10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 1
Average Mileage:
27,504 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2018 Mazda MAZDA3 engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Mazda MAZDA3 Owner Comments

problem #9

Oct 102023

MAZDA3

  • 105,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at 65 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that his girlfriend was able to safely drive the vehicle to her destination. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with rod knocks. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #8

Sep 152023

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who determined that there was no oil in the engine. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #7

Jun 292023

MAZDA3

  • miles
I have a 2018 Mazda 3. On two occasions in the span of one month, my car has acted like it was going to stall out when I was stopping at a red light. It doesn-??t stall out, but the car will idle like it-??s about to stall. When starting the vehicle it is kind of sluggish at times. Battery has been tested and it is fine. I-??ve had the car for five years and it has 60,000 miles on it. No issues until recently.

- Middletown, DE, USA

problem #6

May 232023

MAZDA3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving my car and it suddenly jerks a few times and the engine light turns on. i slowed down and then began to accelerate, and it was losing power and wouldn-??t t go above 40mph - even while flooring the gas pedal. Now it won-??t start at all. the lights turn on and everything else is fine, but car won-??t start and after checking CEL, i-??m getting the code p0192 indicating it-??s Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Low Input.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #5

Aug 152021

MAZDA3

  • 32,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The contact was unaware if there were any warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact's husband added fuel to the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted 15 minutes later. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer who informed the contact that the failure could not be duplicated because there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired, and the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred upon shifting from reverse(R) to drive (D). The power train warning light and several unknown waring lights were illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

- North Aurora, IL, USA

problem #4

Mar 292021

MAZDA3

  • miles
On March 29, 2021, I had my 2018 Mazda 3 serviced, oil and filter chance, and inspection, at my local Auto repair shop. They indicated that the belt tensioner and belt needed replacement, due to oil leaking, from the tensioner, on to the belt. I got concerned because the vehicle only had 11,523, and the warranty ran out a few weeks earlier. I emailed Mazda several times, and asked, due to the low mileage, and close to warranty expiration, for their dealer to inspect the vehicle, and if needed, replace the tensioner and belt, both free of charge to me. They declined to grant me that courtesy.

- Playa Del Rey, CA, USA

problem #3

May 212020

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 4,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The battery in my 2018 Mazda 3 (touring) has died 3 times in about year's time. After the first time, the dealer said it was just a fluke--that it could have been caused by anything. They put a brand new battery in. After the second battery died, the dealer said that it was because we weren't making long drives in the car. They replaced the battery with a brand new one--and they assured me it wasn't anything else including the alternator (I asked about the alternator specifically). Now, that battery has died. I will call the dealer tomorrow to have a fourth battery installed.... the vehicle was stationary--either in our garage or driveway--when we realized the battery was dead. If you would like to see the records of my various visits to the Mazda dealership, please contact me.

- Eden Prairie, MN, USA

problem #2

Nov 182018

MAZDA3

  • 34 miles
Purchased a brand new 2018 Mazda 3 2.5L touring hatchback. I had only driven the vehicle as its new owner once, from the dealership back to my home, which was less than 20 miles, when the following occurred: I started the engine for my second trip with the vehicle, and noticed the check engine light was illuminated and remained illuminated. I drove the vehicle around the block and did not experience any unusual driving performance characteristics so I drove to my intended destination which was only 7 miles away. When I started the engine to make my way back I noticed that now five warning lights were illuminated and remained illuminated, which corresponded to the following warning guidances: An engine system malfunction, a dsc malfunction, a TPMS system malfunction, along with two scbs malfunction warnings. When attempting to drive the vehicle, I found that the engine was clearly not running properly, as it jerked violently, surged, hesitated and at times seemed poised to stall. The vehicle was clearly unsafe for me to proceed on the road. As it was Sunday, I had to arrange on the next day for a tow truck to Transport the vehicle to the nearest Mazda service center, which was not the Mazda dealership I had purchased the vehicle from. It took over a week for Mazda service center to determine I had a faulty throttle body, which had caused these problems and this was what needed replacement. Importantly, the service technician indicated that the warning lights indicating problems with this new Mazda were known previously by the original Mazda dealer before the sale transaction was completed: Prior to the vehicle's arrival for service at Mazda service center, the warning lights and malfunction codes were previously cleared by the Mazda dealer, rather than addressing the issue or resolving it. This is fraud and corporate malfeasance on the part of the Mazda dealership.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #1

Feb 142019

MAZDA3

  • 1,500 miles
On 2/14/19 between 2:30 and 3 P.M., my mother (melissa dodson) was involved in a fatal car accident with another vehicle (a 2004 GMC Envoy) that resulted in being doa. She was driving a 2018 Mazda Mazda3 sport four dr and traveling westbound on East hanover rd in graham, nc at the time of the accident. According to the unsubstantiated police report, it stated that my mother's car veered/crossed the double yellow line before impact. However, the Envoy was reportedly doing 55 mph upon entering the "S" curve section of the narrow 35 mph two-lane road (which contributed to the crash). In my must humbling opinion, I have reasons to believe that there is more to the accident causing my mother's death that graham police is not investigating or has not investigated. What I mean is that I have reasons to believe that there is still an open recall on the make and model vehicle that my mother purchased (less than a month before the accident); however, I personally feel this concern is not being taken seriously. Enclosed I have provided a copy of (in my opinion) incomplete police report and pictures of my mother's wrecked vehicle and also I have a link to the newspaper coverage of the accident site too! https://www.thetimesnews.com/news/20190215/burlington-woman-killed-in-Thursday-wreck-police-still-investigating-cause

- Graham, NC, USA

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