The tire pressure light came on as I was driving on the highway. When I stopped to fill my tires, the force of the air hose blew the tire pressure sensor into my tire. I had to have the sensor replaced, and was told that the other 3 sensors were close to wearing through as well.

- Watertown, MA, USA

February 2014 1st valve stem and sensor broke. This week 2nd and 3rd valve stem and sensors broke. $90-100 each to fix. Ruined one tire and caused sudden flat which could have resulted in accident.

- Cassville, WI, USA

I was driving on the highway traveling about 65 mph when my tire warning light came on, followed immediately by my front driver's side tire going completely flat. Luckily there was nobody too close to me, so there was no accident when I swerved onto the shoulder of the road. I changed my tire and made it to a service center where I was informed that it was my TPMS and valve stem assembly that had corroded and failed, causing my tire to immediately go flat. Not only did I have to pay to install a new tire ($300) I had to replace the destroyed TPMS sensor and replace another one that was also corroding. ($100 ea). The entire incident cost me about $500 due to a design flaw from Mazda that I have no power to avoid. The issue is that it is illegal to remove or not have the sensors re-installed, as they are a safety feature. The irony is that I have to pay $100 each to install a component that causes one of my tires to immediately deflate randomly in the next 3-5 years, depending on when it corrodes again. It is infuriating that I have to install a "safety feature" that will randomly cause me to lose control over my car in the near future. As it is right now, I will be forced to drive with a component that, over time, will corrode and fail, causing me to lose control of my car, then re-install the exact faulty component. The sensor / valve assembly should have never been made of a material that is susceptible to corrosion in the first place. I was lucky this time that this didn't cause an accident, but if the situation were different I could have easily been killed or have killed someone. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Both Mazda and the government have been aware of this issue for a long time now. What is going to happen when someone does die from this, and it comes out that the issue has been known for years, but nobody did anything?

- Red Wing, MN, USA

About a year ago I bought 4 new tires for my Mazda 3. six months later I went in for my routine alignment and tire rotation. They said my two rear tires were worn down to showing the wiring and could potentially cause a blow out. They refused to put the tires back on for safety concerns. I had to purchase two used tires that had about the same mileage my other tires had on them. Again 5-6 months later I go into les schwab for my tire rotation and alignment and again they tell me my two rear tires are showing excessive wear. When complaining about having to get tires so soon they stated that Mazda designed the car this way to have a toe in alignment. Basically this will be a recurring issue unless I put a $500 camber kit on the back. When I asked about that they said it may change the way the car handles and have louder road noise. None of this was mentioned by Mazda when I purchased that car back in 2008. Not only is this issue causing me to spend money every 5-6 months but if I were to go to long without checking my tires I could have a blowout while driving, possibly causing an accident, injury or death. I see this as being a very big issue with the Mazda and I would like to see Mazda have to recall and fix this problem.

- Yakima , WA, USA

TPMS light alerted low tire pressure condition. Found tire with low pressure. During inspection of tire, a small air leak was discovered at the valve stem mid section of threads due to corrosion. The TPMS sensor assembly replacement was necessary to correct the failure. Approximately eighteen months afterwards, the same exact failure re-occurred in another TPMS sensor. The aluminum alloy valve stems on these sensors are highly susceptible to corrosion damage and need to be re-called. This failure is a common problem with these sensors, especially where vehicles equipped with these are driven where road "salting" is routine. The potentially dangerous low tire pressure condition caused by these faulty stems may lead to an accident resulting in death.

- Zionsville, IN, USA

Approximately three years after purchase, I got a flat tire driving on 1-290 in central Massachusetts. When I looked at the issue, it was clear that the tire sensor valve had gone into the tire. I replaced said tire, and since then I have the issue three more times on all four tires total. The second and third time were two consecutive days April 2013 and the fourth one today 12/17/13. The sensors seemed to be rotting out and the stem ends up corroding. I have spent at least 1,000 in the last year and a half fixing this issue and it is very infuriating to say the least. It seems that looking online this is an issue which many have had, yet there has been no recall.

