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.
Today on 3/6/23 I was parked outside a restaurant picking up food as I was inside the restaurant my hand brake failed to hold and my car rolled back and hit another customers car. My car is a manual and I had it in neutral and I was then approached by the owner of the vehicle I hit asking for my insurance information.
My 2014 Mazda 3 had very bad wear on the rear brakes, but not on the front. I took them apart, and both calipers were frozen. I contacted the dealership and they told me that there was a recall, but only for the cars manufactured in Mexico, not in Asia. The recall needs to be expanded, as Mazda denied there was any problem with these calipers. Clearly there is a more widespread problem than Mazda will admit.
Can parking break will not fully engage or becomes disengaged even though parking break handle is lifted. Car will occasionally roll fwd on a hill of break does not engage.car rolled down a hill and even jumped the parking space curbs. Driver was not in the car but break appeared to be set.
Issues with braking when coming to a stop. Passenger side rear caliper sticks, making a lot of noise and causing the pads to wear down way too quickly. Had to change my rotor and pad three times in the past 2 years. Now my mechanic says it's the caliper. I contacted Mazda corporate about this problem and they told me my vehicle was not impacted by the 2017 recall and there is nothing they can do since it's no longer under warranty. It's a 5 year old car, it shouldn't be having these issues.
July 2018 I noticed the rear passenger wheel getting really hot and making a popping sound after driving it on hot pavement. The brake caliper was stuck and I had to get a new rotor, rear driver's brake caliper and new brake pads. I had to wait 3 weeks for the caliper to come in. The mechanic said it was odd all the other calipers were available for immediate delivery except the rear passenger one. We looked online and noticed a recall but my VIN was not included. Fast forward 1 year - August 2019, I was smelling fuel around the driver's wheel well and inside the vehicle after fill up. I didn't notice any fuel leaking onto the ground underneath the car. I took the car to my mechanic and there is a fuel leak coming from the seem of the gas tank. The whole tank has to be replaced and possibly the fuel pump. Once again I have another wait for the parts from Mazda - at least a week. These are 2 very expensive repairs in the matter of a little over a year for a car with 30,000 miles on it. He said when he looked under the back seat he couldn't believe how much fuel leaked out. He said from looking online, my car should have been recalled for both of these incidents since other models of the same year were. I contacted Mazda corporate about each of these issues and they tell me my vehicle was not impacted by the recall and there is nothing they can do since it's no longer under warranty.
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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My 2014 Mazda3 with VIN [xxx] is experiencing squeaking and binding of the manual parking brake while driving. The 2014 Mazda3 has already had a recall for this issue under NHTSA campaign number: 17V393000. They say my car is not covered by this recall, but this car is a manual transmission with a manual parking brake and is less of these are made and less may have been reported. Additionally, this website for mechanics (https://Mazda.oemdtc.com/528/squeakinggrinding-noise-from-rear-brakes-2014-2016-Mazda3) says that this is a recurring issue caused by: "squeaking/grinding noise from the rear brake even after the brake pedal is released. Upon inspection, the caliper mounting support is corroded and one of the disc pad is abnormally worn out (a). This is caused by vehicle usage in an area using road salt. The surface of the mounting support may swell from corrosion causing premature disc pad wear and brake noise. Disc pad is abnormally worn out (a) to correct the problem, an improved caliper mounting support has been newly established as a service part. The anti-corrosion surface treatment has been changed from zn to zn-ni plating." The website says this problem affects:"2014-2016 Mazda3 vehicles with vins starting with JM1" which my vehicle is as I live in California central valley and have no road salt, I believe this may be a systemic issue. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Car was taken in to be serviced at 47,950 miles and the left side calipers had to be replaced. Car was taken in again at 53,474 miles and the right side calipers had to be replaced. Thankfully we do routine maintenance on our vehicles. Thankfully it did not become a driving hazard and cause an accident. We had taken the car in both times to be serviced and that is when they found the issue. When it happened the second time that is when I started to look into recalls pertaining to this issue. The following recall does not effect our model Mazda North american operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 mazda6 and 2014-2016 Mazda3 vehicles. Water could possibly enter the brake caliper causing the parking brake actuator shaft to corrode and possibly bind.
Loud squeaking after driving about 30 minutes, especially on left turn at low speeds. Squeak disappears with the slightest application of brake or parking break. My left rear wheel is especially affected by this; noticeable heat coming off the left rear after driving. Dealership said they had it on the jacks after they drove it 15 miles and they couldn't even turn it. They don't believe front wheels are affected. I've been telling them something was up with my brakes for months now. I suspected something was wrong when I was at an independent garage; I took it to Mazda after they said nothing was wrong but I still noticed a feeling of the brakes sticking after hla activated especially. Possibly a slow build up to a major problem over a period of months.
