2011 Mazda MAZDA3 problems
Owners have filed 181 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Mazda MAZDA3. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 17% of complaints. After that come seats (11%) and electrical system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 181 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 18 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 45,000 miles 126 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 | 25 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 32 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 16 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 22 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 11 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 6 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 126 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 45,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 70,000 miles (18 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 18 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 15 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Mazda MAZDA3 with enough data (105 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.
Takata recall: I bought my first car mazda3 in jan 2011. On the passenger side, the airbag light does not turn off even though a over 100 pounds person is sitting on the chair. I noticed it on the first year when I was back to the mazda dealer in newark california for the maintenance, but the dealer told me it is normal because the person is sitting on the passenger chair is so light. I got a car accident on 2012, but the airbag did not pop up.
My wife was involved in a serious accident were the automobile was declared a total loss. The air bags never deploy. The car was in motion and she was severely rear ended. The approximate travel speed was 65 miles per hr on there freeway.
The airbag system failed to deploy during a major accident I was in, where my car rolled multiple times, and the collision that totaled my car. This includes the front airbags, impact sensors, and/or the airbag control module not activating. The vehicle is currently in the possession of the insurance company and can be made available for inspection upon request. During the crash, no airbags deployed, which significantly increased the risk of serious injury or death.
While I was driving and approaching a stop sign my braking was normal and the vehicle decelerated until about 10-15 MPH, however further application of the brake didn't continue to stop the vehicle smoothly and I noticed the engine revving and 'jerky' continued forward motion. Had a vehicle been stopped at the sign in front of me I would definitely have crashed, instead I ran the sign slightly.
Seat track-occupant sensor right bcn167sw0a light flashes on dashboard when car is turned on. It was previously replaced in 2012. Mazda warranty doesn't cover this any longer, but it should. I believe mazda has a legal obligation to fix this problem at no cost because this is the second time it has happened in five years.