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I would say though, if anybody out there is considering a cx-9 and is used to driving a car with autolocks this car may annoy you. If you want to drive with your doors lock(which is generally advised) then you have to get in the habit of manually locking the doors and then you have to manually unlock the door(pulling on the driver's door handle doesn't unlock the door). Also, as we have just confirmed, if you have the advanced key and you arrive to a destination that is dark, you have to find the door lock button in the dark to turn on the interior lights. In which case you are gathering up your items with your door unlocked or open and not paying attention to your surroundings. Of course you could turn on the map light(button is also not backlit) instead of unlocking or opening the door, but odds are one time you'll forget to turn it off, although I think it might shut off eventually to save the battery. Things you might not notice is a test drive. Call me paranoid, but that's the world we live in....
Bring the TSB to your dealer. If they have tried to fix it more than 3 times already, it is time to ask for a new CX9 based on Lemon law. :mad:
I had my front brake pad, guide plate and rotor replaced due to groaning noise when stopping slowly (especially when it is cold).
There is a TSB for it. The result is beautiful. It feels like new brake and very quiet.
Have faith. Mazda is fixing problem and not shy to issue TSBs.
Check out the list of TSBs, and see if your have those issues. It is better to fix them all in one shot, don't you think?
I did three with one visit!
While trying to get it un-stuck, I could only see the front, driver-side wheel spinning. Nothing on rear wheels. It is the higher end AWD version of the car (Grand Touring, I believe). I have not been able to find a review or posting from anywhere that says anything except how good this car is in the snow. Tires are fine.
Anyone else heard of this problem? Car is at dealer now awaiting diagnosis.
I am having the exact same problem you describe. I have an 07 CX-9, AWD Grand Touring. I've been very happy with the car, until it started snowing. We had a large snowstorm for the last week (Seattle area), and the car has been totally unusable. It has slid, spun out of control, or gotten stuck anytime it touches the slightest bit of snow or ice. I now can't even get it out of my driveway. When it gets stuck, only one front wheel spins. The AWD doesn't appear to be working at all. I have tried switching off the traction control. I would be very interested to know what you find out at the dealership, and will likely have to bring mine in too, after the spring thaw that is. Please keep us posted!
Glad to know that it was not operator error. Sounds like the same problem and sounds like a new transfer case will probably be in order. Good news was that Mazda 800# (roadside assistance) didn't skip a beat in arranging a flat-bet tow on Saturday in the snow. Going in for the loaner car today. Can you confirm that it was only the front driver-side tire that was spinning and not both front tires? I din't look at the passenger side front tire to see whether or not it was spinning. However, if both front tires had some power, I think that the car would have been at least marginally driveable so I suspect that the psgr side front did not have power. I will keep you posted. Please do same.
Here's another question for anyone who has an opinion on this and/or has been following this thread: The tires. The dealer who is fixing the transfer case problem told me that they rotated the tires and when doing it they noted that the tires that they moved from the front to the rear would need replacing shortly. The car has only 20,000 miles (2007 CX-9 Grand Touring AWD). Since the car is an AWD, shouldn't all tires wear somewhat evenly? If the tires are worn down and they are disproportionately worn in the front, couldn't this have been beacause the AWD was not working properly?
JP
Just came back from Tahoe for a skiing trip. CX9 flew all the way up and down the mountains. What a great tourer even in hilly area! Granted, there was no snow on the ground for the few days I was there. Didn't get to test the AWD on snow. What impressed me most was that I could go up no-so-steep mountain at 6th gear!!! Even at the steepest one, 4-5th gear was good for it.
On the tires (tyres), they are rated at 260 (UTAQ).
I would not expect too much life from it.
I would say, based on my past experience, 25,000 could be normal for the 260 rating.
As I said, some early 2007 CX9s have transfer case issue. Some owners never get to find out at all. They thought it was normal. From what I read, possibly the dealership mechanics filled in the wrong fliud to the transfer case when they topped off all fluids before delivery. Not sure if that was true or not.
It usually happens when the tank is about 70-80% full.
You can hear it when the music is low and you are moving slowing to a stop or over a bump.
It happens to many vehicles I owned. Bad tank design, and no easy fix.
Took a little time to get used to.
Just kidding. Gas tank can be better designed to cancel the sludging. This will be my daughter's next science project.....
This is a change in performance by our CX-9 as we did not notice this engine knock for the first few months we have owned the vehicle. Furthermore, we have two other vehicles that have no problems making up the hill with no engine knock -- both with over 100,000 miles on them. Last, we live in the South and our CX-9 is garage kept, so we have very little issue with the cold.
I dropped it off at my dealership yesterday, and I was told the same problem was reported by another 2008 CX-9 owner and that Mazda told the dealership to have all customers use premium gas. This is in conflict with information in the owner's manual.
Anyone else with similar problems? Our car has roughly 9000 miles on it and was purchased in June 2008.
