

Current mileage: 23K
 
Finally, I am noticing that some trim pieces that won't stay in place as well as leather coming off the plastic seams. I will address this in the warranty followup and see what they say.

Current mileage: 23K

Interesting. Do you have any photos?
 
To compare, Niche makes a wheel called the Misano. It is a cast wheel, just like the OEM wheel. The 20x9 Misano weighs about 30lbs, while the OEM 20x8.5 weighs over 39lbs. Shaving 9lbs of unsprung rotational weight off per corner should result in a noticeable improvement in handling, acceleration, mileage, and braking performance.

Not so you'd notice. I have 20" Niche wheels ('Milan') on my CX9 with winter tires (Nokian Hakkapeliitta). Can't say I notice any particular difference from the summer setup except that ultimate cornering ability is somewhat less with the winter set. But nothing that I would attribute to wheel weight.

As an aside, here is the answer to the question you never thought of asking(!): Niche wheels have two valve holes per wheel, so on mine the tire pressure sensors are on the inside of the wheel and the valves -- regular rubber valves -- on the outside. It was the same on my previous car on which I also had Niche wheels. Go figure.
 
Not so you'd notice. I have 20" Niche wheels ('Milan') on my CX9 with winter tires (Nokian Hakkapeliitta). Can't say I notice any particular difference from the summer setup except that ultimate cornering ability is somewhat less with the winter set. But nothing that I would attribute to wheel weight.

As an aside, here is the answer to the question you never thought of asking(!): Niche wheels have two valve holes per wheel, so on mine the tire pressure sensors are on the inside of the wheel and the valves -- regular rubber valves -- on the outside. It was the same on my previous car on which I also had Niche wheels. Go figure.

The 20x8.5 Milan wheel weighs 34lbs according to Niche's spec sheet. A 5lb difference won't be as noticeable as a 9lb difference, but when dealing with unsprung weight, every bit counts. I'm also not sure you'd notice any difference if you've only had the wheels on for the winter, as colder temps and winter rubber will affect your mileage and handling, and it's not as likely that you'd be accelerating or braking hard enough in snowy/icy/wet conditions with winter tires as you would in the summer.

I'm looking forward to getting my 22s on in the next month or so in order to compare how the car felt with the OEM setup vs the new setup (4lbs lighter and 2" wider at each corner) on dry, clean pavement.

Thanks for the info on the two valve holes, I always wondered why some wheels have them and others don't.
 
I'm looking forward to getting my 22s on in the next month or so in order to compare how the car felt with the OEM setup vs the new setup (4lbs lighter and 2" wider at each corner) on dry, clean pavement.

I have a dollar* says you'll notice quite a difference because of the wider tires, larger contact patch, and performance tires vs all-seasons, but you'll be hard pressed to determine any difference due to unsprung weight reduction. It will also be interesting to get your take on any change in comfort due to a lower aspect ratio.

* A loonie, none of that real green money stuff.
 
I have a dollar* says you'll notice quite a difference because of the wider tires, larger contact patch, and performance tires vs all-seasons, but you'll be hard pressed to determine any difference due to unsprung weight reduction. It will also be interesting to get your take on any change in comfort due to a lower aspect ratio.

* A loonie, none of that real green money stuff.

Yep, I'm sure handling will improve, but I'm more interested in the changes in acceleration and mileage. Tires on the 22" set are Nexen Roadian HP, they're an all-season tire. I don't think they would be considered a performance tire, but I'm sure they'll grip better than the OEM Bridgestones. For that reason, I'd be comparing acceleration from 30-80 instead of from a complete stop. Comfort is something that I'm sure I'll be okay with as I had 30 series tires on 19" wheels when I had my IS250. But I'll be sure to note any changes in NVH after I put some KMs on them.

In an ideal testing scenario, I'd simply replace the OEM 20x8.5 +45 with an aftermarket 20x8.5 +45 and reuse the OEM tires. But I figured that if I was going to change wheels, I might as well go up to a size I prefer.
 
... and while I was unimpressed with the auto-wipers at first, it's rained everyday since I brought the car home so I've been able to test them out and think they are not terrible.
...
Sry, I havent visited back in a while...
On the topic of wipers,
The '17 CRV touring we had before had rain sensing wipers and they were a nightmare, totally undependable, huge wipers and loud and squeaky as hell. Coming from that experience, the first time it rained we were driving the cx-9 with my wife and there there was nothing else in this new car we were more excited about before or after that day as to find out how well the wipers work here! We were both laughing with joy. The wipers are small, quiet, totally unintrusive, and the rain sensing worked very well! It was even a great day to test them because the rain varied a lot.
It's the little things that count :)
Mazda got this one right :thumbsup
 
Lol, this is kind of funny. How does one test drive a 45k vehicle and proceed to purchase, knowing they couldn't get the seat configured the way they want, and after having tested the lane keep assist features?
...
It would be funny... if it were true..
I dont think you read my post well, or perhaps I didnt make it clear. I did not know, test for, nor realized these shortcomings until after buying the car. I was exploring and testing different things in the car, but I had no time to test every possible feature. Never before had any concerns with seat adjustments, so I never fully tested it. Test drive was more focused on powertrain than safety features, and i never suspected LAS could be as limited as this, etc. etc. hope u get my point.
I think I also explained a little more in other posts in this thread, but you probably didnt read those.
 
