This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Rear brake rotors warped, grooved and worn beyond repair at 49,000 miles. I was told that it was my driving "style" by the Mazda dealership that probably caused the excessive wear. However, the front brake pads have plenty of life left in them and the rotors are smooth as can be (I even checked the inside). My car has a manual transmission and my wife and I commonly "downshift" to control engine speed. My driving style has given me longer braking system life on cars I drive and have driven. I have always noticed the excessive brake dust on the rear wheels of my car and on others on the road since I bought the car in March 2004, and thought it odd since most braking is done by the front wheels. I have spent many hours cleaning the brake dust from my rear wheels, so I know. Unfortunately, it never clicked in my head that the brake rotors were being carved up. I understand that this is a wear item and not covered by warranty, but is it not common in the industry for the pads to wear out much before the rotors? I think there is cause to research this further. I am disappointed in the two Mazda dealerships that have done all my oil filter changes and half of my tire rotations, to have never mentioned any brake wear before. Other than that, so far, this is an exceptional automobile.
Excessive brake wear and noise days after purchasing my Mazda3 I placed a call to the dealership where I purchased it. I stated that the vehicle's braking system was creating an excessive amount of noise and brake dust from wear. I was told that during the first weeks of a new car that this was expected. The gentleman referred to it as seating. However, after several thousand miles, mostly highway (no brakes required), the pads and rotors are both deeply grooved and worn. Most wear occurs on the rear brakes. Most all braking is done by the front; therefore, if wear should occur it would be present in the front braking system. Dealer requested permission to turn the rotors, which I declined. Turning the rotors would do nothing more than quite the vehicle for a few hundred miles, until the grooves and dust would reappear. This problem has been overtly obvious; however, nothing has been done. Vehicle's safety is compromised.
When backing out of a parking space a luxury SUV appeared from one side, requiring me to stop suddenly. However, when I pressed down on the brake pedal (all the way to the floor), the brakes seemed very hesitant to respond, even with ABS. Thankfully the car did stop in time. I have heard many complaints about the brakes and have also noticed excessive brake dust and a few grooves in the discs/rotors in the rear after only 1000 miles.
The rear rotors of my 2004 Mazda 3 have had excessive brake dust on them since I purchased the car in February 2003. Recently I noticed grooves on the surface of the rear brake rotors.
- Lindenhurst, NY, USA
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I bought a new Mazda 2004 I sedan.the brakes make a rumbling noise at all times especially after it rains and when I back out of my driveway.when I brake the noise is worse. The dealer service center told me this is normal.after it rains as I wrote it is much worse.the machanic also told me the noise at times is the tires due to their size 16 inch.the car also when I brake at a stop goes right or left at times.the mechanic told me that if I go downhill left they will go left if I go downhill and right and brake in a right lane the tires will vear go right. I feel it is unsafe the car vearing left or right when I come to a stop.
The break pads are wearing excessively fast and the roters are beginning to show major pitting/grooving. (the car is brand new and has less then 3000 miles on it).
1)4 days after buying the car my front brake rotors had 3 large (1M wide more than.5mm deep) grooves and the rear brake rotors were starting to develop the same problem. The pads must have some type of hard metalic pieces in them that gradually destroys the brake rotors. 2)it's only a matter of time before the pads wear the rotors to an unsave limit. So, I returned to my Mazda dealer for service. Jim ellis Mazda of marietta 3)the service staff there was horrible and in the end did nothing to fix the cause of the grooves. The shaved an unspecified amount of material off my front rotors and insisted that it was within "spec". the vehicle was only 3 weeks old but now my front rotors are almost out of useable rotor width. They did not replace the break pads despite their obvious link to the problem. My back pads and rotors were not changed at all! when my brake system goes out due to their faulty parts there will be human costs and that's why I'm filing this complaint.
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- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA