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CX-9 Navigation SD Card

This page covers only what’s specific to the 2016-2020 CX-9. Map updates, card cloning, VIN-locking, region codes, counterfeit warnings, and slow-load fixes work the same across every Gen 6 car — see Navigation SD cards & map updates and nav SD performance for the full platform reference.

SD card slot location

Section titled “SD card slot location”

The navigation SD card slot is inside the center console armrest compartment, on the front wall near the USB ports. The card seats deep in the slot, nearly flush, so on a card-equipped car it’s easy to miss: shine a light into the bin if you’re checking whether one is installed. Press the card once to release it (push-push spring), don’t pry it.

The slot takes a full-size SD card. OEM cards are 8 or 16 GB in an encrypted format that won’t mount as FAT32 on a computer.

Which CX-9 trims came with a card

Section titled “Which CX-9 trims came with a card”

Every 2016-2020 CX-9 has the same 8-inch Gen 6 head unit and the same slot; what varies by trim is whether Mazda put a card in it.

TrimCard from factory
Grand Touring, SignatureYes, navigation standard
Sport, TouringNo card; navigation sold as a dealer-installed SD card accessory

On Gen 6, the card is the license. A Sport or Touring gains full factory navigation by adding a genuine card — Mazda’s own accessory catalog lists the nav SD card for all four trims. No head unit swap, no firmware change.

The 2021-2023 CX-9 is a different system: Gen 7 Mazda Connect with a 10.25-inch screen and a different card family (TD2K-66-EZ1 series). Nothing on this page applies to it; the split is explained on Gen 6 vs Gen 7.

Part numbers

Section titled “Part numbers”

North American 2016-2020 CX-9s use the BHP1-66-EZ1 card family, the same card that fits every Gen 6 Mazda (MX-5, CX-5, Mazda3, Mazda6, CX-3). The trailing letter is the map revision — BHP166EZ1M, EZ1N, EZ1U and so on — and newer revisions supersede older ones, so order by VIN through a dealer or parts.mazdausa.com rather than matching the letter on your old card. Other regions use different part numbers for the same reason cards are region-locked: the number encodes the map database.

Mazda lists the card around $400; street price at online Mazda parts counters runs lower. Cards at $20-50 on marketplace sites are counterfeits — the platform page covers how to spot them and why they fail.

Map updates through Mazda Toolbox

Section titled “Map updates through Mazda Toolbox”

A new card includes three years of free map updates through the Mazda Update Toolbox (mazda.naviextras.com): plug the card into a computer, the Toolbox app rewrites it, reinsert it in the car. After the free window, updates are paid, roughly $85-140 per region, and stay locked to the card’s original region.

Clone and used-card warnings

Section titled “Clone and used-card warnings”

The card VIN-locks to the first vehicle it runs in, after 100 km (62 miles) of driving. Two consequences:

  • A used card from another CX-9 won’t work unless a dealer re-codes it. The eBay card pulled from a wrecked Grand Touring is locked to that car’s VIN.
  • A sector-by-sector clone of your own card is a valid backup in the same car. Clone it before the original wears out, not after.

Pull the nav card before any firmware update. A card left in during a flash can be corrupted, and on a CX-9 that’s a $300+ mistake. The sequence is on the firmware update procedure page.

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