To me, most of these seem like annoyances rather than outright problems the latter of which implies a defect or quality deficiency

My #1 concern is road noise. The driver's side window specifically lets on more road noise than my old Toyota and even the 6 on highway driving. It is less noticeable with music playing but if there is wind, it will be audible. I believe Mazda has tried to fix this in more recent models but I haven't had a chance to evaluate it

The battery drain on the key fob seems higher than normal but this is common this this style of fob and not just the CX-9

The tire wear is higher than normal as well. At 18k miles, I was at 4/11 tread depth which seems a bit quick even with religious rotations. Again, it is not unheard of for OEMs to slap on some crappy tires. I am assuming my next set may fix even the noise issues noted above.

The infotainment is slow and clearly at end of life relative to competition. The main issue I have, however is sometimes is a blank display particularly in cold condition.

Finally, I am noticing that some trim pieces that won't stay in place as well as leather coming off the plastic seams. I will address this in the warranty followup and see what they say.

Current mileage: 23K

Interesting to compare.
I've not noticed any road noise, so its possible they fixed it in 19.
I also did not observe any problems with infotainment, no slowness and no blank display, works pretty well so far. Maybe they upgraded...
Other things obviously i cant comment on this early.
 
...
- TPMS with individual tire pressures. My wife and my last several cars have had this feature and it has come in handy. I also like to keep my tires inflated almost perfectly and seeing the individual pressures alerts me to which tire could use a pound or two.

- Lack of brake hold feature. Very convenient feature when you're driving in the city from stoplight to stoplight. The peculiar thing is this feature is available in the CX-5.

- Side mirrors not tied to memory seats. Would be really nice to not have to adjust each mirror individually when getting in the car after my wife has driven it.

These 3 features would not cost much to add, so I can't see how this is a cost saving move. However, the impact of having all 3 would be impactful to the holistic view of the car. Moreover, these features are all available in the CX-9 direct competition.

Fully agree on all 3.

TPMS readout per each tire is a peculiar feature. It's something that to most drivers may seem like good to have but not very important in every day drive... until bad luck happens..
Lack of good tpms never bothered me in the past for years, until I've had several bad experiences with a tire slowly losing pressure over time, with no punctures and no easy indications. It'd piss me off that the tpms warning light would always come on when i was already on my way to work, and no other early indications.
Another time had a puncture at homedepot parking lot and didnt know about until half way home already, which made a big difference at that time of day.
On top of that, now I drive into NYC every day with crappy roads and parking lot full of various crap you can't avoid, so real time each wheel readout is something ive grown to depend on constantly.
Yes, I should've checked for that before buying, but lack of it would not have influenced my buying decision much anyway. It's not a deal breaker, but it's a shame it's not included in an expensive model like the GT.
 
It would be funny... if it were true..
I dont think you read my post well, or perhaps I didnt make it clear. I did not know, test for, nor realized these shortcomings until after buying the car. I was exploring and testing different things in the car, but I had no time to test every possible feature. Never before had any concerns with seat adjustments, so I never fully tested it. Test drive was more focused on powertrain than safety features, and i never suspected LAS could be as limited as this, etc. etc. hope u get my point.
I think I also explained a little more in other posts in this thread, but you probably didnt read those.

No, I did read all of those posts, and took it all into account before I posted. All I was saying is that regardless of the situation, you didn't do your due diligence before closing the sale. Happens to everyone at some point or another. As you said, had you known of these issues/complaints/quirks, you may have gone with a different car. If you had spent a little more time with the car or done a little bit more research, you might have saved yourself some of the annoyances you're dealing with now. Tough lesson to learn, but it is what it is.
 
That's quite true, I had no time to experiment with the car in person much. I did thorough research by reading reviews and watching youtube reviews, and most of this stuff was not mentioned anywhere (except for limited storage). I focused more on price bargaining with about 30 different dealerships in the area and did very well on that, but it took a lot of my time I could've otherwise spent testing the car.
To be fair, you really can't test everything until you drive any car at least several times in different conditions. Yes, it's easy to say the things I listed should've been easy to check for before buying, but only if I specifically was concerned about them. My concerns were about other things that stood out to me from past cars experiences, I couldn't possibly test or check for every possible feature, and I dont think anyone is able to unless you have a whole day to spend on nothing but sitting in the showroom and doing test drives.

So next time you buy a car and later find even a single thing you were not expecting, you can tell yourself the same thing, how funny it is that it's something you should've checked for before buying the car.
 
One complaint I haven't seen that irritated me (again) yesterday with the entertainment system ...

With the big, beautiful screen in front of me, why are the song (or author or album) names cut off halfway across the screen?

Yesterday one radio station was playing "Hootie and the Blo". (eek2) I know there's space reserved for album art, etc, but c'mon, make it fit. There's a lot of blank space on there. (pissed)
 
One complaint I haven't seen that irritated me (again) yesterday with the entertainment system ...

With the big, beautiful screen in front of me, why are the song (or author or album) names cut off halfway across the screen?

Yesterday one radio station was playing "Hootie and the Blo". (eek2) I know there's space reserved for album art, etc, but c'mon, make it fit. There's a lot of blank space on there. (pissed)

Well, Hootie does "blo" so maybe it was trying to tell you something...
 
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