Eight problems related to service brakes have been reported for the 2008 Mazda MAZDA3. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2008 Mazda MAZDA3 based on all problems reported for the 2008 MAZDA3.
Airbag light is on. . . . . Lost power steering at only 110,000 miles. . . Abs break system not working.
The brakes normally function correctly except for when, and for some time after the abs activates. After the abs activates you must push the brake petal nearly to the floor before the brakes engage. Usually, the brakes seem to "reset" after 3 or 4 hard braking attempts.
Brakes became spongy after hard braking at interstate highway speed of 65 mph. Afterward, sporadically, brakes would require several pumps of the pedal to build enough hydraulic pressure to stop the vehicle. I'm reporting this incident now after learning about Ford recall 19s54, NHTSA identifier 19v904. Brake parts on this car were made by fomoco. Abs hydraulic unit, p/n bvsn-43-7azd, was replaced by Mazda dealer to correct problem at a cost of $1200.
The brake pedal goes too far before engaging. I've had the brake fluid replaced and after about 6 months, the problem has occured again. The research that I have done shows that it is a problem with the abs actuator. There's appears to be a fault that allows pressure to bleed past the valves in the actuator. This is a serious problem as stopping distance is affected. There needs to be a recall.
Break pedal movement necessary to activate brakes increased dramatically without warning. Activation of brakes requires brake pedal to be close to the floor of the pedal compartment. By "close" I mean with 2-3 inches. This occurred suddenly while in motion on a city street. After the increased travel of the brake pedal when applied, the brakes do activate to slow and stop the car but tend to more quickly actuate brakes which then require increased pedal pressure to stop motion of the car. This is not the normal brake system actuation and makes controlling break pedal pressure much more difficult. In wet road conditions this might present a dangerous condition. This occurred on February 19, 2018. The car will in be factory dealership repair shop on Feb. 22, 2018.
Brake rotors warp early on 2008 Mazda 3 causing excessive vibration when braking over 45 mph and causes the steering wheel to shake.
I own a 2008 Mazda 3. On this particular mode of Mazda the brake and gas pedals are less than 1/4 inch from each other. I have been in numerous near misses with several cars, the most recent being today because alot of times when you go to step on the brake pedal you get the gas at the same time because they are so close together.
While driving on the freeway at 75 mph, tried to avoid a vehicle that was unsafely changing lanes. Pushed brakes and veered towards left. The brakes (which are not abs) responded slowly and I slammed in the middle divider. A couple month before the accident the dealer had the rotors resurfaced since the car was shaking vigorously while braking at high speeds. Also the air bags did not deploy during the accident. Took car to a mechanic and the mechanic was amazed that based on the visual frontal damage to the car the air bags did not deploy.