Body Problems of Mazda MAZDA3 - part 1

On July 1, 2025, I was involved in a severe rear-end collision while driving my 2024 Mazda3 manual hatchback. The impact was forceful enough to shatter the rear windshield, leave a deep dent in the tailgate, and bend the trailer hitch mount under the vehicle by several inches. Despite this, none of the airbags deployed, and there were no airbag warning lights before or after the crash. After the incident, I checked my vehicle’s VIN on NHTSA’s recall lookup tool and discovered that recall 7525e had been issued on June 6, 2025, for a critical airbag sensing system defect (sas module), which can disable airbag deployment after battery depletion or improper power conditions. According to Mazda and NHTSA documents, this defect can completely disable airbag function, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. As of July 11, 2025, I have not received any recall notice from Mazda by mail, email, phone, or dealer contact—despite being the registered owner. Mazda’s documentation shows that: dealers were notified as early as June 3, 2025 owner letters are not scheduled until July 28, 2025 this means that I was driving a defective vehicle without knowledge of a serious safety issue at the time of the crash. I believe that: Mazda failed in its legal obligation to notify me in a timely and adequate manner. The non-deployment of airbags in my crash is consistent with the failure described in recall 7525e. Other affected Mazda owners may remain unaware and at significant risk. I respectfully request that NHTSA: investigate whether recall 7525e was the cause of airbag failure in this incident. Determine whether Mazda’s recall notification practices met regulatory requirements. Ensure immediate outreach to affected owners to prevent further injury or risk. I am also seeking legal counsel due to the serious safety implications and potential liability arising from this defect. I will be retaining all documentation, vehicle records, photos, and post-.

See all problems of the 2024 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

Moon roof exploded when not struck with anything.

A bolt head underneath the car snapped for the steering mechanism. The problem was indicated by a clanking noise I heard for many 1000s of miles. It's been as long as I remember, but I had no idea what it really meant. It's 2. 7 years old with 30,653 miles right now. There were no warnings. The wheel could have come off at any moment I was driving it. The bolt was likely over-torqued or had a manufacturing defect causing it to snap. I have pictures for when the car was propped up at a technician. One side is completely non rusted. The other side is showing rust only from where the bolt was covering, so rust is an unlikely cause.

See all problems of the 2021 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

Unkown.

See all problems of the 2016 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

I was driving on the highway and decided to switch int the left lane so I sped up and heard a big bang and what sounded like my bumper being dragged against the ground. I see on my dashboard that there’s an electrical and engine malfunction so I pullover and pop the hood. A bunch of smoke comes out and I see a little fire so me and my friends run and call the police. The police and firefighters arrived just as the fire was getting large and it had engulfed the front right side of my car. If the notification that there was a malfunction didn’t come on, I feel as if we could’ve been hurt much worse or even have died. I’m not much of a person that knows about cars and it sounded like my bumper was scraping and by the amount of times I’ve scraped my bumper, I believed it until I saw my notification. The vehicle is still being inspected for cause of fire and this vehicle has never had this problem before.

See all problems of the 2023 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

There has been no accident- the vehicle is my mother in laws vehicle- my concern is while at work she has at times loaded our daughter into the vehicle- I inspected the vehicle one day while as an employee of les schwab- the driver cvc axle vibrates so bad from the boot being torn and having no lubrication- these axles power the vehicle forward and if not maintained can snap and cause damage- the wipers no longer work correctly- the tires are 2017 and old and weather cracked- potential to separate while driving or blow out on the heated pavement. Upon inspection also found that the front shocks are blown out and bouncing in the mounts under the hood- causing the tires to not have the correct contact patch on the road thus decreasing traction and control- on top of all this the vehicle hasn't been registered since 2020 and has no insurance on the vehicle- again there has been no accident. . . Yet- this is my concern- that if this vehicle continues to remain operational and on the road it not only puts the driver and occupants at risk but also other drivers- kids- teens and anyone that may be on the other end o the crash when the vehicle does snap the cvc axle or blow I out a tire.

See all problems of the 2004 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

Constant rattling after only 2,000 miles. Sounds like it’s coming from behind the glove box. Another constant rattle from the head up display.

