Mazda Mazda3 Complaints

105 consumer complaints on file.

#11663288May 27, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I was driving when all the sudden there was a loud bang sound. The differential housing cracked. The when awd is demanded the rear diff was was locking up instead of engaging. Luckily we were just on city streets and not on the highway as this rear wheel locking up could cause a crash. Mazda wasn't very helpful with the replacement. Luckily I had a aftermarket warranty but it only paid for a used replacement, which is also failing. I have read lots of stories of this rear differential failure across all types of Mazda's from this era and really wish they would do the correct thing and resolve the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656416April 23, 2025
ENGINE
Spontaneous loss of power while driving on highway. Check engine light came on. Speed limited by car. Continues to vibrate especially at idle from cold start. Code P0304 intermittently popping up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648817March 17, 2025
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH, STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HANDLE:INTERIOR
Driver door does not open from inside the vehicle. Door opens when opened from outside the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11645615February 28, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
During the incident, the vehicle exhibited an uncontrollable malfunction—the steering wheel suddenly jerked sharply to the right while accelerating violently, leaving me unable to steer or brake effectively, the car was looking forward. The car ultimately came to a stop upon colliding with a truck parked diagonally in front of me. After impact, I observed that the front tires remained stuck in a turned-right position, with the steering wheel also locked in that position. This was not an isolated event. Multiple reports from Mazda owners describe similar experiences with their vehicles unexpectedly veering to the right and accelerating without driver input. Given these recurring reports and my own experience, I strongly suspect that a manufacturing defect—whether mechanical, electronic, or software-related—may have contributed to this accident.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11644043February 21, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The driver window, upon attempted to be let up, will start to go up then go all the way down, ignoring the function to go up. This is a safety concern, as harsh temperatures and foreign objects are able to enter the vehicle cabin at any time, including driving. The problem has been reproduced by a dealer, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. There are no warning indicators for this issue beyond witness the failure occur in real time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11644042February 21, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
When this feature is left on in my vehicle, it will detect curves, vehicles, and objects that are not there, and as a result, will attempt to turn my steering wheel (safety concern). I have had to keep this feature turned off to prevent it wrecking the car, because I could be on a straight road, and it will detect a curve that isn’t there and begin turning the wheel, which could result in a fatal accident if not corrected and disabled by the driver. It is available for inspection upon request. As the dealer has not driven the vehicle, they have not recreated the error, however if anyone were to drive the vehicle, they would be able to observe the malfunction. The dealer has been made aware on many occasions, though they never documented it and only suggested that I turn the feature off, which automatically turns itself on upon ignition. There are no warnings that there is a malfunction; you only know there is an error once an alert pops up thinking you’re missing a curve and attempts to turn your steering wheel though there is no curve. This issue has persisted over the life of the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11644041February 21, 2025
ENGINE
The thermostat malfunctioned on this vehicle, resulting in the thermostat remaining open and providing excess coolant to the engine, which in turn damaged internal components of the engine (compromises safety), decreased fuel economy, increased emissions (compromised safety), and decreased the life of the engine within the vehicle. It is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle has been inspected by an independent mechanic and will be inspected by the Mazda dealership in 7 days. There were no prior warnings until the engine malfunction notice appeared, the vehicle began to make jolts and stuttering sounds, and the temperature gauge within the vehicle failed to rise to optimal range. As this occurred while the vehicle was in use (safety concern), though I was pushing the gas there would be delayed response due to improper temperature, which increased the risk for an accident to occur.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640657February 4, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Car was turning left in front of me. I was going about 30 mph. I started to steer to the right of the car into a passing lane. The AEB stopped me and the guy behind me rear-ended me. The system did not need to react, I was not going to hit the car in front of me, but I could not steer to the right until I came to the passing lane.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11639907January 31, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Second event: Again about 30 mph, a FEDEX truck was turning left in front of me, as I steered to the right to pass it, the AEB stopped me, fortunately there was no one behind me this time. The last time this happened I was rear-ended.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638015January 23, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The active braking support feature of this vehicle falsely warns me of an imminent collision. It happens pretty often, the system is obviously not quite smart enough. Last week, while accelerating away from a stop light in moderately heavy traffic, the active braking system APPLIED THE BRAKES in a panic manner, causing the vehicle to almost come to a complete stop, and I missed being rear-ended by the car behind me by inches. There appears to be no method to permanently deactivate this "safety" feature. I can turn it off through a series of menus in the infotainment system, but each time I start the car the system turns itself back on again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11632713December 27, 2024
