10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 23,856 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.
Emergency/parking brake failure I parked my car in the driveway at my mother's house at the top of the driveway, which is relatively flat and only a very slight incline. There is a portion of driveway between the sidewalk and the house level which is steeper; however my car was parked above that area and on the flat portion. The car is a manual transmission and I had set the car to neutral with the emergency parking brake on. About 20 minutes after the car had been parked, it rolled backwards- down the driveway, out into the street and hitting 2-3 trash cans, and ended up jumping the curb on the opposite side of the street. The rear left tire was up on the curb and the Mazda 3 collided with the rear right corner of another parked vehicle. I witnessed the incident from inside the house and there were several other witnesses. When we looked at the Mazda 3 after it had come to a stop on the opposite curb, we saw from the outside that the emergency brake was indeed engaged. Background information on vehicle use: I always fully engage the brakes before parking and setting the emergency brake. When parking on any obviously sloped surface, I always put the car into gear (into 1st when sloped upwards, and into reverse when sloped downwards) and set the emergency brake, as well as turn the wheels toward the curb when parallel-parked. I have kept up with normal scheduled maintenance and have read through the owner's manual which does not mention anything about when to inspect the emergency brake's effectiveness. I had the issue inspected by the Mazda dealer 2/7/11 and they said they "could not duplicate my issue", also that everything was in proper working order. All they could do was adjust my parking brake (which does feel tighter now). I asked if there is anything I should do differently when I park. They answered that I have been using the correct parking procedures.
- Irvine, CA, USA
Mazda 3 brakes and rotors were replaced at 18,000. Mechanic says the pads were worn thin and the rotors warped. He had never seen any thing link this for a new low mileage car. Replaced them on the spot out of fear for safety. Mazda needs to own up to warped rotor issue and not blame it on driving and braking. Isn't a car suppose to drive and brake when necessary? any comment from Mazda on recall would help me feel better about buying this model.
- Narberth, PA, USA
1. normal everyday driving, current mileage just under 16,700. 2. occurs when driving the car above 40 mph and then applying the brakes, the car shimmys hard (steering wheel shakes and so does braking foot as it is applying brakes) 3. took the car to the dealer service center for diagnosis and repair. The dealer would not repair under warranty as the car has more than 12,000 miles. Dealer indicated that the front rotors are warped and need to be repaired for $189. After much research on the internet, I have discovered that this is a very common problem with the Mazda with many rotors warping well under the 12,000 mile threshold on the warranty. I have owned many cars and this is the only car that I have ever experienced "warped rotors".
- Gilbert, AZ, USA
- Bethel Park, PA, USA