LIVE Global accident monitoring — updating every 15 minutes
Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2023 Mazda Mazda3 — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 12 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

12
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
3
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
2
Involved Fire
owner-reported
1 / 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.

103 complaints

83 complaints

109 complaints

74 complaints

32 complaints

54 complaints

24 complaints

12 complaints

12 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Power Train 3 reports
Electrical System 3 reports
Unknown Or Other 3 reports
Service Brakes 2 reports
Forward Collision Avoidance 2 reports
Engine 2 reports
Steering 1 report
Tires 1 report
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Air Bags ODI 11561121 12/20/2023

The contact's daughter had rented a 2023 Mazda Mazda 3. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle veered off to the left side of the highway and side-swiped a cable system; the vehicle then crashed into the end cap of a guardrail. The vehicle then hydroplaned and hit a bridge pillar. The vehicle flipped as the contact's daughte…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11628034 11/30/2024

My 2023 Mazda 3 started to have a more terrible and annoying rattle after 3000 miles. The engine will resonate and knock when it reaches a certain speed. The slow speed light throttle acceleration rattles. The most annoying thing is the multiple rattles inside, dash, door panels, and roof. It is like a can in the summer. What’s more terrible is that in the winter, its internal…

Electrical System ODI 11545514 09/19/2023

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 polic…

Exterior Lighting ODI 11530568 07/06/2023

While driving in snow storm I had to pull over and I noticed lights were covered with snow . LED lights will not produce heat to melt snow The lip above and the ledge below traps the snow and with the way the headlights are set up the snow sticks on the lights which affects visibility creating a safety issue. Same thing happens in rain. I have been to a parts store and a me…

Tires ODI 11598023 07/01/2024

The contact owns a 2023 Mazda Mazda3 equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire Line: Turanza EL440, Tire Size: 215/45/R18, DOT Number: [XXX] . The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had developed a sidewall bubble and the tire was replaced. Later the front driver's side tire had developed a sidewall bubble and w…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2023 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 2023 Mazda Mazda3 reliable?
Owners have filed 12 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2023 Mazda Mazda3, most often about power train. 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.