I bought my 2014 Mazda 3 in November 2013. During the first 6 months of purchasing the car, my diver side rear caliper froze causing me to pay almost 900 dollars to replace the caliper, both rear pads, both rear rotors, and labor. A major reason for the inflated price was due to the calipers being a specialty item which not only made them extremely expensive but also took weeks to get delivered. Fast forward another five months later my rear side passenger caliper froze. So, once again I had to pay close to 900 dollars and wait weeks for the caliper to come in. I was told by multiple Mazda certified mechanics as well as the Mazda dealership shop managers to keep my receipts because the brakes I had were freezing on a lot of the new style 2014 Mazda 3S. Finally in 2017, the recall finally posted. I called the dealership I bought the car from, central Mazda in plainfield, ct, and was told my VIN didn't have a recall associated with it. Apparently, even though my car had the exact part that was being recalled, as well as the issues described in the recall fitting exactly to my issue, my car was made in 2013 which the recall did not include. I was told to call Mazda to see if something could be done due to my situation obviously being exactly what the recall was posted for. Unfortunately, once again I was told by Mazda that my issue was different from the recall due my car being manufactured before the date for the recalled cars. In conclusion, I was stiffed with a bill for almost 2,000 dollars within the first year of buying a brand new car, as well as weeks of headaches due to not having my car. I have had a great experience with the car after this issue was finally fixed, but I will never buy a other Mazda due to the way I was treated. If it wasn't for the manipulative way Mazda claimed no responsibility, I would be a returning Mazda customer.
I noticed that my parking brake (emergency brake) did not feel as sturdy as it had been. It felt as if it had not been fully pulled up, but it had been. I drove to my destination and parked the car in a parking lot, which was flat. I tried to pull the parking brakes, but it would not go up at all. If I hold on to the parking brake, it works, but the lever will not stay up. There is a recall on parking brakes for this model, but not for my VIN. This should be investigated. I believe the recall should reach a wider span of Mazda this model.
Took my 2014 Mazda3 igt hatch to a local shop to have front and rear brake pads replaced. Tech informed me that he noticed one side on the rear was worn more than the others. Parked on a hill the next day and noticed the parking brake had a lot more play than normal. The parking brake could not hold the car when pulled all the way up. Car rolled forward if shifter was in neutral with parking brake engaged. Took car to martin Mazda in newark, Delaware to have brake function checked. From invoice: "found internal malfunction in drivers side caliper with E-brake operation, requested P/a on caliper for repair, caliper is working hydraulically." They did not have the caliper in stock so I have to return when the part comes in. Checking online, I found out that there is a recall for this problem (NHTSA recall no. 17V-393 / mfr recall no.1217F) but my VIN is not covered. I have the same E-brake problem, and the failure occurred in cold weather just as the recall states. This recall should be expanded.
After a car wash at home, the traction control sensor and the tire pressure monitor sensor on the rear driver side tire both failed. The underlying systems continued to function but due to the sensor failure, warning lights for both systems showed up on the dash and ABS brakes were unavailable. Repair required replacement of the entire ABS module.
The contact owns a 2014 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that the rear brakes seized while driving down a hill. The failure occurred without warning. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the rear brakes emitted extreme heat. The vehicle was taken to an inspection station where it was determined that the rear brakes were worn and needed to be replaced. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Mazda 3. while driving various speeds, the emergency brake warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Wyoming valley Porsche, Audi, Mazda, Volkswagen and Kia (126 narrows rd larksville, pa 18651 (570) 288-7411), but no failure was found. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger side caliper was sticking to the brake rotor, and the caliper and housing needed replacement due to excessive rusting. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V393000 (parking brake); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The dealer confirmed that the parts were not available. The contact had not notified the manufacturer of the failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was approximately 60,00.
The contact owns a 2014 Mazda 3. while operating the vehicle, a rubbing sound was heard coming from the rear brakes. The contact indicated that the rubbing sound became progressively worse. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (mall of Georgia Mazda located in buford, ga) where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger side brake caliper was damaged due to exposure to water and had made contact with the brake rotor. The vehicle was repaired and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V393000 (service brakes). The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 56,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Mazda 3. the contact stated that the vehicle exhibited abnormal grinding noises from the rear brakes. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to cooley motor (401 North N greenbush rd, rensselaer, NY) where it was diagnosed that the rear brake caliper mounting support was severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and stated that the vehicle did not qualify under Mazda tsb 04-001-16 due to it not falling under the 36 month warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.
Emergency brake failed. Car parked in driveway, in gear and E. brake engaged. Car was located in the middle of the street 20. Mins later. Dealership charged to replace breaks and same symptoms showing up again. Car less than 60K mi. This is manually engaged breaks not automatic.
Having spent approximately 10 miles in stop and go traffic, the traffic picked up again, only to come to another stop. I was unable to stop because my brakes had completely failed, my foot went to the floor and I had no braking response at all. I tapped the vehicle in front of me, no damage to his car, so we decided not to call the police. My car sustained cosmetic damage to the front end, pushed the left front fender back so I was unable to open the driver's door. I was approximately 250 miles from my home when this incident happened. The following day I did a test panic stop in a parking lot, and the brakes then responded appropriately.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Austin, TX, USA