2014 Mazda MAZDA3 problems
Owners have filed 181 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Mazda MAZDA3. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 17% of complaints. After that come electrical system (15%) and fuel system (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 181 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 16 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 30,000 miles 120 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 | 47 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 21 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 15 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 16 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 12 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 120 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 30,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 59,000 miles (26 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 16 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 6 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2014 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Mazda MAZDA3 with enough data (110 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 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.
My daughter was driving at 65 MPH on the interstate. The road was straight and she was traveling in the right hand lane when she was struck from behind left of center by another vehicle. Her car bounced off the right side guardrail and then spun across the roadway. Her car then struck the concrete barrier on the left side of the road. My daughter and her passenger were thrown backwards due to the impact from behind and my daughter lost consciousness at that point.
In parking garage, turning into parking spot. Car engine revved up, and car accelerated into the guard rail, smashing the frontend of the vehicle and damaging the radiator. Driver did not put foot on the gas; car lunged forward on it's own. The airbag deployed, and driver had dark bruises on abdomen, left anterior thigh, and left side of neck d/t seat belt, and also had minor whiplash. Fortunately, no other cars or people were around when car accelerated.
As I was turning into a parking spot to park my car, the car accelerated on its own and ran into a concrete wall. I have had issues with this car's programming, including when I took my car in to get fixed after the safety recall in january '16. As I realized the car was accelerating - and pushing on the brake would not stop it - I lifted the emergency brake. The crash ultimately stopped the car - not the brake or emergency brake, and the airbag deployed.
Purchased as new vehicle. From the time of purchase I smelled gasoline in garage after parking overnight. After 1,000 miles/3 months the gas smell became increasingly stronger and gas mileage plummeted from 30 mpg to 18 mpg. Took the car to the dealer for repair. They said the seams of fuel tank were leaking--entire tank had to be replaced; not safe to drive.
Occasionally the engine will hesitate when accelerating, and then the check engine light, tpm, and stability control light will illuminate on the dash. Less frequently, the engine will occasionally stall while driving or while sitting at a stop light. The lights on the dashboard will remain illuminated, so I do not think it's a total loss of power.