2012 Mazda CX-9

The 2012 Mazda CX-9 has 5 recalls, the most serious involving the front passenger airbag inflator, which can explode and send metal fragments into the cabin, causing serious injury or death.

All four airbag recalls point to the same dangerous condition in the passenger-side frontal airbag inflator. One of these applies specifically to vehicles sold or ever registered in high-humidity states and territories including Florida, Hawaii, Texas, and others in what regulators designate a high-moisture zone. Another covers vehicles where an earlier inflator replacement was performed under a prior recall using parts of the same design, meaning that prior repair did not fully resolve the risk. Taken together, these recalls reflect a widespread concern with the inflator itself rupturing under deployment forces rather than functioning normally. The fifth recall covers the front suspension: lower ball joints can corrode internally when water works its way into the fitting, and over time that corrosion can cause the lower control arm to pull away from the ball joint entirely. When that separation happens while driving, the driver loses steering control with little warning.