10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
89,225 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #8

Aug 252021

MAZDA3

  • miles
Im having issues with rust the car it-??s getting pretty much the car it-??s falling apart the under body it-??s nothing but rust I-??m scared of changing a tire because there-??s actually not a good grip where I can lift the car without feeling it-??s going to fall apart, the rear or the disks it-??s falling by chunks and just yesterday the rear shock plate broke out of place because it-??s way too rust same thing with my muffler I don-??t feel safe I-??m My car which I love, I truly do but I feel like at any minute its just going to break apart right now it-??s the shock rear driver side but I feel like next a tire or my brake disks are going to break like I said I don-??t even feel safe to change a tire

- Elkhart, IN, USA

problem #7

Jun 252020

MAZDA3

  • 82,500 miles
I have, had (2), two brand new set, of tires from Firestone put on this car. I was also told only those two sets can only be put on this Mazda 3. the car keep bucking on every street and every road. Every day and evening.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #6

Apr 012017

MAZDA3

  • 106,000 miles
Approaching a redlight at a highway intersection, my son pressed his foot down on on the brake and the brakes failed. The pedal went all the way to the floor and did not work at all and resulted in an accident that destroyed the car and injured the occupants of the car he struck. The car was purchased used. The previous owner had the brakes completely repaired when the same thing had happened while braking. I was not aware of the specifics of the brake repair until after the accident when I inquired as to why he had replaced the brake booster prior to my purchase. Internet searches after the accident seemed to indicate that this happened with some frequency to others and I wanted to make sure I let someone know.

- Flower Mound, TX, USA

problem #5

May 262016

MAZDA3

  • 116,600 miles
My car idles really rough. Once I get close to freeway speed my car constantly shifts gears from 3 to 4 to 3, so on. This causes my car to jerk, it revs from 3,000 to 1,000 and eveything in between. During this my brakes become practically useless, I have to completely press the brake pedal to make it decelerate. And braking distances are drastically increased. It further worries me that I dont have any dash lights on such as check engine, transmission, ABS, etc.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #4

Jul 162014

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 140,700 miles
Total failure of brake master cylinder caused loss of service brakes at all wheels. No prior indication of brake issues before total loss of functionality. Vehicle brought under control using mechanical emergency brake. Replaced with aftermarket master cylinder - extremely poor brake function at present, but vehicle still in use with difficulty.

- Hatboro, PA, USA

problem #3

Oct 062013

MAZDA3

  • 60,000 miles
Driving at 35 mph brakes gave out. Brakes needed to be pumped just to stop and had 8 year old child in the car. Took to dealership and they said brake booster was bad and would cost $625 to fix. Found on-line on forums that Mazda brake boosters go out at about 50K miles. Very dangerous to driver and others on the road. Have owned 6 vehicles of different makes and never had anything fail on such an important part for driver safety.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #2

Nov 082012

MAZDA3

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Mazda Mazda3. While driving approximately 30 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the brakes would not respond. The vehicle suddenly stalled while making a left turn. The failure recurred intermittently. The contact stopped the vehicle in a parking area and after restarting the vehicle, the steering and brakes responded. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Novi, MI, USA

problem #1

Apr 202012

MAZDA3

  • 128,000 miles
Rear brake caliper seized and heated overheated. The brake pads started to smoke as well.

- Auburn Hills, MI, USA