- Brighton, MA, USA

I got a flat tire yesterday because my tire pressure sensor valve had fallen inside my tire. This is the second time that this has happened since I purchased the vehicle in 2008. Thankfully, I was stuck in rush hour traffic and only going 20 mph. I realized my tire was flat when the senor light went off and my car veered to the left and fortunately it was the emergency lane or I would have hit a car. Took it to the service shop and the tps sensor now needs replaced because it had corroded and damaged the inside of my tire as well. When the mechanic looked at my other tires and tps sensor/stem valve was corroded. The third tire is fine for now but is showing signs of corroding as well. The 4th one was replaced a couple years ago and appears ok. Mazda needs to recall this problem asap and reimburse everyone that has had to fix this issue. I could have been in a serious accident if I was going any faster than 20mph. Its sad that someone has to get seriously hurt or die for a recall to happen. To replace both sensors and fix my tire I going to be paying over $300 for Mazda's issue. I take great pride and care of my car, I bought it new; nothing on that care should be corroding when it is only 5 years old. This is ridiculous that so many people are having the same issue. Not our fault as consumers that this is happening, fix this now Mazda!!

- Alexandria, KY, USA

I cannot believe that Mazda has not recalled the TPMS on the 2008 Mazda 3's. all of the TPMS have had to be replaced on my vehicle. Currently, I will be getting the last two fixed/repaired coming this Monday. All of them were either cracked or corroded. The first incident resulted in one of my tires being "shredded" on the inside. Part of the kit broke off and was inside the rim. I was accused by a dealership that I must have been driving on a flat tire. I can't believe how many times the TPMS warning light has come on. This is obviously a defective part. Mazda should be recalling this.

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

While driving on highway on July 29, 2013 I have experienced a serious safety issue with my 2008 Mazda 3 hatchback. The issue resulted in significant pull to the left side and lost of air/flat tire on the front driver side wheel. The reason behind this fault was a defective valve stem. After inspecting all the other wheels, it turns out all the valve stems are cracked. Some initial research tells me its a common problem among those cars and Mazda will not do anything to fix it. At this point I have called Mazda dealership and Mazda corporate office and none of them will do anything about this safety issue. Total cost of repair will be 4X $120 for all TPMS sensors with valve stems and 2X $115 for both front tires. Hopefully there is a recall coming soon...

- Waterbury , CT, USA

While driving on highway on July 29, 2013 I have experienced a serious safety issue with my 2008 Mazda 3 hatchback. The issue resulted in significant pull to the left side and lost of air/flat tire on the front driver side wheel. The reason behind this fault was a defective valve stem. After inspecting all the other wheels, it turns out all the valve stems are cracked. Some initial research tells me its a common problem among those cars and Mazda will not do anything to fix it. At this point I have called Mazda dealership and Mazda corporate office and none of them will do anything about this safety issue. Total cost of repair will be 4X $120 for all TPMS sensors with valve stems and 2X $115 for both front tires. Hopefully there is a recall coming soon...

- Waterbury, CT, USA

Tire valve stems fall out of the tires: My tires have been leaking air periodically for about a year. I noticed one of the tire valve stems was missing the outer nut cover. When I went to add air to the tire, air came out around the valve stem. I carefully drove to my garage and before I got there, the entire valve stem had blown out of the tire. The mechanic says the threads on the valve stem were all oxidized and the nut rotted off. After inspecting the other tires, we noticed another one was missing the outer nut also and heavily oxidized. I had the mechanic pull off all 4 tires and install new valve stems to all tires. I believe this to be a major issue with Mazda and see people complaining all over the internet and a recall should be considered.

- Thomaston , CT, USA

The first time this happened, I was driving on the highway at approximately 75 mph in the center lane of an express road. While driving, the TPMS sensor warning light/sound came on and the tire went immediately flate - total catastrophic failure. I was able to pull off to the side of the road without further incident and when we looked at the tire, the TPMS sensor had fallen out causing the tire to go flat (it is attached to the valve stem) the treads were corroded and the nut cracked causing the sensor fall out and the tire to go flat. This one was replaced. 8 months later, the same thing happened but this time on the driver's side front tire. The nut cracked and the sensor fell out causing the tire to go flat. Thankfully this time it happened just after I had pulled off the highway for a bathroom break and was not driving at speed when the second incident occurred - although if it had happened a few minutes prior, I would have been driving at approximately 75 mph in wet road conditions. Upon examination we found that the thread were again corroded, causing the nut to crack and the sensor to fall out. This is a very dangerous situation - catastrophic failure of a tire at highway speeds is a recipe for disaster. This situation should be taken very seriously by Mazda.

