2011 Mazda MAZDA6 problems
NHTSA has received 189 complaints about the 2011 Mazda MAZDA6, and 26% of them involve suspension. Next are body & structure (16%) and air bags (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 189 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 27% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 13 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 91,000 miles 88 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 | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 15 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 17 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 7 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 88 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 91,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 108,000 miles (19 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 13 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 9 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 17 model years of the Mazda MAZDA6 with enough data (58 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.
Tl* the contact owned a 2011 mazda 6. While the vehicle was shifted into reverse, it accelerated on its own. The brake pedal was engaged, but the vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into the garage door. The driver suffered injuries to the right arm that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Two car collision at an intersection .city streets. Both cars in motion. Air bag deployed but didn't inflate. Smoke filled interior. Attending fireman at first thought the car was on fire. Examination showed that smoke was coming from a rupture in the air bag near the point where the bag was connected to the steering wheel.
Takata recall - 2011 mazda 6 I was the passenger in a collision in november 2015 where the 2011 mazda 6 was t-boned on the driver's side by another vehicle (ford fusion), which made the mazda 6 spin several times, hop a curb, and deploy the airbags. As the passenger (front seat) I suffered injuries caused by the takata airbags and required going to the hospital following the collision. Injuries included at least three fractured/broken ribs and major bruising on my right knee.
Passenger side dashboard is getting a sticky surface on top. The top layer almost seems like it is melting. It is just starting to get sticky and it is just on top. The stickiness has just started in the last 2 weeks. The sticky surface is causing a glare and is affecting the visibility when driving. Further, the dashboard cracked all the way down after having the air bag replaced due to the recall.
While driving on the highway at about 55 MPH I heard a loud noice and the car suddenly started to swerve, the steering became difficult. I was able to slow down and pull off the highway and to a parking lot. During the ride at a much slower speed around 20-25 very loud noises came from the right front of the car especially,when the the wheel was turned. The vehicle is not drivable and had to be towed. The sub frame rusted out and the lower control arm pushed the right front tire into the back of the wheel well.