I was driving home from the grocery store and as I approached a slight incline I accelerated to go up the incline. The engine suddenly revved up past 4000 RPM and it felt like the car had slipped out of gear. It did not slip out of gear. It was obvious that the clutch was slipping. I also noted a hot, burning odor like burning micarta. I managed to get the car home, then called the dealer They said that it sounded like a warranty thing and told me to bring it in. I told them that the car was not operable. They then told me to call Mazda Roadside Assistance, who towed the car to the nearest dealer (not the one I bought the car from). The next morning the dealer called and said that the clutch plate was destroyed and that it would cost me around $1,000.00. I asked about the warranty and was told that the clutch plate is a "normal wear item" like tires or windshield wipers, and was not covered by any warranty. I then got on my computer and discovered that I am not alone with premature clutch failures in the Mazda3. I have owned 5 previous Mazda vehicles since 1970, all with manual transmissions. 4 of the 5 had over 200,000 miles with no clutch problems. The 5th had around 40,000 miles on it with no problems when I traded it in on my 2010 Mazda3 in June of 2009. l love the Mazda3, but Mazda needs to step up and do the right thing, find and fix the problem, and take care of their customers. I shudder to think what would have happened if this failure had occurred during one of our long road trips, stranded out in the boonies (like Death Valley with no cell coverage).

Update from Oct 10, 2012: After sending the $969.70 to get my car back from the dealer I sent all documentation to Mazda North American Operations for clarification as to why the clutch failure is considered a "normal" wear item even though the clutch presure plate (which was destroyed) is specifically listed in the warranty book as warrantied for 60 mo/60,000 miles. I recently received a telephone call from them stating that the failure is considered normal wear and no assistance could be expected from Mazda. I then requested them to send me a written document stating their reasons for denial of responsibility, and was informed that that was just not going to happen, and that I should get a copy of the work order from the dealer - which I received when I picked up my car, but does not explain anything other than the fact that they replaced the clutch and that I paid the bill. Mazda has just lost a loyal customer of 42 years!

We've always owned Manual vehicles (1956 to present) The claim that clutch failure was 'driver error' is ludicrous. Failure came without warning, while pulling away from a stop light.

Previous Protege 5 manual was still going strong @170,000 km. So 51,058 km (31,875 mi)

is premature failure!

After repeated attempts to speak to someone of authority at Mazda, finally in late June, Mario, an administrative assistant took up the cause, only to advise @ 3 weeks later, that no warranty or assistance with the repair bill was forthcoming from them.

I await a letter confirming their decision.

Ladies and gents,

Refusing to cover our clutch replacements is ethically wrong, and illegal on Mazda's part. I am preparing to file a class action lawsuit to recover as damages (1) the costs of getting our clutches replaced and (2) incidental costs arising from Mazda's refusal to cover our repairs in a timely manner. Please email me with your contact info at ochmanek@gmail.com, with "Mazda Clutch Lawsuit" in the subject line, and I will compile a list of plaintiffs and hire an expert consumer rights attorney to represent us on a contingent fee basis.

I am a third year law student at UC Irvine, and took a course that covered the consumer laws governing warranties. At least two sets of laws relate to our current situation: the Magnuson-Moss Federal Warranty Act (15 USC §2301 et seq.), and the state laws providing for an Implied Warranty of Merchantability. Under Magnuson-Moss, any material exclusions to a written warranty must be fully and conspicuously disclosed to the buyer, so as not to mislead the reasonable consumer as to the scope of the warranty. Based on everybody's stories on this forum, Mazda clearly failed this duty. Like many of you have said, had I known that the clutch on the Mazda3 was going to fail after 2 years, costing me $1600 out-of-pocket to replace, I would never have bought it!

The Implied Warranty of Merchantability is a part of the Uniform Commercial Code that (to the best of my knowledge) has been adopted by every state except Louisiana. It requires that whenever someone sells goods, if he is a "merchant" with respect to those goods (which Mazda and its dealerships certainly are with respect to cars), those goods must be fit for reasonably expected use. Furthermore, there can be no limit on the duration of this implied warranty unless it is reasonable. A car that breaks down before 36k miles is not fit for reasonably expected use, nor is 36k miles a reasonable limit on the implied warranty of merchantability.

I will do everything in my power to enforce these laws against Mazda, but I need your help! No claim under Magnuson-Moss may be filed as a class action unless there are at least 100 similarly-situated plaintiffs. Based on reading these posts I am confident there are enough of us out there, but I would appreciate all the help I can get in aggregating names, contact info, and evidence. You can start by just shooting me a quick email. I will do everything I can to keep you all updated on the status of the suit.

