guys, take a look at this, the problem is the lack of a drain plug and lack of PTU oil maintenance:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123847373-Changing-CX-9-transfer-case-gear-oil-%28photos%29
the Mazda CX-9 guys figured out a way to fix the PTU problem,
the CX-9 uses the same exact PTU as the Ford Edge back when Ford and Mazda were partners