Volkswagen Tiguan vs Mazda CX-9: which is more reliable?
The Mazda CX-9 is ahead of the Volkswagen Tiguan on the federal record, 84/100 against 74/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Volkswagen Tiguan
- 15 model years scored
- 1,977 owner complaints on record
- about 25 complaints per year on the road
- 58 recall campaigns, 24 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (89/100) · worst 2022 (40/100)
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: Tiguan 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
Volkswagen Tiguan
- Engine — 548 complaints
- Electrical System — 457 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 364 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
Volkswagen Tiguan — avoid: 2018, 2022.
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 Volkswagen Tiguan prices at about $30,400 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200 — the Volkswagen Tiguan is roughly $3,800 less, and they return 28.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Volkswagen Tiguan or the Mazda CX-9 more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Mazda CX-9 scores 84/100 against the Volkswagen Tiguan's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Volkswagen Tiguan and Mazda CX-9 years should I avoid?
Volkswagen Tiguan: 2018, 2022. 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 Volkswagen Tiguan and the Mazda CX-9?
The largest complaint group on the Volkswagen Tiguan is Engine (548 complaints); on the Mazda CX-9 it is Engine (302).
Is the Volkswagen Tiguan or the Mazda CX-9 cheaper to own?
A recent used Volkswagen Tiguan prices at about $30,400 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.