Mazda cx 9 transfer case recall

Hi all,

After my recent PTU drama, no help from Mazda Corp, and having to fork out nearly $4k to repair a defective part that I'll likely need to replace again...

Does anyone know of a class-action lawsuit against Mazda Corp. to force them to address the issue?

It seems they've been selling a defective PTU in all CX-9 models from 2007-2015.

Mazda seems to be somewhat responsive in their previous recalls, like lower-control arms & airbags, but why they have not recalled and redesigned this crappy Ford-built PTU is beyond me.

Frustrated in Oakland,
Sasha Pave

What are the symptoms you have experienced with this issue? I may be having a similar issue on my 2008 GT CX9.

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Basically the front transfer case (or Power Transfer Unit, PTU) is too close to the exhaust system and gets heated up more than usual. The gear lubricant inside gets deteriorated a lot faster and becomes sludge. In theory gear lubricant in front transfer case、rear differential、and manual transmission can be "life-time" lub under a suitable environment, hence Mazda and Ford don't specify any recommended maintenance interval for gear lubricant replacement and don't even bother to design a drain hole for it! But since the gear lub actually gets heat up so often, it causes problems and makes the front transfer case eventually failed due to sludge issue.

Mazda could have simply added a gear lubricant replacement maintenance schedule to its front transfer case or/and rear differential to avoid this disaster even without the drain hole. But they didn't do it, that's the class-action lawsuit waiting to happen! The only thing this's not happening is there're too few of the older CX-9 owners right now and very few lawers are interested to handle this case!

You may consider to go through small claim court in California since Mazda North American Operations is located in Irvine, California! Class-action lawsuit needs lawers to handle it, but you can do it by yourself on small claim court. Class-action lawsuit may not be able to recoup your loss but only just force MNAO to extend its warranty on front transfer case which I believe has already extended for all CX-9 owners.

If You're the Plaintiff ... Filing Your Lawsuit

You can sue for up to $10,000, if you are an individual or a sole proprietor. Corporations and other entities are limited to $5,000. In addition, a party (individuals or corporations) can file no more than two claims exceeding $2,500 in any court throughout the State of California during a calendar year.
The Small Claims Court, A Guide to Its Practical Use - California ...

Google CX-9 transfer case fire, there's been two documented cases, one in front of a woman's house with kids, thank god the kids got out and another time a guy smelled something burning and didn;t even know his car was on fire underneath, he pulled into a gas station and gas attendants started spraying the fire with fire extinguishers, it's all online, this is a disaster waiting to happen, Mazda will be in deep crap if god forbid someone dies because of this, they have known this issues for years from 2007-2015 and did nothing, I'm getting rid of my 2013 CX-9 AWD this summer for something safer. Sludge typically occurs around the 35,000 to 40,000 mile mark, right when bumper to bumper warranty runs out, at that time after a long drive, owner might start smelling burning oil and see some oil dripping by center front axle area. Only way to prevent this is to change out the inferior OEM oil and service it regularly (~every 15K miles) but most typical owners don't know about this problem unless they somehow find this forum or search for Youtube videos on CX-9 transfer case. Dealers just play stupid and say it's a sealed unit, it can't be serviced because there's no drain plug. But they know it's a problem and change out transfer cases on a regular basis, it's a cash cow for them, typical cost to fix is like $2500-$3000. All Mazda did was extend the transfer case warranty to 90,000 miles but if transmission splines is damaged, it doesn't cover the cost of a new transmission.

⋯ they have known this issues for years from 2007-2015 and did nothing, I'm getting rid of my 2013 CX-9 AWD this summer for something safer.

Ha I almost bought a 2009 CX-9 GT AWD new due to good reviews (2008 Motor Trend SUV/CUV of the Year) and excellent price ($5,000 off the MSRP). I guess I was lucky then! I know there's another hidden issue waiting to happen - expensive water pump replacement since it's sitting in between engine and transmission!

I guess your next 3-row CUV may not be the 2nd-gen CX-9? Mazda really should do something on this transfer case issue. How much does it cost to add a line in maintenance schedule of owner's manual for gear lubricant replacement on front transfer case and rear differential? This simply indicates either they don't care about the issue or they don't think this will affect their already low customer retention rate! The low sales volume on new 2nd-gen CX-9 is another indication of low customer retention rate as few previous CX-9 owners coming back for another one.

Ha I almost bought a 2009 CX-9 GT AWD new due to good reviews (2008 Motor Trend SUV/CUV of the Year) and excellent price ($5,000 off the MSRP). I guess I was lucky then! I know there's another hidden issue waiting to happen - expensive water pump replacement since it's sitting in between engine and transmission!

I guess your next 3-row CUV may not be the 2nd-gen CX-9? Mazda really should do something on this transfer case issue. How much does it cost to add a line in maintenance schedule of owner's manual for gear lubricant replacement on front transfer case and rear differential? This simply indicates either they don't care about the issue or they don't think this will affect their already low customer retention rate! The low sales volume on new 2nd-gen CX-9 is another indication of low customer retention rate as few previous CX-9 owners coming back for another one.

yeah, going to pass on the 2nd gen CX-9, even if they added a line in maintenance schedule of owner's manual for gear lubricant replacement on front transfer case and rear differential I don't think it will help based on recent post of 2016 CX-9's with leaking transfer cases @ 3000 miles or AWD warning codes during snow surfaces, seems like Mazda just re-used CX-5's drivetrain but didn't account for the CX-9 extra weight, length and extra power from the turbo. At least the 1st gen transfer case lasted till at least 30,000 miles before it started leaking due to inferior oil. Even if you swap oil in the new CX-9, I don't think it will help if it's undersized and leaking already at 3000 miles. Maybe it's just a odd ball CX-9 at 3,000. but the poster said dealer was swapping out 6 or 7 of them already at 3000-4000 miles, it very hard to believe, you would think it would be all over the internet, I can't find anything about it considering a lot of people opted for the Signature trim and that only comes with AWD.

I have just had the same issue with CX-9 2008 model. Slight noise, some shuddering when in motion, then squealing and a terrible gas smell in the cabin. Had just had it serviced last week. Took it straight back to the mechanic who gave me the terrible news. We have done only 108,000 klms, (which seems to be about the magic number) of easy driving. It has never towed anything. The cost of repair exceeds the worth of the car estimated at about $10,000-$15,000 Australian dollars. So now I have a car that's worthless. I can see Mazda know about this problem and are ignoring it. We will be taking it further as it is wrong on so many levels.

Well the Ford edge and Lincoln Mkx had the same ptu, so it would be a Ford lawsuit. I don't see that happening.

Response from Mazda?

Hi Cathy,
We have the same model car as you. We have received the bad news today from Mazda at Hornsby stating that we need to replace the transfer case. What response did you receive from Mazda? I have contacted Head Office today but am still waiting for a response.

I have just had the same issue with CX-9 2008 model. Slight noise, some shuddering when in motion, then squealing and a terrible gas smell in the cabin. Had just had it serviced last week. Took it straight back to the mechanic who gave me the terrible news. We have done only 108,000 klms, (which seems to be about the magic number) of easy driving. It has never towed anything. The cost of repair exceeds the worth of the car estimated at about $10,000-$15,000 Australian dollars. So now I have a car that's worthless. I can see Mazda know about this problem and are ignoring it. We will be taking it further as it is wrong on so many levels.