2016 Mazda MAZDA3 problems
Owners have filed 138 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Mazda MAZDA3. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 16% of complaints. After that come brakes (14%) and backover prevention (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 138 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 16% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 12 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 36,000 miles 61 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 | 16 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 18 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 12 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 61 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 36,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 12 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention 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 2016 ranks 13th most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Mazda MAZDA3 with enough data (90 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 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.
The vehicle was in motion, going west, another vehicle in motion hit me, by the time it was over I was facing east and went up a curb and into a wall of a homeowners yard
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 mazda 3. While stopped, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. The front driver's seat fractured and collapsed. The contact sustained whiplash and injuries to the neck and lower back. The driver of the other vehicle was taken away by ambulance. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure.
Tl* the contact owned a 2016 mazda 3. The contact was involved in a crash and the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The contact was injured and required medical attention. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 mazda mazda3. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was a flapping noise coming from both rear wheels then the vehicle would start to vibrate violently. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17v393000 (parking brake) however, the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
Water gets into the trunk and fills up the spare tire well. Causing mold and rust inside trunk. Throughout baring inside clutch/transmission component explodes destroying the clutch and transmission. Parking break doesn't disengage correctly causing brakes to wear down quickly. Water getting into rear break calipers making them defective. This has happened mainly in city street driving but noticeable on the highway.