I purchased my 2015 Mazda CX-9 touring used in 2017. I have just finished paying off my car January 2023. This month April 2023 my check engine light came on. This has never happened before. My husband found that my engine oil was so dirty looking. He changed the oil and he noticed that the antifreeze fluid was low too. He filled the antifreeze and days later the antifreeze went back down to low.

We took the car in to get checked with a scanner and it diagnosis that it's camshaft sensor p00016. We have an auto scanner and it says the exact same thing.

The next day and days following with this check engine light still on. Many parents who post their complaints on here,

I also fear driving with my children in our family car. This is serious, why isn't there a recall? Many purchase this car because they have a growing family. We all want our family safe!

Moreover, We took it in to an auto shop and they have yet to give us a quote about what it will cost.

We drove the 2015 Mazda CX-9 new, off of the lot. Until January of 2021, we had been very pleased with the car and expected it to continue to be a reliable vehicle for us as it has been well maintained. Ironically, in October of 2020, we had the car serviced by the local Mazda dealership including the cooling service of a flush and fill.

Prior to leaving work, my wife called me after hearing a bang in her car; however, I suspected that a stray cat had entered the engine, which had happened before, as everything seemed to be running properly, so she began the drive home from work, some 16 miles. However, on the road, the car overheated some 4 miles from the home. I picked up my wife on Highway 375 loop and left the car to cool.

After eating dinner, we returned to the car with anti-freeze as there was clearly a leak. Suspecting that a hose was leaking, I refilled the radiator, the car started perfectly and we drove it home without overheating again. The next morning, I topped off the radiator and drove the car to the local Mazda dealership, only 4 miles for repair.

After diagnostics by the dealership, the service manager called me in with a work order estimate of repairs: $7,400. They recommended a used replacement engine with 12 months warranty. We were in total shock. I was also upset that the service manager was accusing my wife of lying; saying that she must have been driving it around for days, hot which had caused an engine failure.

What the service manager was saying to me didn't make since; that the engine had significant water damage from the water pump leaking into the engine. I asked to speak directly with the mechanic. He told me that the water pump had leaked into the engine oil for some time and caused the engine to fail. It didn't make since to me that I had just driven it to the dealership. The service manager became very defensive and rude saying that we had obviously abused the car.

Given her attitude and the shock of estimated repair costs, I drove my pick up truck over with a trailer and pulled the car from the dealership. From what I have learned since, we will never own another Mazda again.

1) The 3.7L, V6, is a Ford engine. Unlike other engines which operate the water pump by tension belt on the engine exterior, the water pump is mounted inside the timing belt assembly of the motor and operates off of the timing belt. Inside this timing belt assembly, the components get very hot. Should the water pump fail or leak, the coolant will leak straight into the oil pan directly below the timing belt assembly. This will cause coolant to circulate throughout the engine.

2) To replace the water pump, the timing assembly has to be opened up. When we took the car to another mechanic, he quickly replaced the timing belt assembly and the water pump. However, since then, he has not been able to get the car engine back into time. That's right, the dealership wanted to replace the engine, not because it was damaged beyond repair, but because the engine is defective with its timing. Once the timing belt assembly is changed, good luck getting the engine running.

3) As I understand, Mazda recommends replacing the water pump at 120,000, is what I have read. I'm told that this is way beyond and 60,000 is better. However, the overall design of this engine is defective. No other engine on the planet has the water pump leaking into the circulating oil system.

I wish I could say this story ends well... the bottom line, the engine in question required replacement, just like the dealership's mechanic said. It only took 20 miles of water pump leaking coolant into the engine to destroy it, permanently. As I said in the beginning, I will never own another Mazda. I'm not very favorable towards Ford either... it's their engine which they use in a number of Ford vehicles. If you have this engine in your car, I would definitely talk to your mechanic about the life of the water pump and preventative maintenance. In summary, this engine, from our experience, has a defective design. Beware, GS