When making a U-turn (left turn) at under 10 mph the vehicle made a loud noise and it shuttered to a stop. I called my husband and waited for him to arrive. When he arrived, he (and the police) attempted to push the car in neutral, but the car would not budge. He walked around the car and observed that the front right passenger wheel was turned out and resting against the fender. This exposed the suspension and he saw the ball joint and suspension had broken loose. The ball joint had ripped out from its housing and the suspension bar had broken apart at the wheel. There were parts on the ground along with grey fluid which was coming out from the hole left by the ball joint coupling. The fender was also damaged by the wheel. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for repair. The police officer noted that we were lucky that this did not happen on the highway as it would have likely ended up flipping the car as it was such a severe failure. It took the tow-truck operator over 20 minutes to get he car onto the tow truck as the wheel could not be steered due to the failures.

- St. Charles , MO, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mazda Cx-9. while driving approximately 20 mph, the contact made a left turn and heard a loud abnormal noise. The contact stopped the vehicle and discovered that the passenger side front tire was turned completely horizontal. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the ball joints separated and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.

- Cedar Grove, NJ, USA

While driving vehicle on road at approximatley 20 mph the wheel detached from the axle on the front passenger side of the vehicle resulting in damage to the vehicle.

- Cedar Grove, NJ, USA

Upon entering a parking lot at approximately 15 mph the vehicle made a noise, skidded to a sudden stop, and then would not move. I exited the vehicle and immediately noticed the front passenger wheel sideways resting against the inner fender, along with several metallic parts and fluid on the ground. The car was towed to the dealer where we bought the vehicle when new, and where we always have it serviced. The tow truck driver had said the axle broke and we were lucky it did not occur on the highway 15 minutes sooner. The dealer replaced a left broken ball joint, axle and control arm, as well as broken fender linings and moldings. This cost us over $2000. We had complained to the dealer several weeks before about a noise while turning the vehicle, but were told we only needed an alignment. I now believe the dealer did not properly inspect the ball joint, which was already damaged and failing. Twelve months after this incident the left control arm and ball joint required replacement. And eight months after that the driveshaft, transfer case and transmission all required replacement, costing us another $5000 in repairs. I am suspicious that all of these failures may be related to the initial incident when my Cx-9 skidded to the sudden stop on the left broken axle. But when I contacted Mazda regarding all of these issues my case was completely dismissed as the vehicle had over 100,000 miles and was out of warranty coverage. I have never submitted a complaint until I found out there was an investigation into 2008 Cx-9's with broken ball joints, exactly as what occurred in my vehicle. My vehicle has been regularly serviced at our dealer, and I really do not believe the ball joint should have broken as it did. I am grateful we were not traveling 60 mph. I believe this is a serious safety issue and am extremely disappointed with this Mazda vehicle.

- Owings Mills, MD, USA

I heard a loud noise as I turned left into a driveway and came to a stop. The car wouldn't move forward or backward. When I got out to inspect, I found that the left front tire had disengaged. The car was towed to a non-dealer service facility, which determined that the left front ball joint had broken. The ball joint, axle and sway bar link were replaced. The next week, I returned the car to the service facility, and they determined that the same repairs were needed on the right front, as well as replacement of the tie rod ends on the left front. About a month after these repairs, I took my car to my local Mazda dealer for a full ("used car") inspection. I mentioned the repairs I'd had done, and they said they weren't aware of any problems with ball joints on Cx-9S. I had been traveling on the freeway (70 mph) not five minutes before the ball joint broke. I hate to think what would have happened if it had broken at that speed.

- East Lansing, MI, USA

Went to dealership for an oil change and they stated that we needed to replace our lower ball joints, control arms, tie rod ends and sway bar links because nhtsb has been receiving complaints about 2008 Mazda Cx-9S crashing due to these items failing. The dealership brought it our attention that due to safety concerns, we needed those items replaced. They scared us to death. We spend $1,125 to replace the items. I now have done research and it appears they were correct, there have been catastrophic cases where the cars crashed due to the suspension parts failing. I sure hope that nhtsb moves forward and makes Mazda perform a recall. Hopefully I can get my money back from paying for this service. My vehicle only has 75K miles on it...updated 08/20/15 updated 12/10/15

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

While driving went to make right turn to have car serviced for unknown clicking when I would only make right turns. When turning into parking lot I heard a loud bang and auto was immobile at that point. I exited and found left front tire turned sideways. I had various damage to left front wheel area having to replace ball joint, lower control arm, bent axle and rim damage. I was also inform from irwin Mazda that right ball joint had issues and I also had that replaced.

