There are 3 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2018 Mazda Mazda6in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I am having my brake pads changed at a local mechanic and when changing the pads, the mechanic was unable to change them because the rotors and calipers were rusted and the brake pistons stuck. The previous recall only considered Mazda 6 up to 2013 but my 2018 has had the same problem.
Premature caliper failure on front and rear. Ruined rotors at 40k miles, confirmed caliper failure by two service shops. Grinding/squeaking sounds intermittently been happening for since 30,000 miles
On [XXX] I purchased a Mazda 6 at Ocean Mazda in Miami, Florida. The car has 18,700 miles. The reason why the car has only 18K miles it's because out of the 4 years we have owned it, it was not used as much as a result of the COVID pandemic and my daughter attending online classes. I have always done timely maintenance services as required by Mazda at our service dealer Ocean Mazda and have proof of maintenance records to confirm the minor maintenance that have been done, oil change, tire rotation, battery replacement and a recall. This past Saturday [XXX] I took our Mazda for an oil change; and I was informed that a Five Point Inspection showed that the Driver Rear brake caliper and pad needed to be replaced because it was measuring 2% lining compared to the three other calipers which showed a 6% lining. Since the 36 month warranty has expired the cost to replace the caliper is $875.20. I'm a mom simply concerned about the safety of my daughter and have zero knowledge about brake pads and calipers, but one thing that I do know is that I have owned multiple cars during my lifetime and have never had an issue with a caliper going bad and much less at 18K miles. I'm conscious of timely maintenance and take care of the cars I owned to lasts years. I asked my service advisor how is it possible that one caliper could go bad in a span of 2,500 miles when the prior inspection done in August 2023 showed all 4 calipers having a 6% lining as per the service report card? Furthermore, the inspection done recently shows the three remaining calipers at 6%. The answer I received from my advisor was that "calipers can go bad", sometimes due to a FAULTY caliper. A caliper on a car with 18K miles should not go bad unless it is a faulty caliper. Mazda should honor the repair as this is a hazard condition caused by their faulty part. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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 25, 2026