Is the KIA Telluride more reliable than the Mazda CX-9?

No. The Mazda CX-9 is clearly more reliable, with a large gap. Owners filed 15 complaints per 10,000 CX-9s sold, against 23.3 for the Telluride. The Telluride also has far more recalls and more crash-linked problem areas, including rollaway in Park and blank instrument clusters.

Which has more recalls, the Telluride or the CX-9?

The Telluride has far more. Federal recall records show 27 recalls across its six model years, while the CX-9 has 6 across its six. Owners tie several Telluride complaints to recalls, including rollaway in Park, but the recall lines themselves are the reliable count.

Which is cheaper to repair, the Telluride or the CX-9?

The CX-9 is slightly cheaper. Independent repair-cost data estimates $539 a year for the CX-9 and $573 for the Telluride, about $170 more over five years. The Telluride does make fewer unscheduled shop visits, at 0.4 a year against 0.6.

What are the most common Mazda CX-9 problems?

Engine trouble leads, with 95 of 252 complaints. Coolant leaks at the cylinder head cause overheating and limp mode, and some owners say Mazda refused goodwill repairs. Others report heavy oil use. Electrical faults include smart brake warnings at highway speed and a cracking information screen.

What goes wrong with the KIA Telluride engine?

Excessive oil consumption is the main engine complaint. Owners report losing a quart or more between changes, blue smoke, and no low-oil warning before the engine stalls or seizes. Several needed a new engine, and some say Kia denied coverage over missing service records. Cracked plastic oil filter housings also appear.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Kia Telluride vs Mazda CX-9: Reliability Compared

Kia Telluride

Good

More Reliable

Mazda CX-9

Good

Reliability favors the Mazda CX-9 over the KIA Telluride by a wide margin. Owners filed far fewer complaints per car sold, and federal recall records show 6 CX-9 recalls against 27 for the Telluride. Both are midsize SUVs, but the Telluride carries more serious problems.

How Do the Kia Telluride and Mazda CX-9 Generations Compare?

Only one generation matters for the Telluride: it is a first-generation vehicle sold in the US from the 2020 model year through 2025, with a refresh in 2023. That puts 2020 through 2022 in the pre-refresh group and 2023 through 2025 in the refreshed group. The weakest years, 2020 and 2021, are the earliest builds. The 2024 and 2025 cars are the newest and have had little time to collect complaints. The CX-9 is a second-generation vehicle that began in 2016 and ran through the 2024 model year. The data covers 2018 to 2023, and its best years, 2022 and 2023, come at the end of that run, while the weakest, 2018 and 2019, come from the earlier part.

Verdict

The Mazda CX-9 is more reliable than the Kia Telluride, scoring 76/100 vs 66/100.

Reliability favors the CX-9, and the gap is large. Owners filed far fewer complaints per car sold, and federal recall records show only 6 recalls across its model years against 27 for the Telluride. The Telluride's problems also cluster in serious areas: engine failure from oil loss, rollaway in Park, and blank instrument clusters. The CX-9 has real faults too, mainly coolant leaks and overheating, but they are fewer and less varied.

Key Differences

1Mazda CX-9 costs $34 less per year to repair
2Mazda CX-9 has 21 fewer total recalls
3Mazda CX-9 scores 10 points higher in reliability

Category Scoreboard

1Kia Telluride

—

4Mazda CX-9

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencySafety Rating

Kia Telluride vs Mazda CX-9: Which Is More Reliable?

Kia Telluride vs Mazda CX-9 at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Kia Telluride	Mazda CX-9
Reliability Score	66/100	76/100
Years Tracked	6	6
Total Recalls	27	6
Complaints per 10k Sold	23.3	15
Annual Repair Cost	$573/yr	$539/yr
Repair Frequency	0.4/yr	0.6/yr
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2025 NHTSA	2023 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	0	4

What Are the Common Problems With the Kia Telluride and Mazda CX-9?

Spread of trouble is the main difference. Telluride owners report windshields that crack with little or no impact, instrument clusters that go blank while driving, and engines that burn oil until they fail. Rollaway in Park is the most dangerous report, and crashes are linked to its power train, electrical and lighting complaints. CX-9 complaints center on the engine: coolant leaks at the cylinder head cause overheating and limp mode. Its crash-linked reports sit in power train, brakes and steering, including an electronic parking brake that released while in gear. Neither model is free of safety issues, but the Telluride has more of them.

