What breaks most · 2014 to 2021 model years
Mazda CX-3 problems by year
Owners have filed 114 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mazda CX-3 across model years 2014 to 2021. Three years stand out: 2016 for electrical system complaints, 2019 for electrical system complaints and 2017 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 2014 and 2018.
- Years to check closely: 2016, 2019, 2017
- Fewest complaints: 2014, 2018
- Complaints on file
- 1142014 to 2021, all trims
- Worst year
- 201648 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 90 fires · 3 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 21kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 9Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 48 | 4 | 3 | Electrical system (11) | |
| 21 | 2 | 1 | Fuel system (8) | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | Engine (2) | |
| 27 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Air bags (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Steering (3) |
What fails on the 2016 Mazda CX-3
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 23% |
11 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 |
| Unknown or other | 21% |
10 | 1 | — |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 15% |
7 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 |
| Backup camera and sensorsCameras and park sensors | 13% |
6 | 0 | Shop backup camera and sensors parts for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 8% |
4 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 8% |
4 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Lane departure systemCamera sensors | 4% |
2 | 0 | Shop lane departure system parts for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Mazda CX3 Connect touch screen in the center display may not accept touch commands properly and faded. The film inside the touch screen may be corroded due to moisture
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So the sport mode on cx3 have not bracket under the sport mode and if try to activeit the sport mode whole switch goes down you cant active with grabbing it will fall out of socket
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Car has 24,547 miles and the fuel pump went out. Car stalled while driving and had to be towed by aaa. Car was repaired at overbeck auto service 1793 ohio pike, amelia, oh 45102. [email protected]
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mazda CX-3 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2016, 2019, 2017 carry the most filings on the Mazda CX-3. The 2016 alone has 48 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Mazda CX-3 problem?
On the 2016 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mazda CX-3 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mazda CX-3 complaints that include mileage is about 21,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.