There are 6 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2010 Mazda Mazda3in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Fuel is leaking from the top of the gas tank, which is a very dangerous issue.
According to other people on forums, the issue is inside the fuel tank. A piece of metal in the fuel tank has broken off and it scrapping inside the tank itself. I have no taken my car to a mechanic, yet. But, based on the multiple forums, this is an ongoing issue with Mazdas. You hear it mostly when your driving and come to a stop. Once stopped, you heard the scrapping until the car/fuel stops shifting.
THE FUEL SENDER UNIT, LOCATED IN TOP OF THE FUEL TANK, HAS DEVELOPED A CRACK AND IS CAUSING FUEL TO LEAK. THE NIPPLE THAT PROTRUDES FROM THE FUEL PUMP HAS CRACKED FROM WHAT LOOKS TO BE PRESSURE FROM THE CONNECTING FUEL HOSE. BECAUSE OF THIS PRESSURE, THE NIPPLE LEAKS AND SPRAYS A MIST OF FUEL OFF TO THE SIDE. THE PRESSURE LOOKS TO BE TOWARDS THE PASSENGER SIDE AS THE CRACK THAT DEVELOPED WAS DIRECTLY ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE(DRIVERS). THIS TYPE OF FUEL LEAK CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AS THE FUEL TANK IS LOCATED NEAR EXHAUST COMPONENTS. UPON RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, THIS LOOKS TO BE FAIRLY COMMON IN MANY MAZDA 3 VARIANT FROM 2006 AND ON.
MAZDA3 REAR ENDED A MOVING TRUCK. MAZDA3 WAS GOING ABOUT 45 MPH AND TRUCK WAS NOT MOVING. UPON IMPACT, THE MAZDA3 IMMEDIATELY CAUGHT FIRE AT THE FRONT OF THE CAR. FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO EXTINGUISH FIRE. FIRE DAMAGED CAR. CAR SHOULD NOT HAVE CAUGHT FIRE.
WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY THROUGH A COMMUNITY CENTER PARKING LOT, THE AUTOMOBILE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND DID NOT RESPOND TO BRAKING,RESULTING IN A CRASH INTO A BRICK WALL. *TR
2010 MAZDA 3, 5 SPEED. UPON SHIFTING FROM 4TH GEAR INTO NEUTRAL, TO PREPARE FOR A STOP, FOOT WAS TAKEN OFF OF ACCELERATOR AND CLUTCH WAS FULLY RELEASED; THE ENGINE STARTED TO REV. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IN 90 DAYS. EACH TIME HAS BEEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL FROM A GEAR, NOT GEAR SPECIFIC. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026