Mazda · CX-3 · 2017
1
Recall
21
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2017 Mazda CX-3 has 1 recall and 21 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: fuel/propulsion system (6 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 25, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
13.6% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Mazda3 and 2016-2021 CX-3 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display properly by showing a flickering or distorted image.
Remedy Status
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera, as necessary. In addition, dealers will install a wiring harness fastening seal. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 13, 2023. Final owner letters for affected models and model years in the states of CT, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA and VA were mailed August 14, 2024. The remaining owner notification letters will be mailed at a future date, anticipated on or before May 1, 2025. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 6. Mazda's number for this recall is 6023G.
Windshield wiper fluid tank leaks when you pour fluid in empty within about an hour
LED speedometer in dash showing incorrect speed or unreadable. Advised of chip malfunction.
Steering system seems to become unhinged. Something in the steering system is not working properly.
The contact owns a 2017 Mazda CX-3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V487000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the camera image was distorted while in use. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
When starting the car in cold weather, the driver assistance system, to include rear camera display, navigation, hands-free voice commands and calling, continuously restarts for close to 15 minutes rendering safe navigation unavailable. Without a backup navigation system, drivers cannot get turn prompts and safely plan for the next exit or turn. This has happened repeatedly and could be related to the current open recall for the CX-3.
Both headlamp lights have water on it (Condensation ocurring on both headlamps) Please verify if this situation could be considered a safety hazard.
CAR HAS 24,547 MILES AND THE FUEL PUMP WENT OUT. CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING AND HAD TO BE TOWED BY AAA. CAR WAS REPAIRED AT OVERBECK AUTO SERVICE 1793 OHIO PIKE, AMELIA, OH 45102. INFO@OVERBECKAUTO.COM
I was driving my 2017 Mazda CX-3 on the interstate when car suddenly jerked and failed to accelerate. I was driving 70 mph in the left lane when this happened and immediately started to pull over to the righthand shoulder of the road. The car jerked and slowed again when we were in the right lane. By the time I pulled off, the check engine light was on and the car had completely stalled. I was stuck on a narrow shoulder with a dog and two people in the car. We were lucky we made it to the shoulder at all before the car stalled. There was no indication before the car jerked that there was any problem with the vehicle. The car was towed to the dealership and the cause of the check engine light was identified as a leaking fuel pump/fuel rail. I had to have the fuel pump replaced along with a valve cover gasket.
On November 4, 2022 I was driving in the middle lane of I 87 north of Saratoga Springs. The car stalled and died. I was able to get to the break down lane. After sitting for 5 - 10 minutes, completely frazzled, I tried the ignition and the car started. The gas gauge said I had approximately ¼ tank left. I filled the car up and made it the rest of the way home. This had happened once before on a local road and we had the car towed. The thought was that maybe the car had run out of gas although the gas gauge did not so indicate. When I took the vehicle to the mazda dealer after considerable research, they indicated there were recalls on Denso fuel pump impellers for the model of my car in 2018 and following but not for my 2017 model. The date of that service was 1/17/23. There were no codes still in place that would identify the problem. I am certain that this is the problem. I only drive the car locally now and i keep the gas tank at least ½ full.
I put my right signals on and came to a near stop, as I did a right turn into the parking space in front of the dry cleaners. I was slowly creeping into the parking space, and pushing the brakes, as I slowed down to a near stop in the parking spot. All of a sudden, as my right foot was still on the brakes, I felt the car lurch forward, and felt myself pulled back into my seat from the velocity, as the car suddenly accelerated forward out of control! I had NO CONTROL OVER THE CAR! I saw myself speeding towards the drycleaners’ glass window storefront! I came to a stop after I had driven over the sidewalk, over some plants, and crashed into the pillar in front of the dry cleaners, completely pulling it off of its foundation. My car’s engine was still running, and the airbags did NOT deploy. This was a case of Sudden Unintended Acceleration where the airbags did not deploy, resulting is serious property damage, but could have been much worse had the pillar not been there to stop my car from breaching the storefront, and potentially hitting a customer or employee.
THIS IS A FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. P/N PELL - 1335ZA. OTHER NUMBERS ON THE LABEL ARE 16.12.22 AND H00073961. I AM IN POSSESSION OF THE FAULTY PART. WE WERE TRAVELLING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON ROUTE 1 IN DELAWARE. THE CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE LANE AND WE ALMOST MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER. MY HUSBAND, 70, HAD TO PUSH IT THE SHOULDER. IT WOULD NOT RESTART. WE HAD MY 95 YEAR OLD MOTHER IN LAW IN THE CAR. THE TEMPERATURE WAS CLOSE TO 100 DEGREES THAT DAY AND SUNNY. WE WERE VERY CONCERNED FOR HER. WE CALLED 911 AND A STATE TROUPER CAME IN ABOUT 20 MINS. HE TOOK MY HUSBAND TO GET A A FEW GALLONS OF GAS AND THE CAR STARTED. BEFORE THE STALL, WE HAD ENOUGH GAS FOR 39 MILES. WE DID NOT RUN OUT OF GAS. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE ABOUT SIX MONTHS EARLIER ON A LESS BUSY ROAD AND I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT SO I DID NOT FRET ABOUT IT THAT TIME AND THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A QUIRKY THING. WE MADE IT HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. WE BROUGHT IT TO THE MECHANIC LOCALLY FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL PUMP. HE VERIFIED THE PROBLEM WITH HIS DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT. THE CHECK ENGINE CODE FOR THE EVENT WAS P0192. TOTAL COST OF REPAIR WAS $900.00. THERE IS A CURRENT FUEL PUMP RECALL ON MAZDAS BUT IT STARTS WITH THE MODEL YEAR 2018. MINE IS A 2017 BUT THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE THE SAME! THE COMPONENT IS IN MY POSSESSION BUT NO OTHER PARTIES, BESIDES THE MECHANIC, HAVE EXAMINED IT.