Kia Telluride vs Mazda CX-9 common problem areas comparison
Component	Kia Telluride	Mazda CX-9
ENGINE	1.9Low	5.7Average
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	4.4Average	2Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	4.2Average	0.1Very Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2.8Low	1.5Low
POWER TRAIN	1.7Low	1.2Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	2.5Low	—None
STRUCTURE	1.6Low	0.3Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.3Very Low	0.7Very Low
SUSPENSION	0.6Very Low	0.2Very Low
VISIBILITY	0.7Very Low	—None
STEERING	0.1Very Low	0.4Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	0.2Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.2Very Low	—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION	—None	0.2Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.1Very Low	—None
SEAT BELTS	0.1Very Low	—None
SEATS	—None	0.1Very Low
Chest Clip	—None	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	0.1Very Low
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	—None	0.1Very Low

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Kia Telluride or Mazda CX-9?

Independent repair-cost data puts the Telluride at $573 a year and the CX-9 at $539, so the Mazda costs $34 less. Over five years that is about $170, a small gap. The Telluride makes fewer unscheduled shop visits, at 0.4 a year against 0.6 for the CX-9. The data gives a 10% chance that a CX-9 repair is major. No major-repair figure is available for the Telluride, so that comparison cannot be made.

How Does Kia Telluride vs Mazda CX-9 Reliability Compare by Year?

Kia Telluride vs Mazda CX-9 year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Kia Telluride	Mazda CX-9	Edge
2023	68/1005R / 161C	81/1000R / 12C	Mazda CX-9
2022	63/1006R / 280C	81/1000R / 9C	Mazda CX-9
2021	63/1004R / 280C	77/1001R / 35C	Mazda CX-9
2020	55/1006R / 667C	78/1001R / 19C	Mazda CX-9

Best years to cross-shop: The 2023 Kia Telluride scored 68/100 and the 2023 Mazda CX-9 scored 81/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Kia Telluride vs the Mazda CX-9?

If you want the lower chance of a surprise, buy the CX-9. Its complaint and recall counts are much lower, and the 2022 and 2023 model years stand strongest. Avoid 2018 and 2019, the weakest years. Budget for the cylinder head coolant leak, since owners say Mazda declined goodwill requests, and ask about any overheating history before you sign. Choose the Telluride only if its space and features matter more to you than reliability, and you accept the added risk. Skip 2020 and 2021, the weakest years. The 2024 and 2025 models rate best, but they have had less time to collect complaints, so do not read that as proof they are better. Ask for oil change records, because owners say Kia denied engine claims over missing service history. Confirm all recall work is done, watch the instrument cluster during a test drive, and ask about the windshield's replacement history.

Kia Telluride vs Mazda CX-9: Common Questions

Is the KIA Telluride more reliable than the Mazda CX-9?: No. The Mazda CX-9 is clearly more reliable, with a large gap. Owners filed 15 complaints per 10,000 CX-9s sold, against 23.3 for the Telluride. The Telluride also has far more recalls and more crash-linked problem areas, including rollaway in Park and blank instrument clusters.
Which has more recalls, the Telluride or the CX-9?: The Telluride has far more. Federal recall records show 27 recalls across its six model years, while the CX-9 has 6 across its six. Owners tie several Telluride complaints to recalls, including rollaway in Park, but the recall lines themselves are the reliable count.
Which is cheaper to repair, the Telluride or the CX-9?: The CX-9 is slightly cheaper. Independent repair-cost data estimates $539 a year for the CX-9 and $573 for the Telluride, about $170 more over five years. The Telluride does make fewer unscheduled shop visits, at 0.4 a year against 0.6.
What are the most common Mazda CX-9 problems?: Engine trouble leads, with 95 of 252 complaints. Coolant leaks at the cylinder head cause overheating and limp mode, and some owners say Mazda refused goodwill repairs. Others report heavy oil use. Electrical faults include smart brake warnings at highway speed and a cracking information screen.
What goes wrong with the KIA Telluride engine?: Excessive oil consumption is the main engine complaint. Owners report losing a quart or more between changes, blue smoke, and no low-oil warning before the engine stalls or seizes. Several needed a new engine, and some say Kia denied coverage over missing service records. Cracked plastic oil filter housings also appear.

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How we score the Kia Telluride and Mazda CX-9

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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