2008 Mazda MAZDA3 problems
Owners have filed 387 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Mazda MAZDA3. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 30% of complaints. After that come tires (11%) and wheels (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 387 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 41 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 32 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 45,000 miles 330 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 53 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 89 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 64 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 44 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 38 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 18 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 12 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 330 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 45,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 34,000 miles (105 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 41 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 32 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Mazda MAZDA3 with enough data (262 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was involved in a four car collision. I was third in line, and was hit really hard from behind and then hit the car in front of me. My air bags did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock. I slammed into the steering wheel and busted my forehead open.
The car hit a bank then went airborne and came to to a tree and neither airbag deployed the car also hit a road sign and it was being driving down road
My son purchased a new 2008 mazda 3 in late july 2008. Last saturday he slid on ice and hit a tree head on at approximately 30 MPH and none of the air bags deployed. The car has roughly 7000 miles on it. The initial estimate for repairs is $9100. My insurance company (farmers) tells me that they don't investigate unless there is reason to go after the manufacturer to help with medical expenses incurred due to the accident.
In early august 2009 at approx. 21k miles when I performed my 7500 mile tire rotation I noticed that all the 4 oe good year rsa tires were very worn on the inside, not the thread area but the area where the sidewall starts. I had noticed this before but had not thought much of it as it wasn't too bad. I drove on a 500 mile trip shortly after this and became more concerned . I had the alignment checked at the destination and it was within mfg. Spec.