What breaks most · 2004 to 2018 model years
Mazda Mazda3 problems by year
Owners have filed 2,023 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mazda Mazda3 across model years 2004 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2010 for body and structure complaints, 2008 for steering complaints and 2007 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 2016, 2015 and 2014.
- Years to check closely: 2010, 2008, 2007
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2015, 2014
- Complaints on file
- 20232004 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 2010551 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 17923 fires · 130 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 48kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 45Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 139 | 17 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (25) | |
| 93 | 16 | 3 | Air bags (21) | |
| 152 | 18 | 2 | Steering (28) | |
| 192 | 25 | 3 | Steering (70) | |
| 287 | 28 | 3 | Steering (111) | |
| 105 | 11 | 4 | Steering (32) | |
| 551 | 18 | 3 | Body and structure (149) | |
| 90 | 8 | 2 | Air bags (18) | |
| 150 | 5 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (31) | |
| 83 | 7 | 1 | Electrical system (26) | |
| 66 | 9 | 4 | Electrical system (17) | |
| 64 | 6 | 4 | Brakes (17) | |
| 28 | 4 | 6 | Brakes (9) | |
| 13 | 3 | 2 | Brakes (2) | |
| 10 | 4 | 4 | Speed control and throttle (2) |
What fails on the 2010 Mazda Mazda3
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 27% |
149 | 2 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2010 Mazda Mazda3 |
| Seats | 16% |
90 | 1 | — |
| Unknown or other | 16% |
88 | 2 | — |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 15% |
82 | 1 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 9% |
52 | 0 | — |
| Tires | 8% |
46 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
33 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
29 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2010 Mazda Mazda3 |
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.
-
Got involved in a fender bender at 50 mph and air bags never went off. The body of the car also came apart so quickly i ended up totaling the entire vehicle.
-
Lost all power while driving and turning. ABS, brake , ps , battery lights on dash illuminated, car looses steering and then the engine dies. Battery discharged as per load test.alternator tests fine. Happened two times after the power steering manufacturer recall was performed to remedy the same issue.
-
Power steering is not working properly. It is very difficult to turn the steering wheel when at a complete stop. Sometimes i need to slam on the brakes in order to prevent a crash due to not being able to control the direction of the vehicle.
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 30, 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 Mazda3 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2010, 2008, 2007 carry the most filings on the Mazda Mazda3. The 2010 alone has 551 complaints, led by body and structure.
What is the most common Mazda Mazda3 problem?
On the 2010 model year, the most-reported component is body and structure with 149 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mazda Mazda3 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mazda Mazda3 complaints that include mileage is about 48,000 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.