Four problems related to check engine light on have been reported for the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3 based on all problems reported for the 2012 MAZDA3.
There is a problem with the variable valve timing system causing reduced acceleration performance. The check engine light is displayed. This problem is exactly the same as the recall on Mazda3 vehicles manufactured between July 2011 and November 2011. The car lost acceleration and a vehicle behind me almost rear-ended my vehicle. For some reason Mazda is not recognising the recall on later models affected by the same issue. Mazda recall reference is 6511k. The recall should be expanded to cover additional vins.
Cruise quit working, traction control light came on and shortly thereafter the check engine light came on. Then all the lights on the dash started flashing and went into limp mode. Car decelerated and I pulled over to the side of the road. Turned car off and then it wouldn't start. Waited about 10 min and restarted successfully with the check engine and traction control light still on. Drove another 70 miles going in and out of limp mode with dash lights flashing on & off. Took to dealer and replaced the angle (sp?) sensor in steering wheel. Dealer reset all codes and it's done it twice since getting car back, dealer can't figure out what's wrong. Have to go in and have the codes reset every time to get it back to running again.
My wife was driving on the freeway - I was on the passenger side. This is the first time it happened. The car lost sort of reset itself - dash warning lights came on (according to my wife). Radio/cd stopped music - abs light went on (thats all I can see from passenger side). My wife said others too but she was focused on the road because it was a construction zone. She was nervous and said the car was not responding to throttle. Luckily all went back to normal after 2 or maybe 3 seconds. The music came back on also. No check engine light or any sign of trouble. We pulled over and I checked the front to see if we hit something that could have caused it. Restarted the car - all seemed normal and reached our destination. This was our first 200 mile trip or more on this car. 1 day after arrival - I did a once over safety check (fluids, tire pressure, etc) nothing out of the ordinary. Got my obd2 code reader and it had the following u3003 u0140 u0428. So I will take this to our dealer for checkup.
While driving down the highway the vehicle all of a sudden lost power and began to slow down. The traction control light turned on at this time. Pushing the accelerator did nothing. When I switched the manual mode for the transmission the gear was not displayed on the dashboard and trying to up or downshift did nothing. After pulling off to the side of the road I was able to place the transmission in park. I lifted the hood and checked for fluid leaks or spills of which there were none. After turning off the car and waiting a couple of minutes I turned it back on and now had the traction control, at, and check engine lights lit. After putting the transmission in drive and pushing the accelerator the vehicle was extremely sluggish in acceleration and would shift through the first four gears but at rpms much higher than normal. I was able to limp the vehicle home as the dealership was already closed. After letting the vehicle sit for 15 minutes or so I turned it back on and now only the check engine light is lit. Will be taking to the dealer in the morning.