Mazda CX-9 vs Buick Verano: which is more reliable?
The Mazda CX-9 and the Buick Verano are level on the federal record — 84/100 against 82/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
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)
Buick Verano
- 6 model years scored
- 440 owner complaints on record
- about 6 complaints per year on the road
- 15 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (93/100) · worst 2014 (66/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: CX-9 against Verano
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
Mazda CX-9
- Engine — 302 complaints
- Service Brakes — 284 complaints
- Power Train — 87 complaints
Buick Verano
- Electrical System — 122 complaints
- Engine — 106 complaints
- Air Bags — 93 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the CX-9's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Verano's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Mazda CX-9: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020….
Buick Verano: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017.
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 Mazda CX-9 prices at about $34,200 and a Buick Verano at about $21,800 — the Buick Verano is roughly $12,400 less, and they return 23.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Mazda CX-9 or the Buick Verano more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Mazda CX-9 scores 84/100 against the Buick Verano's 82/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Mazda CX-9 and Buick Verano years should I avoid?
Mazda CX-9: no year scores below 45. Buick Verano: 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 Mazda CX-9 and the Buick Verano?
The largest complaint group on the Mazda CX-9 is Engine (302 complaints); on the Buick Verano it is Electrical System (122).
Is the Mazda CX-9 or the Buick Verano cheaper to own?
A recent used Mazda CX-9 prices at about $34,200 and a Buick Verano at about $21,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.