I got this car back in August not knowing about Mazda's clutch issues. I got the car with about 101,000 miles and when I got to around 112,000 miles, my clutch failed out in the middle of nowhere. I do not know when the clutch was last replaced by the previous owner, but after looking into this issue, I am worried that I am going to continually have this issue.

It is very expensive, and I cannot afford to have my clutch replaced approximately every 35,000 miles, as many other drivers have. Mazda should really recall the part and warranty the cars that have them. I am a college student nearing graduation and I cannot afford to be out of a car because my clutch went out. Otherwise, I love my Mazda 3. It is not a bad car, but this is a serious issue that should be addressed.

Took car to trusted mechanic (he works on CHP cars) and he said same as dealer mechanics: not using clutch properly. Bull Sh*t. I drove Miata's as my daily driver for 18+ years before branching out into other cars, like a Mazda Speed. I've driven our 2009 Miata on the Texas Motorspeedway, 1999 at Buttonwillow, etc.

I KNOW HOW TO CLUTCH! Now the tranny grabs. Started to look for issues online and found this site.

I am not alone....thank goodness. I will have the dealer check this out. Not afraid to complain now.

Brought our car in for some basic maintenance to keep our warranty until 120,000 km. At 100,000 km now. Technician came out to say that the clutch was going and needed to be replaced.

This car is only ever driven on the highway and the drivers have 12 and 17 years each of driving a standard car.

NEVER had to replace a clutch in the past. This is an absolute joke. This car is basically brand new and there is no excuse for the clutch to be going already. Obviously a cheap, piece of junk part was used at the manufacturers.

We were planning to buy a second car in about a year or two. Won't be a Mazda.

Update from Jun 9, 2015: Update: the clutch slipping and chatter ended up being a faulty engine mount. The only reason this was identified was because we basically told the technician what it was (this was after I complained about noise from the engine that could be heard on startup and when changing gears - was initially told that it was the belts bc the Mazda tech was too lazy to actually listen to me or look into the problem).

Replacement of the engine mount (via warranty) fixed the issue. Looking into getting Mazda to replace my pressure plate and potentially flywheel because of the ongoing damage that the faulty engine mount would have caused over the last few months.

It's frustrating that the initial Mazda technician didn't listen to me when I insisted that we were not causing the clutch issue. Would have ID'ed the problem months ago if he had just listened and looked into the problem further.

The clutch gave out at under 12,000 miles and the dealer is saying that it is " user error". Now I have owned a number of manual cars and my most recent car was a 2010 Mazda Speed that I traded in at 30K miles so I am not sure how I could have apparently "misused" this car when all of my other cars were in perfect working condition when I got rid of them! I have contacted the dealer, and mazda customer service and they all refuse to admit that there is a possibility that the clutch was defective to begin with. This has been absolutely horrific! I cannot believe that I am spending 1400 dollars on a brand new car!

I first took my car in to the dealer when I noticed the clutch slipping after I shifted or when I accelerated at freeway speeds. Now, after 16 days, I finally have my 2011 Mazda 3 back with a completely new clutch assembly. Mazda paid 50%, not including the rental car. My final bill: $700 (not including the rental car cost for this time). They replaced not only the clutch disc, but the flywheel and associated bearings and parts. Apparently they consider replacing the clutch at 2 years / 20k miles to be "normal wear and tear" and not under warranty. In my opinion, the fact that it wore out so quickly, in itself, means it was defective.

I have driven a manual car for almost 10 years (previously a Mazda RX-7) without any issues. I do not abuse my car, I do not ride the clutch, and I do not let anyone else drive the car. Mazda would not allow me to speak to anyone with the authority to assist me, specifically the district manager who made the decision. On top of that, the woman I spoke with when I called their customer service line at (800) 222-5500 was not only unhelpful, but flat out rude and confrontational.

After this experience, I plan to trade this car due to the fact that it will need another new clutch at 40k miles of normal driving. Mazda has lost a loyal customer for life with their "guilty until proven innocent" mentality toward warranty claims.

BOUGHT THIS POS IN 1-2011 BRAND NEW NOT EXPECTING TO PUT A DIME IN IT FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. I DROVE A STICK FOR 25+ YEARS. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A STINKIN CLUTCH, EVER! UNTIL NOW. NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. HAD TO DROP $1500.00 OR VOID THE WARRANTY. I NEED A CAR FOR THE WIFE BUT I WILL NEVER BY A JAP POS (MAZDA) EVER AGAIN. THEY BLAMED ME! WHATA JOKE. DID I MENTION 25+ YEARS DRIVING A CLUTCH?? I WILL SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE TRASHING MAZDA BECAUSE OF THIS. HOPE IT'S WORTH IT/ STARTING HERE. TIME TO MOVE TO THE NEXT BOARD. DID I MENTION MAZDA SCHAUMBURG ILLINOIS IS A RIP OFF. FROM SALES TO SERVICE! NEVER EVER AGAIN. i GOTTA GET THIS "SUCKER" ERASED FROM MY FOREHEAD. I'LL TRY GASOLINE IF NEED BE! OOOHHHHH, ONLY 15,000 MILES ON THIS POS! DON'T BY ONE!!!!!! ANY MAZDA THAT IS. I HAVE THE REST OF MY LIFE PLANED, BASH MAZDA FOR EVER!

this car is garbage i owned it for 4 months and the clutch went out. the dealership tried to sell me a new one and only give me $9500 for this one. i got more for my '06 f 150 with over 100,000 miles. i got this car because of the mpg and "reliability" big mistake. i would rather have a truck that gets 13 highway mpg then have this "car" with 33mpg. Mazda doesn't stand behind their product and was no help the dealership was just as bad. i will never buy a foreign car or buy one from upstate new york for that matter. once people find out you are in the military the think you are made of money and try to scam you every chance they get. i am glad they appreciate my service because i sure as hell don't appreciate theirs. i am purchasing a different vehicle soon as i get the money and it sure as hell won't be foreign!