Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Mazda CX-9 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Well I was backing up from a parking spot when put out of the blue my vehicle wouldn't move . The drive side wheel is not working and these little around thing where on the ground . Before that happen the driver side tire would become lose to where it would fall off.
Was driving my car with children in it when the wheel fell off and axel cracked. It caused front end damage I couldn't get out of the driver side door because it wouldn't open. Had to pay to get all of that fixed. I just receive recall 8515g. My issue with this is that the recall does not correct the issue. The reason for the recall is that water get leak into the suspension and cause corrosion. Replacing just the control arms and ball joints does not prevent this from happening again. Water can still leak into the suspension and the new parts could could corrode, become loose and cause the same thing to happen again but this time it could result in more dire consequences. We were lucky I was traveling at a low rate of speed the first time it happened. …
On November 5, 2014 I had an accident in my Mazda CX-9. The left front tire broke free from the car while I was entering the highway on an on-ramp. I was going about 50-55 MPH and about to merge into the first highway lane when the left front ball joint failed without warning and resulted in thousands of dollars in damage to my car. An insurance claim was files and the damage was repaired. I could have dies since I lost control of the car while entering the highway. Thankfully there were no other vehicles coming at the moment. I have pictures and insurance documentation.
Yesterday (6/21/15) at approximately 630 pm; my wife was driving our 2007 Mazda cx9 grand touring (AWD). As she was pulling out of a subdivision at approximately 10mph, she heard a loud bang and then immediately lost control of the vehicle. There was no other traffic in the vicinity and she was able to maintain control and get stopped. The right front passenger wheel at broken free of the suspension and steering mechanism. According to the repair shop the lower ball joint broke, pushed out and broke the axle shaft. Also the force of the shifting wheel/tire pushed the right quarter-panel into the right passenger door, making the door inoperable. I've heard of others with this same incident with the cx9. Fortunately this occurred at low speed, with no other traffic or pedestrians in the area.
I was dropping my children off to daycare turning into the parking lot and going over a bump when I heard a loud "pop" toward the front of the car - the car completely stopped dead - I got out to find the front right tire was cocked hard left and was off its control arm - some fluid was also leaking out of the axle area. This happened the Monday morning after I received the recall notice from Mazda this past weekend! I had the form in the car to call for service this week. I have called the service center but they have said they will not be able to look at the car until Thursday - now I will have towing and rental expenses connected with this defect. Fortunately no one in the car was hurt or that it didn't fail on the highway!
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mazda CX-9. While driving at various speeds, the contact made a left turn and the steering wheel locked without warning. The contact stated that the tires began screeching, which prompted the contact to get out and inspect the vehicle. Upon further inspection, it was witnessed that the driver side tire shifted placement on the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was confirmed that the driver side lower control arm had separated from the ball joint. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred on the passenger side. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,710.
The vehicle started to have problems with the car shaking around 50mph. So we planned to have it looked at since we heard that this particular model has some known issues that May become severe. During the drive to the car shop (literally 1 mile from home) the axle/bearing or front suspension separated from the car!!! The front left wheel and joints separated from the car; the wheel looks like it was breaking off! We were driving around 15mph! No one was hurt and thank goodness it was around 11 am so there was no traffic around to make things worse. The car had to be towed to the car shop which was only feet away from the scene, which was an added charge! *photos of incident are also available
Two weeks ago I brought in my car due to noise and steering issues. The right ball joint was found to be very loose and about to fail, so it was replaced. The mechanic looked at the left ball joint and determined it was tight and therefore did not recommend replacement. Yesterday, while driving, the left ball joint failed. My tire got wracked and locked-up sending me into a skid. I had to be towed. The axle broke, plus the sway bar, strut and control arm all need to be replaced, between the two repairs, the cost is quite high. This could have been deadly at high speeds.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mazda CX-9. While driving approximately 35 MPH and making a left turn, the contact heard a loud pop and the front passenger side wheel detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger side lower ball joint fractured and needed to be replaced and the axle fractured and lodged into the engine. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic where it was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that when the steering wheel was turned, there was an abnormal noise. The failure occurred without warning. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V451000 (suspension) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Related recalls
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2014 CX-9 vehicles manufactured October 24, 2006, to December 28, 2013. The affected vehicles have front suspension ball joints that may corrode from water leaking into the fitting.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both the left and right lower control arms, free of charge. The recall began on September 14, 2015.
NHTSA investigations
Lower ball joint separation
In an July 7,2015 letter to NHTSA, Mazda identified a safety defect that could result in lower ball joint separation in approximately 193,484 model year (MY) 2007 through 2014 Mazda CX-9 vehicles (NHTSA Recall No. 15V-451,Mazda 8515G).Mazda indicated that damage to the ball joint boot may allow water to enter the front suspension ball joint fitting during use which may result in premature ball joint wear and a…
Suspension complaints in other CX-9 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2007 Mazda CX-9?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the suspension of the 2007 Mazda CX-9, 43% of the model year's 67 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2007 Mazda CX-9 suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-451 (lower ball joint, Jul 20, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2007 Mazda CX-9 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.