Got in my car, started backing out of the driveway, heard a loud pop under the driver's seat, and noticed the front left part of the seat was pulling up from the frame by an inch or two. Upon closer inspection I noticed the weld that secures the seat to the frame broke. I am not a large guy (~170 lbs) nor am I rough with the seat. After a bit of searching, it seems this is a rather widespread issue with 2010 Mazda 3S and it obviously a safety concern.

- Schererville, IN, USA

Drivers seat broke from frame rails. First the plastic push pin scews that attaches power seat to height adjustment rails snapped, collapsing one side of drivers seat. Then the frame rail on that side snapped into pieces. When traffic light turned green, I started forward and seat collapsed on my left side, then I heard a pop and seat flipped back, almost causing me to crash. When I took car to Mazda service, the techs showed me dozens of Mazda cars in service bays with the same problem. I was told this goes back to 2002. Mazda Japan states: We acknowledge the problem, but Mazda seats are not made for large american bodies, but for the average smaller, lighter and delicate Japanese person. In Feb,2017, Mazda issued a recall on some cars for the seat frame collapsing, but my car and most other Mazda cars are not included in this recall. Please check out any Mazda service dept. And ask for records of snapped front seat frames and seat frame screws popping out, collapsing the seats. Please require Mazda weld in new frame rails and install correct number of seat attachment screws, and or replace seats assemblies with ones that don't break from normal usage. Without a recall Mazda charges over $1100 to replace power seat frame, with no guarantee the replacement frame wont break when you seat in car the first time because that's how Mazda builds the seat frames! that's tragic.

- Teaneck, NJ, USA

Mazda recall #: 0917B NHTSA recall #: 17V-082 while car was off/stationary, I sat in the driver's seat and heard a pop as the seat rocked backward. Looked under the seat and saw that two brackets had snapped. It now forces an unsafe driving position since the seat no longer stays in place. It leans backwards freely and is clearly unsafe for driving because there is no support whatsoever for the driver. It was parked in my driveway. I contacted Mazda factory service after having a local service center inspect the problem and they determined that it is not a part of the recall. I would like to know how this happens and how it is possible that it is unrelated to this recall.

- Burbank, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while making a right at low speeds, the front driver side seat separated from the base. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. There were no injuries sustained due to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 17V082000 (seats). The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

The bracket which holds the drivers seat to the frame is broken. Seat rocks back and forth during driving. This is a very dangerous flaw in manufacturing and if I'm in an accident my seat will end up in the back seat making my seat belt useless. I see many complaints about this defect. Please make this a recall for Mazda. A very expensive fix otherwise.

- Orange City, FL, USA

While driving at roughly 40 mph, I heard a "pop" from the driver seat area. The seat started rocking significantly when the car changed speed. This was distracting and affected my ability to steer, a safety concern. The problem was a "front seat adjuster unit" which the dealer replaced at a cost of roughly $900.

- Houston, TX, USA

The swing arm that attaches the driver's seat to the left-side seat runner unexpectedly detached. Close inspection revealed that this was caused by a weld failure / metal fatigue at the point where the arm was welded to the rod that runs below the cushion. The seat is now unstable and rocks in an alarming way, both when accelerating, decelerating or stationary.

- Hamden, CT, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the front driver's side seat tilted forward independently and then detached from the track. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

The welds on the front seat attachments have snapped off.

- North Charleston, SC, USA

My drivers side seat bracket has broken causing the seat to rock slightly. Also, the dashboard appears to be melting with a shiny sticky spot.

- Florissant, MO, USA

Copied from an existing complaint because I had the exact same problem: The swing arm that attaches the driver's seat to the left-side seat runner unexpectedly detached. Close inspection revealed that this was caused by a weld failure / metal fatigue at the point where the arm was welded to the rod that runs below the cushion. The seat is now unstable and rocks in an alarming way, both when accelerating and decelerating. The failure occurred with a popping noise as I prepared to pull away from a parking spot.

- Oakland, CA, USA

The swing arm that attaches the driver's seat to the left-side seat runner unexpectedly detached. Close inspection revealed that this was caused by a weld failure / metal fatigue at the point where the arm was welded to the rod that runs below the cushion. The seat is now unstable and rocks in an alarming way, both when accelerating and decelerating. The failure occurred with a popping noise as I prepared to pull away from a parking spot. I purchased the car new and have treated it gently. I am a skinny guy and have at no time been rough on the seat. I am surprised that there is no recall on this failure as it is clearly a safety issue.

- Durham, NC, USA

Frame bracket broke while driving in town on the front driver seat causing the seat to rock completely back

- Ava, MO, USA

Part of the metal mounting that holds the driver's seat front left side in place broke, and now the seat rocks. This happened while the vehicle was stationary. The seat is now secured at three points rather than 4, and I'm concerned about the strength of the other front mounting point. Seems like a significant safety complaint, and a quick check online indicates that this is a widespread, known issue with the 2010 Mazda 3.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Driver seat flips backwards - cannot drive the vehicle.

- Derwood, MD, USA

The driver seat of my car unexpectedly detached from seat mount during normal use, the driver seat fell backward on to the back seat, leaving my car non-functional. For safety reasons, I had my car towed to the dealership, a distance of approximately 25 miles. I was pleased that the service rep made an effort to check to see if there were other similar repairs reported. He told me that there were none found. However, later I found out that there were forty-nine other consumer complaints made to your office, NHTSA, regarding the driver seat in this same make, model and year Mazda. I hope that the Office Of Defects Investigation (ODI) considers opening an investigation to remedy the defect in this group of vehicle, and, the unreasonable safety risk it has on public safety.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

Drivers seat broke loose. Was at a stop light. When I started my left turn the seat suddenly rocked back and then slammed forward. I almost lost control as my foot had come off the gas pedal during the rock back and then stepped back on it as I was thrown forward forward. The car has always had a clicking noise coming from the drivers side seat.

- Edinburg, TX, USA

Steering wheel locking up while driving, unable to turn the car

- Manchester, NH, USA

I was driving with friends in the car on the highway to get some dinner. 70 is our speed limit. All of sudden I heard a snap under me and my body shifted. I sit pretty up right so I felt moving back at least two inches and my hand shift position as well which almost cause a accident. I call the dealer today, "you're not under warranty, sorry" really" I almost die in a car you guys sell me and I get a sorry" it was either get it fix or play when the other side of the seat bracket is going to snap.

- Richardson, TX, USA

The driver's seat breaks away from the floor of the vehicle when sitting in the seat causing the driver to have to lean forward or else the seat rocks way back causing the driver to hold themselves upright. During a fast acceleration or quick stop the chair exhibits characteristics that can only be called unsafe and unsettling to the driver. I can only imagine how the seat will hold up in the event of a collision or accident. The vehicle was parked when this was first noticed.

- Hugo, MN, USA