See all problems of the 2022 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

Car emits a very audible squeak when shifting right above 30mph and 40mph, car surges at lower and constant speeds, tach will slowly drop when applying throttle, surge slightly, then function as normal again.

The car has had a lot of issues. The inside driver side glass for the display dash fogged up and had to be replaced. The first replacement didn’t fix it and I had to threaten legal action to get Mazda to replace the glass a second time before it finally resolved the issue. The car (which is washed and waxed weekly), got rust on it in year 3. Mazda repaired it and promised it would not return. 14 months later the rust is back and Mazda won’t repair it. I have escalated with no avail. I have had to replace the air conditioning fan for over $1k. I bought the car brand new with 59 miles on it, I have kept up on every maintenance and kept records and today it has 18,000 miles and I am told the transmission needs replaced. 18,000 miles on a garage kept car? this is not right!.

See all problems of the 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

The dashboard is melting more and more everyday. Its becoming sticky and very reflective. Sometimes whenever I am driving in the morning the sun will reflect off and blind me making it very hard to safely operate my vehicle.

See all problems of the 2010 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

Im having issues with rust the car it’s getting pretty much the car it’s falling apart the under body it’s nothing but rust I’m scared of changing a tire because there’s actually not a good grip where I can lift the car without feeling it’s going to fall apart, the rear or the disks it’s falling by chunks and just yesterday the rear shock plate broke out of place because it’s way too rust same thing with my muffler I don’t feel safe I’m my car which I love, I truly do but I feel like at any minute its just going to break apart right now it’s the shock rear driver side but I feel like next a tire or my brake disks are going to break like I said I don’t even feel safe to change a tire.

See all problems of the 2006 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

The dashboard is lifting up possibly affecting the drivers side and passengers side airbags deployment. I am very concerned I dont know when it happened.

See all problems of the 2011 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

The instrument panel has come loose, and there is a opening, the inside of it is chipped as well and it is foggy. Just normal driving to and from work. Mazda offered a special service warranty, which my car did not qualify because this gap had not occurred yet. Conveniently, the extension expired before my panel started coming apart. I spoke with Mazda today and they told me I was to late. Well I was ineligible because it hadn't come apart yet. Apparently they are aware of this problem as they did off a special warranty for it. All models that had these defective panels or bad adhesive from the same lot regardless if they had started to come apart yet, should have been replaced so this wouldn't happen. I understand normal wear and tear. If this is just chocked up to normal wear and tear the rest of the interior should also be falling apart, because the whole car has been subjected to the same environment and that is not falling apart yet. I am one person, with one voice maybe other Mazda owners who were denied eligibility to have this instrument panel replaced, will also complain and something can happen to fix this manufacturer problem. As this is not a part that should have passed quality control. Date is approximate as it occurred gradually over time and did not become noticeable until late last year.

See all problems of the 2013 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

Water coming into cabin from driver door window. Brought it to Mazda service center three times and they cannot figure out where water is coming from. Water pools in the door when it rains and seeps into the cabin.

See all problems of the 2020 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

Sticky dash issue, the dashboard of my 2010 Mazda3 has been melting for ages. It causes glare when driving obstructing the driver's view.

I recently have been experiencing visibility issues with my 2012 Mazda 3 sedan. It started when the plastic interior above the steering wheel became "goopy" as it heats up from the sun. It is impossible to remove and has left behind a shiny surface that reflects on the windshield in front of my driving peripheral. I've researched this issue and have found recalls for other years of Mazda makes/models, but not mine. There is nothing I can do and it's becoming worse making it so I can barely see out my front windshild on bright, sunny days. Please let me know if this issue can be resolved in anyway as it affects my everyday life and is becoming more and more dangerous to drive, especially when the sun is at high noon. I have attached some photos to show how the interior panel has become naturally. It's currently a cloudy day so the glare issue is not showcased as much. I have temporally laid a tan cloth over to reduce some of the glare because it's less shinny than the melted interior (which seems to reduce the glare problem by 50%). Thank you for listening and I hope to hear back soon.

See all problems of the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

I parked at the top of my driveway at a slight incline position with the emergency brake engaged and the car was in second gear (manual transmission). It was in a stationary position at that time. My family exited the vehicle and we went inside our home. Approximately a half our later I notice my car rolled down my driveway and crashed in between two trees on my property. Either the emergency brake failed or the car's transmission failed while parked. The car was found at the bottom of my property still in gear and had the emergency brake in the engaged position.