- Stanhope, NJ, USA

The tire pressure monitoring system is unreliable. Specific incidents: 1. warning light flashes or lights when the tire pressure is within the specification limits. This has been an intermittent problem for at least a year. 2. one tire pressure sensor fell apart on inspection, after warning of a leak. Dealer replaced it at no charge. 3. one of the tire valves (and hence pressure sensor) was leaking air when the valve cap was removed, replacing the valve cap held the air in the tire. Dealer adjusted the tire pressure sensor at no charge. 4. one of the tire pressure sensors failed. Dealer stated it was no longer under warranty and charged me for replacement. Car is not driven off road. Sensors seemed to be more irregular after driving on rough highway roads, where a layer of asphalt had been removed.

- Hudson, NH, USA

At approximately 55 miles an hour the in-tire pressure monitoring system's rim attaching nut corroded off of the valve stem on the tire. Tire pressure dropped immediately and had to stop and pull off the road. The valve stem fell into the tire once pulled over and inspected. All 4 tires all corroded evenly and need to have the stems and nuts replaced. I've opted for a rubber valve stem whilst submitting complaints. I still have not had the 3 other tires fixed. Replacement non-aluminum TPMS are 35-50 a piece + installation. 1. cheap nuts that crack and fall off tire stems. 2. aluminum stems that corrode completely removing the threads. 3. high speed crash hazard.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Large bubble formed on outside sidewall of two tires. Tires have approx. 20,000 miles on them.

- Federal Way, WA, USA

I was driving down the interstate when all the sudden the pressure sensor light went off for no apparent reason at all. I had assumed that is was just some kind of electronic malfunction and continued to drive for a bit until I noticed the tell-tale signs of a flat tire. The was odd since I had recently purchased new tires with less than 1000 miles on then and the was no debris in the roadway that would account for the rapid deflation. When I pulled over the tire valve and was gone and there was a hole in the interior sidewall. When I brought the car into the tire place he pulled the tire off to try to find the sensor to no avail. He said in his 35 years of experience he had never seen anything like this. On closer inspection we noticed a crack in another one of the valve stems. The dealer claims this is due to environmental conditions and not due to component manufacturing, but it seems odd that it would happen to multiple valves likes that. As an addendum, the only other time I have to call road side assistance was when I random got a flat tire and when I tried to refill the tire the valve pushed in. I took it too the dealership where they promptly replaced the valve and sensor without charge. I am glad I had new tires with run flat technology. It this had happened with the old tires I can only imagine how much worse the situation could have been.

- Bloomingdale, IL, USA

Tire sensor came on during drive into work. Made to call dealership to have it checked out by lunch time the rear passenger side tire was completely flat and the stem of the tire pressure monitor had completely snapped off. When I got the car to a dealer they state 3 of the 4 monitors had corroded to the point they should be replaced. This added nearly $400 dollars to getting the tires on the car replaced. How is it a tire sensor can't last as long as the tires on a brand new car? if a tire sensor is added to a car to make it safer and more efficient maybe it should last more than 3 years and not cause the car to become unsafe.

- Grandville, MI, USA

Factory tires (Goodyear rsa) wore out in <15K, excessive inside wear. Replaced with Bridgestone potenza grid G019 205/50/R17. Started showing inside wear around 45K, and extremely loud road noise at 50K. All need to be replaced again. Tires have been rotated as per warranty requirements. Alignment is factory specifications. Car has never touched a track and is used as a commuter vehicle. Online reports have blamed the camber which is not adjustable on the Mazda 3. so this issue will continue throughout the life of the vehicle. Serious defect and dangerous.

- Washingtonville, NY, USA

Tire valve split and entered tire well causing it to go flat while driving at 70mph on highway. Not only did I have to replace the tire valve $115 $ but I had to replace the tire since the little ways that I drove on it to pull over shredded the inside of the tire!!! this is now the second valve that has been replaced, luckily the first was discovered by the mechanic while replacing my tires. The other two seem to be on there way out as well.

- New Bedford, MA, USA

2008 Mazda3 was traveling westbound on the Ohio turnpike. Unit 1 had a tire blowout causing unit 1 to lose control and strike the media barrier. (Ohio traffic crash report # 10-0166-91) updated 05/11/11*

- Winterville, NC, USA