For the record, I experienced the same symptoms everyone else is describing: you try to let the clutch pedal out but, right where the take-up point should be, the engine just keeps revving without engaging the transmission. I was able to continue driving around like this, always nursing the car up to speed, for about 250 miles before it gave out altogether and there was zero traction on the clutch plate. I talked to my usual mechanic, a Japanese Auto Repair specialist, and he said the earliest he ever sees clutches burn out is 60-70k miles, and that is with drivers who really abuse their cars. With merely average treatment, standard range should be 120-130k, and babying it should get you 150-180k+. In any event, having a clutch burn out on a 4 cylinder front wheel drive Japanese car in under 36,000 miles is not "normal wear and tear" as Mazda claims.

I called Mazda corporate customer service explaining as much and got the runaround. Well they messed with the wrong law student! Please join me, and let's make Mazda regret their decision to shirk their moral and legal responsibilities!

Sincerely yours, Matty Ochmanek JD Candidate, Class of 2013 UC Irvine School of Law ochmanek@gmail.com

So, I bought this car brand new with 4.7miles on the clock. It is a 2010 Mazda 3 s Sport Hatchback 2.5l 6-speed manual. I drove a vw Jetta 50k miles, and it was a manual as well before this car. At 8000 miles, the clutch and transmission went out (3rd gear exploded, and clutch was slipping). Then after a total of 16000 miles on the clock, the clutch failed once again, and this time it cost me $1756.82 to have it fixed, plus I did not have a car for 2 weeks. Now, with 20600 miles on the clock, the clutch is slipping once again!

The car is great to drive, but the clutch really is sh*t in these things! If Mazda don't see this as a varifyable statement, they are more than welcome to shoot me an email or a phone call asking for the vin#!

I, as well, had to have my clutch replaced on my 2010 Mazda3 HB. I was going to Syracuse, everything was fine on the way up, and on my way home, halfway back... Gone. Just, nothing. No Acceleration, nothing. Mazda said clutch and flywheel needed to be replaced. I took the clutch to the dealership I bought it from, and they said the clutch was bad. I called Corporate, and got the royal screw job with no reach around. I started searching around online... I found a lot of people in a few forums that had to replace their clutches as well. I am now questioning my car buying choice, wondering if this is going to be a yearly thing or not. I've actually already started looking around for if I have to choose to fix it again or not.... I won't. I'll just buy an Infinity or a Nissan, because this is bullshit and I am still pissed off that Mazda bailed on so many people with the same issue.

Age: 1 year and 3 months

Miles: ~27100 almost all done highway to and from Rochester

Update from Feb 15, 2012: After replacing my clutch, it seems like it might be failing again. There is a distinct burning smell here and there after driving a long distance. I am only at around 32000 miles now, just under 5000 miles from when I replaced it. I've heard a lot of good about the Speed 3 and no bad regarding clutch failures... however, I think I might go to Infiniti, because this is ridiculous. They need to recall the clutches, or something, because there is indeed a problem. I would like to hear Mazda tell 15 people they don't know how to drive a manual transmission.

Update from Aug 21, 2015: Requested update from email sent October 27th 2014: ( I know, I was in the middle of moving and I have been excessively busy lately. Just refound the email printout. )

Recently had gotten a email about the clutch problem... My update is that after I paid almost 2000 dollars (rounded up, if need be I can find the paperwork with the exact amount I paid on it as I kept it incase this might happen...) I owned the car for about .....Few months later the clutch started to slip again. I gave up, and traded the car.. This was a car I bought BRAND NEW with only 6 miles on it. Mazda told me I don't know how to drive a manual transmission. I have driven manual transmission since I was 17... 91 Geo Metro.... then an 97 Eagle Talon..... My Talon I sold with 174K miles on it, about 94K miles from me. Never had to replace the clutch at all. Had my Talon for almost 10 years too... I don't have time, or the money to keep fixing a known problem that Mazda wanted to squirm out of. I bought a used 2010 Audi Q5 and never been happier.

I bought this car as a demo with 4500 miles on it at the beginning of August. Have owned it for 4.5 months and put 4100 miles on it and the clutch failed completely. Because the car was a demo, the warranty had expired but wouldn't have made a difference because it was 'abused.' I discussed the issue with Mazda Knoxville's Service Manager Derek and he said it was a normal wear item and that Mazda would only cover it if there was a default in the clutch or one of the clutch components. After a long conversation with Mazda's District Parts and Service Manager Mark, I was left with a $1200 bill. I was told that there was no way to determine if it was my driving or someone previous. My first car had a manual transmission that lasted over 100,000 miles when I was a teenager...hardly doubt that I would burn out a new car clutch after 4000 miles.

