general problems of the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3

18 problems related to electrical system 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.

1 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 02/05/2025

2012 Mazda3i 5dr hatchback. Persistent issue with headlights, both low beam and high beam, as well as interior lighting and other lighting. The headlights flicker for several seconds any time the brake pedal is applied. Interior lighting also flickers when brake pedal is applied. Headlights sometimes flicker when vehicle is decelerating and no brake pedal is applied, most notable when vehicle is traveling downhill. Further, the luminosity (brightness) of the headlights visibly dims, but does not flash, when the vehicle is parked and the brake pedal is applied. A high volume of others report the same issue, including documented complaints. These vehicles are unsafe, defective as designed, and do not conform to fmvss no. 108. Nhtsa must investigate further. Many other owners are not aware of the cause of the issue and attempt to fix it by replacing headlights, alternator, etc. Mazda was aware of issue prior to July 2013, when it issued TSB 01-019/13. This document states, "some vehicles may exhibit the headlights flickering when the vehicle is decelerating (by applying the brakes) with the headlights on. This concern is caused by inadequate alternator output (controlled by the pcm) when the battery is under a heavy load. To correct the problem, the control logic of the pcm has been changed. " this appears to be at best a temporary fix. Bommarito Mazda in missouri required payment of $199. 88 to "diagnose" this problem and address it in the manner prescribed in TSB 01-019/13. This service was not covered under warranty. Service manager m. D. Claimed to have never heard of this issue before and that it would need to be diagnosed, despite being informed by the owner of the precise issue, that others reported experiencing the same issue, and that others reported the issue was addressed by reprogramming the pcm. Immediately following this service, the headlights continued to visibly dim when the vehicle is parked and the brake pedal applied.

2 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 10/28/2023

Headlight flickering and turns off and on randomly.

3 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 07/18/2023

The contact owned a 2012 Mazda motor. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact woke up to the fire department extinguishing the fire in the vehicle. The fire department stated that the fire began under the hood and that the fire was due to the electrical system. The vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance company. A police report and a fire report were filled out. The vehicle has not been towed yet. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

4 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/01/2021

When driving at night with exterior lights on, when brake and or gas pedal is pressed the exterior lights strobe/flashes. The Mazda dealership has been contacted about this issue and there is a technician service bulletin stating that the ecm needs to be reflashed/programmed. No recall has been set for this issue and the Mazda dealership stated that I would have to pay $265 out of pocket to have the problem fixed. I believe that because it's a problem with there programming or software that the company should have to issue a safety recall and fix the factory defect. I'm currently in the process of filing a lawsuit against Mazda because of this and I have already filed a complaint with the better business bureau for this issue.

5 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 07/02/2021

The contact owns a 2012 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the automatic trans-axle warning light illuminated and the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the failure reoccurred for a second time that day and she was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the battery cables had detached. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer who diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 85,598.

6 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/09/2019

Headlights flicker when brakes are applied or when slowing down.

7 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 04/23/2019

When driving at night with the lights on and putting on brakes or slowing down, headlights and taillights flicker and dim noticeably.

8 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 04/08/2019

When the vehicle slows down or I hit the brakes, the headlights and interior lights flicker.

9 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/23/2019

Code u0101 description lost communication with transmission control module code scan dashboard light.

10 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/10/2018

When driving, the headlights flicker severely anytime the brakes are applied. At night, it looks like I'm flashing my lights. This happens at random times, any roadway. We had the car serviced after finding a technical service bulletin (sb-01-019-13). The issue was fixed for a few months, but has returned.

11 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/01/2017

Tl-the contact owns a 2012 Mazda motor m3s. The contact stated that the dashboard was popping out of the display paneling. This had blocked out display features like the speedometer, fuel level,and oil levels. The dealer john hine temecula Mazda 42050 dlr dr, temecula, CA 92591 (951) 553-2000 stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been contacted yet, the failure mileage was 62,000. Tf.

12 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/24/2016

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.

13 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/16/2016

When driving, the front headlights will flicker/strobe/dim when the brake pedal is engaged or when my foot is removed from the gas pedal. Usually the lights will have a more pronounced flicker at speeds between 45-60 mph; however, I have noticed the flicker at speeds as low as 30 mph. This has happened every morning/night for a week or so and every dealership I have talked with does not know of this issue. I researched a few Mazda forums and found multiple posts regarding a programming update for the vehicle that would be a fix. I am working on getting in touch with Mazdausa for additional support because going to a dealership for diagnostic tests and such is extremely expensive and not at all customer friendly.

14 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/11/2016

Headlights intermittently dim when slowing down. Could be from letting off accelerator or applying the brakes. It is distracting and Mazda knows about this issue including the fix yet has not made comminications to owners.

15 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 02/08/2016

There is a problem with the door sensor on the rear passenger door. At random intervals the interior lights will turn on and the dash indicates that the rear passenger door is open after the doors automatically lock due to speed. This will continue until I unlock the doors. Unfortunately they relock automatically if I stop for a traffic light and then accelerate. The interior lights come back on and the dash indicates the door is open again as soon as my speed is sufficient to make the doors automatically lock again. This is a nuisance during the day but a major distraction at night. Having the interior lights suddenly turn on while driving at 10 pm in the rain is horribly distracting and a little scary. This will sometimes occur for 2-3 days in a row and then not happen again for 2-3 weeks. My car has only 38000 miles on it but the dealer says this isn't covered under any warranty.

16 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 02/23/2015

I drove over bumpy rail road tracks, went to give it gas to go and engine revved but no acceleration. Dash light that normally says ¿d� was blank. Shifted to manual mode and attempted to up or down shift but dash light still blank and no shifting possible. The car was running in nuetral but the gear selector was in drive or in manual mode. Had to coast to the side of the road. Noted traction control light was on while shift selector indicator was blank. I put the car into park, turned car off and then on again and seemed to drive ok at this point after this. I was lucky that I was driving at a slow speed and had room to get off the road. If I had gotten stuck on the tracks this could have been much worse. And the dealer says they can do nothing unless there is a code stored. No code so nothing I can do. This ranks up there in level of danger yet Mazda can do nothing?.

17 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2015

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.

18 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/17/2014

While driving at night, all the electrical system in the car shut off for a split second, including but not limited to the headlights, audio system, interior lights, and dashboard. The electronics recovered after the split second, and the car ran normally. The engine was not affected. This issue reoccured one month later.


Other Electrical System related problems of the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3


Safety Ratings of MAZDA3 Cars
MAZDA3 Service Bulletins
MAZDA3 Safety Recalls
MAZDA3 Defect Investigations