The rear wiper stopped working during a drive in heavy rain conditions, similarly like it happen to the same vehicle for the front wipers 6 months after I got the vehicle. I tried to schedule an appointment with the dealer but with the pandemic it was not possible. When I went for the actual appointment on March 2021, they told me the vehicle was out of warranty even though it is barely 3 years old, and just for a diagnostic they will charge $160 plus tax. The potential repair would be extra, ranging from a new bcm to a new motor, or both, scaling up to $450 repair bill. The issue is extremely similar to a safety recall that the vehicle had for the front wiper were they had to change the relays free of charge. I consider this also a safety issue as if you're driving in the highway at 55mph during the heavy rain and you are not able to see and vehicle that comes at high speed, such truck that loose the brakes in a roundabout exit, that poses a safety risk to drivers and owners of this vehicle. A recall should be made for this rear wiper issue like for the front one.

See all problems of the 2018 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

I purchased my 2019 Mazda3 hatchback brand new last sept (2019). This summer I noticed the rear driver side door was difficult to open fully. It seemed to be binding at the hinge. However, on further investigation I realized the front edge of the door was actually hitting/rubbing against the back edge of the front door! this had not been an issue for the first few months I owed the vehicle. I attributed it to either a settling of the structural frame of the car or an expansion of the doors due to the summer heat. Either one I believe are cause for action by the manufacturer. I have now brought the car to two different Mazda dealership service dept's and both explained that, while the car has obviously not been in an accident, repairing the defect under warranty might be more difficult than I would expect. The first said his 'auto body shop wants to charge him even if it is covered by warranty' and the second advised he 'could take pictures and send a request for coverage to 'Mazda' so they could determine whether or not it would be covered by warranty but (that he believes) it would be a �tough fight� as it's not a �known problem� on these cars. ' I believe the correction should not only be covered by warranty but might warrant additional action including a larger scale investigation and/or recall. I should add that the paint has been removed from both doors where they were rubbing together. This should be repaired as well. . . Regardless of whether the frame of the car is unstable or the doors are expanding/changing position on their own.

Tl the contact owns a 2010 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated the dashboard melted, causing a glare while driving in sun light, which made it difficult to see while driving. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was made aware of failure and stated that it was a known issue for which the warranty was extended however, the warranty on the vehicle had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The dashboard above the clock and info display separated while the vehicle was stationary.

I have taken my car to multiple Mazda dealers over the last several months with complaints of something very wrong with it structurally, specifically in the suspension, driveline, etc. Every time I plead with them that I am scared to death to drive this car because I truly feel that I might die in it due to its defects, but every time I am forced back into it because they say they cannot duplicate my concern and that the car has nothing wrong. I've caught freeman Mazda of irving falsifying their internal work orders and giving me ones showing that they can't find anything wrong. My battery died about a month ago, they gave me a test strip that stated my battery needed a charge, but I got a glimpse of their copy which stated the battery had a bad cell and needed to be replaced. I have video evidence of the defects that exist with my vehicle. On the smoothest roads in dfw at low speeds my car is rocking back and forth, bouncing up and down, and it truly feels like my axles are not rotating in sync that results in severe vibrations, shuddering, and the feeling that my axles will break or that a wheel will come off at the very least. I've had so many panic attacks, suffered an amount of mental anguish I can't begin to quantify, lost wages, almost lost my job, questioned my own sanity from being told almost two dozen times that they can't find anything wrong. I need help, I really am begging. They are refusing to acknowledge the defects my car has and writing my safety off like my life does not matter. I don't want to have to get seriously injured, hurt someone else, or die in this car because I feel an accident is impending. I've been so scared for my life in this car that I've spent over $2k on rental cars because I didn't want to die and Mazda has just left me hanging with no regard for my safety.

Dashboard material began to melt causing shiny reflection in window. Unsafe and not able to �clean � I had to install a dashboard cover to stop the reflection issue. I have seen other owners of same car report same issue so it must be a design flaw by manufacturers and I cannot believe there has not been a recall yet. I have not had an accident but it could have occurred had I not recognized the issue and proactively prevented it.

