NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Mazda Mazda3. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
DRIVING AT NIGHT AND THE VEHICLE DECELERATES AND APPLY BRAKES (WHICH IS MORE NOTICEABLE) THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER. I HAVE HAD PEOPLE THINK I'M A POLICE OFFICER BEHIND THEM, ALSO HAD VEHICLES PULL OUT IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT I WAS FLASHING MY LIGHTS FOR THEM TO GO. I HAVE TAKING THE CAR INTO MAZDA DEALER HAVE LOOKED AT AS WELL AS WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM AND THEY HAVE YET TO SAY WHAT'S WRONG OR EVEN FIX IT. IF YOU DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FOR 5-10 MINUTES IT STOPS FLICKERING FOR A DAY OR SO, BUT STARTS BACK UP AND AT TIME BEEN WORSE THAN PREVIOUS TIMES.
WHEN I STARTED DRIVING AND PUT ON MY HEADLIGHTS. EVERYTIME I PUT ON THE BRAKES THE HEADLIGHTS DIM AS THE BRAKE LIGHT IS PUSHED. *TR
DRIVING 60MPH ON MAJOR FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR, LIGHT RAIN. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. A FEW MINUTES LATER, EVERY WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND I LOST THE POWER STEERING. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND TURNED THE CAR OF, WAITED 10 MINUTES AND STARTED THE CAR. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON AND ALL OTHER WARNING LIGHTS WERE OFF. STARTED DRIVING AND 10 MINUTES LATER ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN AND LOST POWER STEERING AGAIN. LEFT VEHICLE IN GARAGE OVER NIGHT WITH HOOD UP THINKING IT WAS DUE TO RAIN/MOISTURE/COMPUTER PROBLEM. CAR STARTED FINE IN MORNING, NO WARNING LIGHTS. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A LOSE BATTERY CABLE. I AM THINKING IT WAS MORE THAN THAT. I HAVE NOTED MY CONCERN AND WILL AWAIT THE NEXT HEAVY RAIN. *TR
REAR SEAT BELTS NOT SECURED. RUST AND CORROSION AT DOOR OPENINGS. REAR TRUNK LIFT - LOCAL DEALER NEVER HAS THE PART TO FIX IT AS REQUIRED IN RECALL.
TL * THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MAZDA 3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS COMPLETELY MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.
WHILE PRACTICING PARALLEL PARKING ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR BECAME HOT, POWER STEERING MIL WAS ON AND NO ASSIST TO STEER. AFTER LETTING IT COOL FOR 30 MIN DID MOTOR WORK AGAIN. *TR
NOTICED FLICKERING OF HEADLIGHTS DURING NIGHT DRIVING WHILE BRAKING. THIS HEADLIGHT FLICKER WAS REPEATABLE WHILE NIGHT DRIVING AND BRAKING AT MODERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AT 15 MPH, THE CAR IN FRONT OF MYSELF HAD SLOWED DOWN AND STOPPED AT A LIGHT. WHEN I SEEN SHE WAS STOPPING, I PRESSED DOWN MY BRAKES SO I WOULD STOP BUT THE BRAKE PEDDLE PUSHED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. MY CAR DIDN'T STOP. FROM THIS I HAD REAR-ENDED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE BRAKES WERE TESTED AGAIN AND RESULTED IN THE PEDDLE STILL BEING PUSHED DOWN TO THE FLOOR. *TR
I STARTED THE CAR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. SHIFTED INTO GEAR THE "AT" LIGHT CAME ON. BROUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE AND THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE "TRANS VALVEBODY". LOOKS LIKE A RECURRING THEME HERE. THE CAR IS A 2013 MAZDA3 I GRAND TOURING HATCHBACK THAT IS ONLY ABOUT 7 MONTHS OLD AND HAS LESS THAN 7000 MILES. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MAZDA, MAZDA 3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SITTING AT A TRAFFIC STOP, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT AT 35 MPH, CAUSING THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN AND THE CONTACT'S HEAD WAS THROWN INTO THE WINDSHIELD. A PASSENGER SEATED IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND SECURED IN THE SEAT BELT ALSO SUSTAINED HEAD INJURIES. BOTH WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000.