AIR BAGS
The passenger-side "airbag off" light does not go off, even with an adult in the passenger seat. This is a US car without an ability to disable the airbag, so this should never happen. We assume this means that the airbag will not inflate in an accident. It happens on about 60% of drives with a passenger, and the dealer was unable to reproduce.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631734December 20, 2024
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
FRONT AND REAR WINDSHIELDS GET EXCESSIVE CONDENSATION ON THE INSIDE OF WINDOWS OBSTRUCTIING VISIBILITY. CAR TAKEN TO DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE SAME SITUATION. THIS PUTS OTHERS AT RISK BECAUSE THE DEFROSTER DOES NOT WORK WELL WHEN THERE IS HEAVY CONDENSATION ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOWS. THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE PURCHASE IN 2024.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631026December 16, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda Mazda3. The contact received notification of an unknown Class Action Lawsuit Number however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628034November 30, 2024
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2023 Mazda 3 started to have a more terrible and annoying rattle after 3000 miles. The engine will resonate and knock when it reaches a certain speed. The slow speed light throttle acceleration rattles. The most annoying thing is the multiple rattles inside, dash, door panels, and roof. It is like a can in the summer. What’s more terrible is that in the winter, its internal door panels, windows, and dash make a knocking sound like a screw is loose. I went to multiple Mazda dealers and it was obvious that they could not find and fix the issue. They either said they didn’t hear it or said it was a "normal noise". This is disappointing and unacceptable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11627559November 26, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Radiators are failing 3 years after the warranty period. Its leading to coolant lost and perhaps overheating the engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626518November 20, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2021 Mazda 3 was bought used in August 2023 and is about a year old in my possession. it has been at the Mazda dealership for repairs multiple times since August 2023. it dangerously stalls and hesitates when trying to accelerate from a stop position. When the brake pedal is released and I start to accelerate like merging onto highways,the car rumbles or shakes slightly and then shuts off. I Came across a review online that had the exact same problem and it stated a PCM update solved the issue. I have been to the dealer frequently since purchased and they kept my car for over a week and claimed they could not reproduce the customers complaint and there is no diagnostic code generated. There is Frequent parking light malfunction alerts, switch operation not accepted alerts, Brake alerts on desolate roadways I believe this vehicle behavior is dangerous on multiple levels, but the dealer Refused to remedy the complaint or give me copies of the papers that I signed, stating they are only for the dealership. I also received a notice in the mail for a class action settlement for faulty fuel pump used in MAZDA vehicles but not the 2021 Mazda 3 although it displays the same Dangerous behavior. So between the faulty fuel pump or required PCM update the vehicle is questionable to drive safely under certain circumstances. The dealer inferred I should have purchased a used certified Mazda from them instead. Thanks
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626309November 20, 2024
TIRES
215/45R18 89V I bought a new 2024 Mazda 3 sedan Sport for my senior college son on [XXX] in Rockville, Maryland. In the evening of [XXX], during our attending my son's graduation in Nashville, Tennessee, on the highway to hotel, the front right tire was suddenly blowed out (air leaking quickly and completely). There was nothing on the highway, no object and no pothole. The cars in the front of us were just fine. My son only drove several thousand miles. We were very scared and our safety was threatened. My insurance Geico helped us to replace it with spare tire. We went to a local tire store at Nashville to replace the tire with BRI TURANZA EL440, and the new tire cost us $352.01. Our local Mazda dealer at Rockville Maryland asked us to contact Toyo for tire warranty, but nothing happened. We have kept the receipt. By the way, I googled new Mazda3 tire problems, and I found multiple complains on line. Examples [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625210November 14, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
See attached document for complaint.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11615747September 21, 2024
ENGINE
Low oil light - car is burning oil and only has 11,400 miles. Approx 3/4 to 1 quart missing...
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11615673September 20, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My Mazda3, odometer reading about 3000 miles, would not start. I have been driving normally daily, do not leave lights on or any other equipment connected when the car is off. I have not had any warning lights displayed other than startup. Monday I drove to my local CT. golf course, 20 miles from home, arrived at 9am. 5 hours later I after golf, I can’t open trunk. Fortunately I left the car unlocked. The car would not start. Road Service tried to jump battery unsuccessfully. Dragged the car onto truck-bed and transports to dealer. Service tech contacts me next day … charged battery, checked electric system and found no malfunctions. This is a scary situation when one never knows when this will happen again. Is there a solution??
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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