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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2018 Mazda Mazda3 — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 109 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

109
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
6
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
0
Involved Fire
owner-reported
5 / 1
Injuries / Deaths
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Mazda Mazda3 — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

132 complaints

226 complaints

117 complaints

138 complaints

129 complaints

103 complaints

83 complaints

109 complaints

74 complaints

32 complaints

54 complaints

24 complaints

12 complaints

12 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Electrical System 30 reports
Unknown Or Other 26 reports
Visibility/wiper 16 reports
Back Over Prevention 15 reports
Engine 12 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 7 reports
Service Brakes 6 reports
Power Train 5 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electrical System ODI 11560347 12/15/2023

Touchscreen in vehicle is randomly changing without my touching the screen. This is a well-documented issue in other 2014-2016 Mazdas for which a recall has been previously issued. However, my vehicle also experiences this same issue ("ghost touch") which indicates to me that the problem is not just limited to 2014-2016 vehicles and that my 2018 Mazda should be included in t…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11629883 12/10/2024

The driver side if the door handle metallic wrap has begun peeling, I reached for my door handle and was cut by the wrap as it had torn away from the glued seems. It is small enough to cut my hand but barely visible to the naked eye. I had to put tape over the door handle to prevent further cuts from happening on my fingers. I took 2 photos as soon as the injuries happened and…

Fuel/propulsion System ODI 11557227 11/28/2023

Fuel smell after a fill-up, fuel pump is cracked/deformed EXACTLY as described in Mazda bulletin 5321K (THIS BULLETIN EXCLUDES THIS MODEL). Strong fuel smell in the cabin, liquid fuel leaking from the top of the tank.

Power Train ODI 11700428 11/19/2025

My 2018 Mazda 3 has an intermittent electrical failure on the high-speed CAN network that causes multiple safety-critical systems to fail while driving. When the fault occurs, the dash lights up with warnings for powertrain, ABS/traction, lane departure, collision-avoidance, TPMS, immobilizer, and the check-engine light. The car also hesitates or “lurches” between 15–30 mph du…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11699812 11/17/2025

The Infotainment system is cracking uncontrollably and will make the rear view camera unusable and a safety issue. It keeps resetting every minute. Mazda corporation wont pay for the repair that they are charging about 1,000 to fix it.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2018 Mazda Mazda3, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2018 Mazda Mazda3 reliable?
Owners have filed 109 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2018 Mazda Mazda3, most often about electrical system. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Mazda Mazda3 years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.