I AM A FIRE INVESTIGATOR WITH LEXINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. I RESPONDED TO A STRUCTURE FIRE ON THE LISTED DATE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE AND SPREAD TO THE BUILDING. THE VEHICLE BELONGS TO HERTZ RENTAL CAR. THE INDIVIDUAL RENTING THE VEHICLE REPORTED THAT HE HAD EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF AND THAT THE VEHICLE HAD TURNED ON AFTER HE TURNED IT OFF. HE REPORTED HE HAD PARKED, LEFT THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS RUNNING WHEN HE RETURNED. NO RECALLS WERE LOCATED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *TR
ON FRIDAY 11/22/13 4PM I WENT TO GET MY OIL CHANGED AND CAR SERVICED. IT WAS THE END OF THE DAY & THE TECHNICIANS LEAVE AT 5PM. AFTER I RECEIVED MY CAR AT 5:10PM, I DECIDED TO TAKE SIDE STREETS TO GO PICK UP MY BROTHER, INSTEAD OF TAKING THE FREEWAY. THE CAR STARTED SLOWING DOWN AND EVENTUALLY STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. THE ENGINE LIGHT AND THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM (TCS) TURNED ON. I GOT TO THE SIDE & CALLED THE MAZDA TUTTLE-CLICK IN IRVINE, CA SERVICE CENTER. HE TOLD ME SINCE THE ENGINE LIGHT WASN'T BLINKING THAT IT WASN'T A SERIOUS PROBLEM & CALL AGAIN OR TAKE IT BACK TOMORROW MORNING IF IT STARTED BLINKING. I TOOK THE CAR OUT AGAIN & IMMEDIATELY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING. I STOPPED IN A PARKING LOT & CALLED AGAIN. THEY EVENTUALLY AGREED TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO RUN DIAGNOSTICS. ON 11/25/13 I CALLED BACK TO ASK IF MY CAR WAS READY TO BE PICKED UP. THEY SAID THEY WERE WAITING FOR A TRANSMISSION VALVE PART TO COME IN. IF THIS ISN'T RELATED TO HUMAN ERROR AND IT WAS PURE COINCIDENCE, THEN THAT'S A BIG COINCIDENCE. ALSO, THE CAR WOULD'VE STALLED ON THE FREEWAY ON MY WAY BACK TO SAN DIEGO IF I HADN'T GONE TO PICK UP MY BROTHER. *TR
MY CAR SUDDENLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF IT. I COASTED TO A STOP, STOPPED THE CAR, WAITED A BIT, THEN RESTARTED. IT WENT ABOUT HALF A MILE AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THE DEALER SAID IT'S A FAULTY TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY (AND I WAS TOLD IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING HERE OR ON MAZDA'S WEBSITE). I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE JUST GOTTEN OFF THE FREEWAY BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. *TR
MY CAR HAS HAD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ISSUES SINCE I BOUGHT IT. INTERMITTENT LACK OF ACCELERATION AFTER COMING OUT OF A PARKING LOT, MAKING A SLOW TURN AND SLOWING DOWN THEN NEEDING TO SPEED UP ON THE FREEWAY. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE OF THE CAR'S INABILITY TO SPEED UP IMMEDIATELY. THE DEALER I GO TO HAS TEST DROVE IT AND SINCE THE PROBLEM DIDN'T OCCUR ON THE SHORT TEST DRIVE THEY COULDN'T GET MAZDA TO APPROVE THE REPAIR. THE TECHNICIAN HAS DEALT WITH THIS PROBLEM BEFORE ON MULTIPLE MAZDA 3'S AND TOLD ME IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED MAZDA AND THEY BASICALLY TOLD ME TO POUND SAND, THAT THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT UNLESS IT OCCURRED WHILE THE DEALER TECH DROVE. THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO GIVE ME A RENTAL CAR SO THE TECH COULD KEEP IT FOR A FEW DAYS AND DRIVE IT, NOTHING. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT MAZDA KNOWS ABOUT AND THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. *TR
TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MAZDA 3. THE CONTACT HAD NOTICED EXTENSIVE SPIDER WEBS WITHIN THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO CLEANED THE INTERIOR AND THE SAFETY CONCERN HAD RECURRED. THE CONTACT HAD NOTICED THAT THERE HAD STILL BEEN NUMEROUS SPIDER WEBS AFTER THE LOCAL DEALER WAS TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TWICE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE INSPECTED AND TO REMOVE THE SPIDER INFESTATION. THE VEHICLE WAS CLEANED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE SAFETY CONCERN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4807. DYD
MY NEW 2013 MAZDA3 WITH ONLY 3660 MILES FAILED ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. FIRST, THE ENGINE MADE A LOUD NOISE EVERY TIME I SHIFTED GEARS (MANUAL SHIFT.) THEN, I COULD NOT CHANGE GEARS AT ALL, AND THE ENGINE FAILED----I JUST BARELY GOT IT TO THE SHOULDER BEFORE IT QUIT ENTIRELY. THE DEALER SAYS THE CLUTCH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I'VE HAD THE CAR LESS THAN 6 MONTHS. *TR
I DROVE THE CAR ON FRIDAY, 4/26/13, FOR ABOUT 120 MILES. ON 4/29/13, I FOUND THE BATTERY DIED. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME FOR THIS BRAND NEW CAR ABOUT A MONTH. IT'S NOT A RELIABLE PRODUCT. THE SERVICE LADY IN MAITA MAZDA SACRAMENTO TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD DRIVE THE CAR EVERYDAY TO KEEP THE BATTERY WORKING. WHY DIDN'T THEY TOLD ME BEFORE I BROUGHT IT. *TR
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026