The dashboard is melting and light reflects on the windshield impairing my driving making it difficult to safely drive at times not being able to see. Mazda said they won't replace it.

Door gap between the driver's side door and the driver side rear door is too small. When temperatures exceed 75 degrees f and the car is parked in direct sunlight, the door expands and it will rub onto the rear door b pillar weatherstripping. Door becomes hard to open from the inside when this happens. The b pillar rear door trim is pressed up so hard against the driver door that the weather seal near the top will start to prematurely wear out. On certain occasions, the driver door expand so much that the rear door b pillar trim will almost come off. Dealer refuses to acknowledge that this is a problem. Attached are other Mazda 3 owners with how worse the problem can get.

I am currently the owner of a 2010 Mazda 3. My vehicle which was purchased by me 7 months ago has a melting dashboard. I have gone to a Mazda dealer regarding a recall for the dashboard and was declined, they stated that there was no recall. This poses a safety hazard to myself and my family as I experience a glare bouncing off the dashboard while driving and only gets worse under the florida sun. Upon further inquiries on the internet there is information about this recall however Mazda dealers are not abiding by the recall and refuse to service my vehicle.

My spouse was driving on a highway and suddenly heard a loud sound. He scanned the surroundings and did not see any unusual occurrence. He felt cold air and noise and when he look up, his sunroof is gone, just a few glass left on the side looking like granules. He had spontaneous sunroof explosion.

See all problems of the 2015 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

If the lift gate falls unexpectedly, it may hit the user, increasing their risk of injury. This is a current recall on other models but is not currently listed for my vehicle. It definitely effects my car and would like my model added to the current recall.

Water gets into the trunk and fills up the spare tire well. Causing mold and rust inside trunk. Throughout baring inside clutch/transmission component explodes destroying the clutch and transmission. Parking break doesn't disengage correctly causing brakes to wear down quickly. Water getting into rear break calipers making them defective. This has happened mainly in city street driving but noticeable on the highway.

The dashboard on the drivers side melted into the consistency of liquid tar. It is sticky and very shinning causing blinding glare. I took it to the lodi Mazda dealer and they told me there was an extended warranty that expired 1 month ago and they could not repair this for free. I called the cooperate office who said they are no longer responsible for the repairs even though they are aware the dashboard was not heat resistant. How ironic that this happened to my car 1 month after the warranty was up. The dealer said it would cost me 1200 dollars to repair. Since this was there fault for installing a not heat resistant dash they should replace it at anytime for free. It is very difficult to see out of the front window with the glare the melted dash causes.

My Mazda 3 2010 has about 3 recalls. I have been contacting the local dealership to do the recalls since last year, but due to my schedule, I cannot make it during the weekdays. Now this month, when I looked at the recall letters, I found out I should do the recalls very soon, but I had hard time to get day off during the weekdays, so I was asking the dealership to schedule me for weekends. But they refused. I know this is a free service, but how can they only give us schedule for weekdays and refuse to do the work for weekends. This is about safety. I don't drive this car often, but I still want this to be done. I think it is wrong that the dealership refuse recalls service. I don't think they will refuse the service that pay them money. Very bad experience! I think the government should monitor this. Because they refusing the weekends service, a lot people may hold off their recalls just like me, which may cause problem for the road safety. The name of the dealership martin Mazda address: 289 e cleveland Ave, newark, DE 19711 phone:(302) 738-5200.

Engine mount bolt failed while driving on a city street causing the engine and transmission to drop onto axel. Vehicle could not be driven until front axel was replaced and the engine mount bolt was replaced.

See all problems of the 2007 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.

Every time it rains spare tire well fills with water.

Power moonroof exploded while driving about 40mph on a city street. It was about 52deg f on a cloudy day. My wife was in passenger seat & glass fell in on us. We pulled over and cleaned up most of it.

This goes with previous form tge other thing is that my door flew of on freeway right before it jerked like stated in other form my car had just been fixed from same doors and now one flies of car doingb80 miles per hr on i15 in nevada causin the accident I had I feel repair shop needs to cover the cost of accident.

See all problems of the 2017 Mazda MAZDA3 🔎.