Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vs Mazda CX-9: which is more reliable?
The Mazda CX-9 is clearly ahead of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport on the federal record: 84/100 against 68/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- 6 model years scored
- 1,266 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 22 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (93/100) · worst 2018 (37/100)
Mazda CX-9
- 11 model years scored
- 885 owner complaints on record
- about 7 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2012 (50/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Santa Fe Sport against CX-9
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- Engine — 720 complaints
- Service Brakes — 225 complaints
- Hydraulic — 154 complaints
Mazda CX-9
- Engine — 302 complaints
- Service Brakes — 284 complaints
- Power Train — 87 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport — avoid: 2017, 2018.
Mazda CX-9: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020….
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Hyundai Santa Fe Sport prices at about $22,100 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200 — the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is roughly $12,100 less, and they return 22.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or the Mazda CX-9 more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Mazda CX-9 scores 84/100 against the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Mazda CX-9 carries about 7 complaints per year on the road against 22 for the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport.
Which Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Mazda CX-9 years should I avoid?
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: 2017, 2018. Mazda CX-9: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and the Mazda CX-9?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is Engine (720 complaints); on the Mazda CX-9 it is Engine (302).
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or the Mazda CX-9 cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Santa Fe Sport prices at about $22,100 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.