- Freehold, NJ, USA

I was making a right turn from a parking lot onto a road with my two children in the car when a loud crunch happened, the vehicle jerked left while still moving forward and I was unable to steer or break. The car came to an abrupt stop and I couldn't get the driver's door open. I walked around to the front of the car while in traffic and noticed loose parts that had been ejected from the wheel, leaking break fluid, and the driver's side front wheel was no longer attached and had wedged under the car. The car was unable to be moved out of the road thus creating a traffic jam. The tow truck driver said the control arm was broken and that my girls and I are lucky that we were not seriously injured. The car was towed to the Mazda dealer service department 4 days ago and I have not heard from them. Is this something that is covered under tread liability laws? I have photos of the car/wheel that were taken at the scene if needed.

- Leesburg, VA, USA

While making a right turn into a parking place, the right front ball joint broke and cv joint became disconnected, causing the wheel to become disconnected from the car and pushing the wheel well back under the passenger door, making it inoperable. The tow driver said I must have hit something really hard, but in the two and a half years I've had this car, I've never hit anything! I drive a lot for my job and am grateful this didn't happen while I was traveling 70 mph on the highway. It was very scary and has shaken my confidence in this car. I had the car repaired on an emergency basis, but the mechanic told me while the other ball joint was safe enough for me to make the trip home (350 miles), I should definitely get it checked out as well, as it looked suspect for the long term. The car is at the mechanic now, and I was a nervous wreck driving it home earlier today.

- Mount Pleasant, SC, USA

I had been hearing a knocking noise in my car when I went to make left or right hand turns for approximately a week. After having my mechanic investigate he took a look at the ball joints, they are 'non-serviceable, ' which means they are a sealed unit. He said from what he could tell they were fine. Later that day I attempted to pull out of a parking space. My wheels were spinning in the snow, I got out and took a look and my front left tire was off! the ball joint was no longer attached the car. The only thing securing the wheel to the car was the tie rod. After having it towed to my garage both lower control arms were replaced on the vehicle (one per side) along with the cv joint. They were replaced with Mazda parts. Inspection on the passenger right side revealed there was barely any grease in that ball joint. I had luck on my side that day otherwise I am certain someone would have died.

- Troy, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mazda CX9. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the front driver's side tire came became detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the lower control arm and ball joint were corroded. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 102,112. Pam......updated 03/31/15 updated 7/8/2015

- Livingston, NJ, USA

I was driving slowly and approaching a stop sign. As soon as I stopped I heard a loud noise and my car jerked forward. The front driver side wheel disengaged from the vehicle and was jutting out at an angle. I could not move the car whatsoever. The tow truck driver informed me that my ball joint and axle had broken. This could have caused a very serious accident, especially if we had been driving faster or on the freeway--I'm very lucky my passenger and I were not hurt.

- Minnetonka, MN, USA

From day 1 the car has been road-crazy...you have to continually correct to left and right...dealership says from "crown in the road"....have had it re-aligned numerous times..has 25K now and front tires are nearly worn out...has 20" wheels (which they no longer offer as option).

- Battlefield, MO, USA

My 2008 Mazda Cx-9 has leaking struts and shocks. The car is one year old and has a little over 14,000 miles on it. The dealer stated that was seepage due to being over filled at the factory, but if you wipe off the excess film the fluid continues to form. Seepage or leakage, doesn't matter it shouldn't do either especially on the front of a vehicle. The business where I have my oil changed and tires rotated have checked the struts and shocks stating the problem is leaking not seeping. The dealer says they called the Mazda field representative for this area and they know of the problem and still maintain it's seeping because of being overfilled at factory. How long should seeping occur? I'm concerned about strut failure or shock failure while I'm driving.

- Lafayette, LA, USA