Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold
The short answer
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Toyota Highlander drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 144 per 100,000 against 286 for the Mazda CX-9, or 50% fewer. For newer cars the picture flips: from 2019 to 2022 the Mazda CX-9 has the cleaner record. The best years to target are 2020 and 2022 for the CX-9 and 2016 and 2018 for the Highlander.
Mazda CX-9
Toyota Highlander
By age group
| Model years | CX-9 | Highlander | Fewer problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older (2012 to 2015) | 442 | 133 | Highlander |
| Middle (2016 to 2018) | 413 | 103 | Highlander |
| Newer (2019 to 2022) | 102 | 178 | CX-9 |
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.
Year by year
| Year | CX-9 | Highlander |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 904 | 158 |
| 2013 | 276 | 166 |
| 2014 | 292 | 94 |
| 2015 | 194 | 124 |
| 2016 | 635 | 61 |
| 2017 | 236 | 127 |
| 2018 | 453 | 115 |
| 2019 | 197 | 215 |
| 2020 | 69 | 156 |
| 2021 | 126 | 208 |
| 2022 | 32 | 122 |
| 2023 | Too new | Too new |
| 2024 | n/a | Too new |
Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.
Most reported problems
Questions
Is the CX-9 or Highlander more reliable?
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Toyota Highlander drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 144 per 100,000 against 286 for the Mazda CX-9, or 50% fewer. For newer cars the picture flips: from 2019 to 2022 the Mazda CX-9 has the cleaner record. The best years to target are 2020 and 2022 for the CX-9 and 2016 and 2018 for the Highlander.
Which CX-9 and Highlander years should I avoid?
For the CX-9: 2012, 2016. For the Highlander: 2019, 2021.