I have a 2010 Mazda 3 S. Love the car don't get me wrong, but I noticed when I shift from first to second gear (not all the time) the gears grinded, clutch was all the way in, drove me crazy. Took to the dealership they couldn't find the problem. Went to the dealership six more times with the same issue. After the six time i went to the dealership my front right end was making this clunking sound. Took it to the dealership about five times before they figured out it was the strut and top mount. Soon after it was making this clunking sound again, 3 times at the dealer ship it was the left strut. Right after that (still having clutch problems) i take it into the dealership again because the engine was making a weird grinding sound, turns out it needed engine mounts. A couple of days ago i was driving and noticed it was hard to put the stick shift into gears, was intermediate for a couple of minutes. Then i turn the corner onto a street and i could not find a gear, i was stuck in neutral. After jamming it into any gear I got third. Pulled up to a friends house and called the dealership... when the tow truck arrived i had reverse and first gear, so i moved it up to the tow truck and it happened again. Later that day the dealership called me and informed me that they did not a problem at all. Now after going more than thirty times to the dealership I am contacting a lawyer, under warranty they will not fix the clutch. (not once they allowed me to get me a rental car for all my issues) I really do like the 3 models because my aunt has a 2007 (no problems) but this is the worst buying decision.

I purchased a new Mazda and experienced a catastrophic clutch failure at less than 32,000 miles. That means, the car was being driven down the interstate and while coasting down the exit ramp there was a bang and the car would no longer move. I had it towed to the closest Mazda dealership who told me it was going to cost $1200 to have it repaired. This is unacceptable. I have owned many cars from many manufacturers and have never experienced this problem before, even with cars with hundreds of thousands of miles. In fact this is my newest current car and the only one in my lifetime I have ever had to have towed. I am very disappointed in Mazda and would not consider another new one in light of this obvious quality problem. Why would anyone buy a new car and want to be treated as if they bought a used one?

The complaint to Mazda North America gave a polite "The clutch is not covered after 12,000 miles.

The car was not repaired at the dealership as they were absolutely no help. It was worth the extra $80 to tow it away to a shop I could trust.

I had a 2010 Mazda3 sedan. At 14,800 miles, the clutch suffered a catastrophic and sudden failure. I took it in to the dealership, feeling good cause I had been paying a lot of money for an extended warranty, and of course, I knew that I hadn't destroyed a brand new clutch in 15,000 miles. To my horror, they called me the next day saying "the clutch disk is ruined due to driver error" and it would cost $1200 to fix. They also claimed that the disk is a "normal wear" item that is not covered under the warranty. Basically, I raised holy hell with the dealership, who knew it was bull***, so they raised hell with corporate, who refused to admit that the clutch was defective. Eventually, they paid for the new part, and the dealership, feeling bad paid for $200 of the labor. In the end, I was ripped for $640 to replace a brand new clutch with under 15,000 miles of use, which should have been covered under the extended warranty I was paying for. Plus, I drive 5 days/week in the nastiest Los Angeles rush hour traffic. So, knowing that they simply replaced the old clutch with the same, stock piece of junk, that would surely fail like the last one, I traded for an automatic Mazda3 hatch. Let's just hope that it doesn't have any defects, cause Mazda is SHADY. By the way, the car I had before I got the Mazda3 was a 1992 Acura integra, 120,000 miles. Sold it with the ORIGINAL clutch still in it and working perfectly.

I've had this car for about 2 years and it's got less than 19,000 miles on it. The clutch has already blown as it takes a lot of rev's to get the car moving slowly and yesterday, I could smell the burn. Mazda dealership says they don't think it's covered under warranty because it's normal wear and tear and I asked if he thought it was normal that a car with less than 20,000 miles should need a new clutch. His response was no it's not normal but they would be charging me $800 to take it apart and look at it. This doesn't even include the parts and replacement if they "deem" it necessary. This is ridiculous, Mazda needs to come out and admit that the clutch on 2010's is weak and fix it or replace it.

Really want to like this car as it is a fun drive, but the clutch has got to go and really should be taken care of by the manufacturer as there is an ever increasing amount of complaints showing up on the web for such a new car.

I have experienced pretty much the same symptoms as everyone else, but seemed to sneak out a few more miles. Car slipping out of gear when accelerating and clutch not engaging until almost completely let out. Dealer seemed stunned as he said, " never heard of this happening." I told him he just needs to look it up...I was more stunned at the $1340 repair cost on a year old car.

The problem now is that I don't have an extra $1300 sitting around, and I definately do not want the same piece of junk put in as a replacement. Solution...get an aftermarket clutch kit, and have my regular mechanic put it in for half the cost. Only problem is that there are no aftermarket clutch kits that I can find for this car. So here I sit with a vehicle that I can only get repaired if I want to pay way too much for a part I knoe will just fail again.

Mazda needs to get off their tails and remedy this before word really gets out.

I was driving my car home one night and I noticed on the highway the RPMS were jumping while I was in 6th gear. This continued when I pulled off the highway and was taking backroads. By the time I got 10 minutes down the road, the car was undriveable and would NOT move at all, I could not shift into any of the gears, and the clutch was a bit looser than normal.

I had it towed to the closest dealership, and am currently fighting them about having them fix it under warranty. The way I drive should allow the clutch to last to at least 100k miles. I had no warning of this happening, even drove to Florida and back with no issues a couple days prior, and then all of a sudden this happened in the middle of the night in backroads of PA in bear country. Being a young female this put me in an extremely compromising position since I was alone.

I am very much regretting this purchase.