There are 12 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2003 Mazda MPVin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
EVERY TIME THIS MAZDA MPV GETS A LITTLE WET IT WILL NOT GO OVER 40 MPH. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WITH NO RETURN PHONE CALL OR EMAIL. THE COILS ALLOW MOISTURE TO GET IN WHICH WILL CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO THINK IT IS OVERHEATING AND WILL NOT GO NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED IN JACKSONVILLE DURING RUSH HOUR AND BEING STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE BECAUSE OF A FAULTY COIL THAT THE DEALERSHIP DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR, IS BEYOND FRUSTRATING. I HAVE KIDS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE VEHICLE OTHER TIMES WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED AND WE HAD TO SIT IN THE VAN OR GO TO GAS STATIONS AND WAIT UNTIL IT WAS SOMEWHAT DERIVABLE AGAIN. I HAVE READ FORUM AFTER FORUM AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS ISSUE WITH THEIR MPV, RANGING FROM 1993-2006 MODELS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. *TR
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY AT 60MPH IN TRAFFIC VEHICLE SHUT OFF. MAZDA MECHANIC TOLD ME COIL ON NUMBER ONE CYLINDER WAS BAD. THIS HAD BEEN REPLACED JUST A YEAR OR SO AGO BUT APPARENTLY WAS BAD AGAIN. *TR
2003 MAZDA MPV. 70,276 MILES. 3/8/11 - STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. TWO REAR COILS BAD; DEALER REPAIRED ALL THREE REAR COILS BECAUSE (ACCORDING TO DEALER) ONCE ONE GOES, THEY ALL GO. ($855.01) ONE WEEK LATER - 3/16/11, ROUGH IDLE AND ODOR OF GASOLINE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON. 70,339 MILES. DEALER REPLACED ALL 3 FRONT COILS. ($463.76) I AM TOLD THIS IS A *COMMON PROBLEM* WITH MPVS. DEALER TOLD ME HE HAS SEEN MANY OF THEM COMING IN, AND IT WAS A GOOD THING I WAS HAVING IT TAKEN CARE OF PROMPTLY. IF I DID NOT, THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER GOES BAD AS A RESULT...COST OF REPLACEMENT OF THE CC: $1,000. NOTE: I OVERHEARD THE SERVICE MANAGER ON THE PHONE TELLING A CUSTOMER THE SPARK PLUG BOOT GOES BAD FIRST, AND CAUSES SOME KIND OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT DAMAGES THE COILS.
2003 MAZDAMPV STARTED TO STALL AND LOSE POWER. DIAGNOSIS REVEALED FAILURE OF IGNITION COIL 1 AND 3. I HAD THEM REPLACED. *TR
SIGNIFICANT ENGINE MISSING ON ACCELERATION CAUSED VEHICLE TO HESITATE WHILE CLEARING INTERSECTION. NEAR MISS ON MAJOR ACCIDENT. MECHANIC STATES THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THE 2003 MPV DUE TO DEFECTIVE IGNITION COILS. REPAIR IS TO REPLACE ALL 6 COILS AS IT IS UNKNOWN WHICH IS CAUSING THE MISFIRE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA MPV. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD BEGIN TO JERK AND IT WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ALSO ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DURING THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHERE THE IGNITION COIL FOR THE SIXTH CYLINDER WAS REPLACED. APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS LATER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE IGNITION COIL FOR THE FIRST CYLINDER WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,500 UPDATED 08/24/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED IT COST $580 TO REPLACE EACH COIL. UPDATED 12/02/11
MULTIPLE IGNITION COIL FAILURES. CAR ONLY HAS 54,000. MILES. STARTED AT 31K LOTS OF OTHER DRIVER COMPLAIN OF PREMATURE FAILURE. VERY EXPENSIVE TO SERVICES. CAN CAUSE ACCIDENT IF FAILS IN TRAFFIC. MANUFACTURE HAS MADE CHANGE. NEED A RECALL. *TR
2003 MAZDA MPV STALLING IN TRAFFIC. DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE VEHICLE WILL JUST STALL, TAKING POWER STEERING, ETC. WITH IT. RESTARTS FROM NEUTRAL JUST FINE. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH VEHICLES BEHIND YOU. *TR
VEHICLE STUTTERS AND DIES IN TRAFFIC. DEALER REPLACED IGNITION COIL #4. PAID $220 SINCE WAS WARRANTY WAS UP BY 4,000 MILES. ON 4-3-06, SAME PROBLEMS REPLACED COILS #1 AND #3. FILED COMPLAINT ODI#10204560. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS IS A MAJOR DEFECT ON MAZDA MPV VANS MANUFACTURED FROM 2002-2006. SEE THE FOLLOWING ODI #'S 10187564,10127104,10200067,10196342,10196846,10200818,10172841, 10188280. NHTSA SHOULD FORCE MAZDA TO RECALL THESE COILS BEFORE SOMEONE STALLS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND GETS HURT. *TR
BROWSING THE COMPLAINTS 2002 - 2006 FOR THE MAZDA MPV, I THINK YOU WILL FIND MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE IGNITION COILS. I HAVE A 2003 MPV AND HAD 3 COILS AND ALL 6 PLUGS REPLACED IN THE SPRING AT A COST OF $700. I NOW HAVE ONE OR MORE COILS FAILING AGAIN AND AM FACED WITH A SIMILAR CHARGE. THIS SHOULD DEFINITELY BE A RECALL ISSUE AS IT IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW. *TR
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. VEHICLE STUTTERS AND SOMETIMES DIES. DEALER REPLACED IGNITION COILS ##1 AND #3. BIG SAFETY ISSUE WHEN DIES IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. VEHICLE MILES 27673. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM 2002-2006 MPV OWNERS ABOUT THE IGNITION COILS GOING BAD. *TR
I HAVE HAD FOUR DIFFERENT COILS REPLACED ON A 2003 MAZDA MPV VAN, EACH COSTING OVER $1,000 IN TOTAL AND FOUR DIFFERENT VISITS AND RENTALS. I SEEM TO NOTICE THAT THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT. THIS HAS HAPPENED FROM ABOUT 2 YEARS UNTIL 4 YEARS AFTER PURCHASE. *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