On 3 separate occasions this car presented as if it were out of fuel while the gas gauge showed it having fuel. It sputtered then lost power as if it ran out of gas. Two of these times were on the interstate while the 3rd time was in a residential area.
The contact owns a 2017 Mazda CX-3. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and approaching a stop sign, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated he was unaware if there was any warning light illuminated. The contact added fuel to the vehicle and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the fuel pressure sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,792.
The contact owns a 2017 Mazda CX-3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact related the failure to a faulty fuel pump; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,099.
I have had this happen multiple times. I try to turn off the car and it will not shut off. It makes noises and beeps, but you can do nothing to turn off the car. This makes the battery die. The first time I freaked out and called Mazda headquarters. They got a tow truck sent to me and my car was taken to Brown's Mazda in Fairfax. They told me the battery was dead and that is why that happened. I have had my battery checked by them numerous times and they say it is A-OK and 100% okay, so how can this be. It happened again and I drove straight to the dealer who told me it wasn't the battery but the starting system. They fixed it and I left and 20 minutes later it happened again. It has now happened again. One day my car is fine and the next it does not start. Then, after trying to start it again today. It went crazy and would not shut off. I was at the dealership recently and another woman had this problem. They told her it was the shifting gear and she had to pay a fair amount. This is ridiculous. This is a Mazda problem not an owner problem. No one seems to know what the real issue is or are afraid to tell. This needs to be looked into. The problem is Mazda owners never know when and where this will happen and it could strand us in bad locations with no recourse. There are no warning lights or messages and it happens at random times. It first started two years ago and has been happening repeatedly. The problem has been relayed to Browns Mazda on several occasions and they tell me it is the battery, but every time I get the battery checked it is perfect. Something is wrong and it is probably due to the electrical starting system which also affects the charging terminals. This is a serious issue and someone needs to take a look into this matter. Please help!
The engine on my 2017 CX-3 died while travelling on the interstate at 70mph just before the low fuel light would normally turn on. I pulled to the side of the interstate freaked out at what just happened. I was within a mile of an exit with a gas station and the car started when fuel was added. It's the exact same low pressure fuel pump failure symptom that later CX-3's are being recalled for. I took it to a Mazda dealer and he only recommended that I keep the tank over half full. I've been hoping the recall would be expanded to include my VIN number but there doesn't appear to be enough complaints yet to do this. I've been filling up at 1/4 tank and haven't had an issue again after driving another 40,000+ miles. This model has disappointing range even without this issue.
WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, VEHICLE STALLED AND STARTED JERKING, UNABLE TO ACCELERATE, LOSING SPEED QUICKLY. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO MOVE ONTO THE SHOULDER, AVOIDING A SEMI TRUCK APPROACHING QUICKLY BEHIND, AND ANOTHER SEMI TRUCKED PARKED ALONG THE INTERSTATE BLOCKING ACCESS TO THE SHOULDER.
I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AT A VERY HIGH SPEED. A DRIVER DIDN'T SEE ME IN HIS LEFT SIDE BLIND SPOT AND WAS VEERING INTO MY LANE AT 85-90MPH. I SWERVED TO THE LEFT TO AVOID THE CAR AND MY CAR WOULDN'T STRAIGHTEN/I COULDN'T GET BACK THE CONTROL. I SMASHED THE GUARDRAIL WITH THE WHOLE LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR AND THE CAR WAS DEEMED TO BE TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED DESPITE THE HIGH SPEED AND IMPACT OF THE ACCIDENT.
WARM AIR FROM THE CLIMATE CONTROL VENTS- CAR IS UNDER 45,000 MILES AND NEEDS A NEW EVAPORATOR- MOST CARS WILL NEVER NEED A NEW EVAPORATOR, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT IS UNDER FOUR YEARS OLD. *TR
2017 MAZDA CX3. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO AN ISSUE WITH VEHICLES BLIND SPOT WARNING SYSTEM. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE BLIND SPOT SYSTEM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE OPERATING WELL. THE SYSTEM ONLY SEEMED TO REGISTER WHEN A VEHICLE WAS APPROACHED FROM THE REAR. LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE WARNINGS APPEARED TO BE WORKING AS DESIGNED. WHEN THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS DOING THE OVERTAKING NO WARNING WAS GIVEN. THIS IS THE SAME FOR THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES. UPDATED 09/27/2017*JS
Showing 1–20 of 21 complaints
The 2017 Mazda CX-3 has 1 recall recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 21 owner-reported complaints for the 2017 Mazda CX-3.
The 2017 Mazda CX-3 received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2017 Mazda CX-3 are fuel/propulsion system (6 reports), electrical system (2 reports), engine,fuel/propulsion system (2 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 1 recall on record for the 2017 Mazda CX-3. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.