Thanks to those that posted the TSB thread. I reviewed it, and it appears the engine knock has not been acknowledged. I did notice the recent loss of power TSB, which I found interesting.
Any and all help appreciated. I suspect we are not an isolated case. I will post an update once we get the CX-9 back from the service department of our dealership regarding the prognosis.
I was told the knock we heard was brake booster connects rattling and there has been a release by Mazda on this particular problem. The repair was made. We will pick up the vehicle later today. Hopefully this fixes the problem.
Also, he apologized for the premium gas requirement comment. Evidently he is a new employee and not as familiar with the CX-9. He said a particular model on the CX-7 requires premium gas, and he confused the issue.
The Mazda's Active Torque-split AWD is better than Highlander/Pilot. It senses torque sudden change and starts to transfer torque to the rear. In contrast, Highlander/Pilot sense torque loss then starts to send torque. In the case of Pilot, it can send torque to the rear in case of hard acceleration (and maybe new Highlander as well, I am not sure). Mazda has that also.
It is called Power-take-off mode....
Bridgestone Dueler H/L 400 is good summer/wet tire, but not good at all on snow. Calling it all-season is a "crime", in my opinion.
If you have concerns, have the dealer change out the tires
I recommend
Yoko Parada Spec-X
Check tirerack.com for review.
My guess is that Bridgestone Dueler H/L 400 is not on that CX9.
Put snow tires on CX9 if you live in places like that.
We did receive the vehicle back; however, the problem was not fixed. The engine knock is the same as always. The vehicle only has 9,000 miles on it.
As for the noise, it is not a rattling or clanging noise as one may suspect when first hearing the problem may be a brake booster connect. I was suspicious when they said it was a simple brake booster connect problem; however, I did want to give them an opportunity to correct the reported problem. The noise is distinctly engine knock coming from the cylinders (further supported by you only hearing it when accelerating). Again, the same dealership reported another CX-9 was turned in the previous week with the same complaint. I do not expect these would be isolated cases. Engine knock is not good news and can prematurely wear in engine.
We live in a fairly hilly terrain, and the car will exhibit the engine knock going up a hill (particularly when the engine is cold). It will also experience engine knock when you attempt to accelerate in too low of a gear (i.e. transmission is in "5" when it feels like it should be in "4" or even "3"). Again, we have two other vehicles, neither of which has any problem with engine knock regardless if the vehicle is cold or not. Ironically, both of these vehicles have over 100,000 miles on them each (one V6 automatic; the other a 4 cylinder automatic).
Anyone else notice a similar problem?
I will take it back to the dealership to be looked at again.
I find that the tires are okay, they are probably tuned for performance and thus you give up a bit of winter grip. But we haven't had any issues going up and down the myriad of hills that is Pittsburgh! The AWD system works just as well as the one I had in my Audi, and gets the car moving quickly. The stability control works well in preventing fishtailing in the snow. In comparison, my Mazdaspeed 3 slides all over the place, but this is mostly due to torque steer! The CX-9 is much more stable than the 3.....ah well.
I found that out a while back. Turn the buckle bit to be flat with the seat, and the rattle goes away.
Thanks for the reply.
I have only filled our CX-9 with 87 octane, which is what is recommended in the owner's manual. Using higher grade octane is a last resort; however, I see your point in using a single tank of 92+ to see if the engine knock is reduced/eliminated to help diagnose the problem.
I am also experiencing similar symptoms as you describe as engine knock on my 2008 GT CX-9, 10k miles. The knock occurs during acceleration and is particularly noticable when accelerating uphill. This occurs both when the engine is cold and warmed-up so I can't say it is engine temp related. Also, we didn't notice the engine knock when the car had less than 3k miles. This is a recent problem that seems as if it is becoming more noticable. Anyways, I'm going to schedule service and get Mazda's opinion. Any advice? Has your problem been resolved by Mazda since your last post?
I took it to the dealer on Tues. They didn't hear it at first. I had to have a tech ride with me. He heard it. About an hour later they kept it and gave me a loaner CX-9. They say they need to open the engine up and want to call Mazda. They suspect that the timing chain might be off, or something with the timing chain guide.
I'll let you know what they say when I get it back.
They did say they had a couple of others with the same issue. If you have that issue, get it in and have it looked at. The place I took it was Kings Mazda in Mason, OH, if you want to have your dealer call them.
Here is the list of parts they replaced:
Qty PART # Description
=== ========== ==========================
1 ZZJ1-12-4X0B ACTR, VARIABLE V. TIM
1 CY01-12-428A BOLT, LOCK
1 CY01-14-700 COOLER, OIL
2 CY01-14-312 RING, 'O'
1 ZZJ1-12-500A ADJUSTER
1 8527-77-739 SILICONE, TUBE ( GRA
John
It seems like the VVT actuator. The rest are just accessories to replace the actuator.