2025 Mazda Mazda3 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2025 Mazda Mazda3, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance342.9%
- Airbags114.3%
- Other / unspecified114.3%
- Seat belts114.3%
- Suspension114.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN TURNING A CORNER IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, AS I GOT AROUND THE CORNER (SLOW SPEED (10 MPH?). THE CAR GRADUALLY SPED UP ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL. NO CRUISE ON AND NO FLOOR MAT PROBLEM. WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL "ON", THE ENGINE "REVED UP. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM.
Car was turning left in front of me. I was going about 30 mph. I started to steer to the right of the car into a passing lane. The AEB stopped me and the guy behind me rear-ended me. The system did not need to react, I was not going to hit the car in front of me, but I could not steer to the right until I came to the passing lane.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
I found out about this recall today. Mazda doesn’t have a fix to this recall yet. I am scared to drive my car in the event of a crash, due to the fact that my airbags won’t go off due to the recall. Mazda said to just “be aware until we have a fix” I cannot just “be aware” if I get into an accident and my airbags don’t go off.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
January 10, 2025, at low city speed, I struck a small pothole. The entire car felt like it had been in an accident—a violent jolt—followed by immediate vibration and a pull. Inspection showed one OEM 18" rim was bent. I contacted Mazda after diagnosing and was offered a slight discount on the replacement rim, not a warranty repair or full diagnosis. I have the bent rim in my possession. July 2025, at low speed, I barely contacted another small pothole and immediately felt the same drivability issues. A second rim was found damaged. This was only 4,500 miles after the first incident. I called the dealership manager; he said he would get back to me but never did. I later sent a letter that went unanswered. My subsequent research shows innumerable similar owner complaints for 2020–2025 Mazda 3s experiencing rim deformation from ordinary road irregularities. Why this is a safety issue (technical points): Bead-seat deformation & air loss: A bent alloy rim can distort the bead seat, causing slow leaks or sudden deflation, especially after heat cycles—creating a loss-of-control risk. Dynamic instability: A rim that’s even slightly out-of-round produces high-frequency vibration, steering pull, and reduced traction in turns or under braking; it can trigger ABS/ESC interventions and increase stopping distance. Load path & suspension stress: The 18" low-profile package leaves little sidewall cushion. On normal bumps/potholes, impact energy transfers directly to the wheel. Repeated “bottom-out” events may damage shocks/struts, alignment, and tires, compounding instability. Repeatability & foreseeability: Two events under ordinary use within a short interval indicate a systemic integrity problem, not random abuse. Requested resolution: A no-cost remedy: (1) replace all rims/tires with more durable parts and inspect/repair suspension; or (2) provide comprehensive wheel/tire protection and repair damaged rim; or (3) exchange he vehicle for a comparable model with no issue
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
I am reporting a catastrophic failure of the rear seatbelt restraint system in my 2025 Mazda 3. The rear seatbelt guide geometry is badly designed, allowing the webbing to bunch and jam during normal operation. This physical obstruction prevents the seatbelt from retracting, leading to three severe safety hazards: 1) Total failure to restrain occupants. 2) Structural damage to the vehicle's safety cell. 3) Public hazard where the obstructed door rebounded open into oncoming traffic. Restraint Failure: On multiple occasions, the rear seatbelt jammed in the guide clip while in use. Due to the lack of retraction, a 200lb adult passenger was able to fully exit the vehicle while the belt remained buckled. Most alarmingly, the vehicle's safety logic failed to trigger any occupancy warning alarms. The system remained "satisfied" because the buckle was engaged, despite providing zero tension or restraint to the occupant. Structural Damage & Public Hazard: Because the belt failed to retract, it remained loose and obstructed the rear door's closing path. The door rebounded off the slack belt into oncoming traffic, resulting in a significant structural dent to the C-pillar (door jamb) immediately adjacent to the striker. This deformation occurred in a critical area for side-impact protection. Efforts to Resolve: The vehicle was inspected by a dealer, who claimed the system was functioning normally despite being shown the jamming. I escalated this to the Mazda North American Operations Executive Office. The executive team issued a final dismissal, refusing to provide technical answers or acknowledge the documented failure points. Crucially, they denied my request for a Regional Technical Manager (RTM) to perform an engineering review of the guide geometry and refused to inspect the damage to the C-pillar. By refusing a corporate inspection, Mazda has ignored a reported life-safety defect and its resulting structural damage. This is documented on a video provided
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
January 10, 2025, at low city speed, I struck a small pothole. The entire car felt like it had been in an accident—a violent jolt—followed by immediate vibration and a pull. Inspection showed one OEM 18" rim was bent. I contacted Mazda after diagnosing and was offered a slight discount on the replacement rim, not a warranty repair or full diagnosis. I have the bent rim in my possession. July 2025, at low speed, I barely contacted another small pothole and immediately felt the same drivability issues. A second rim was found damaged. This was only 4,500 miles after the first incident. I called the dealership manager; he said he would get back to me but never did. I later sent a letter that went unanswered. My subsequent research shows innumerable similar owner complaints for 2020–2025 Mazda 3s experiencing rim deformation from ordinary road irregularities. Why this is a safety issue (technical points): Bead-seat deformation & air loss: A bent alloy rim can distort the bead seat, causing slow leaks or sudden deflation, especially after heat cycles—creating a loss-of-control risk. Dynamic instability: A rim that’s even slightly out-of-round produces high-frequency vibration, steering pull, and reduced traction in turns or under braking; it can trigger ABS/ESC interventions and increase stopping distance. Load path & suspension stress: The 18" low-profile package leaves little sidewall cushion. On normal bumps/potholes, impact energy transfers directly to the wheel. Repeated “bottom-out” events may damage shocks/struts, alignment, and tires, compounding instability. Repeatability & foreseeability: Two events under ordinary use within a short interval indicate a systemic integrity problem, not random abuse. Requested resolution: A no-cost remedy: (1) replace all rims/tires with more durable parts and inspect/repair suspension; or (2) provide comprehensive wheel/tire protection and repair damaged rim; or (3) exchange he vehicle for a comparable model with no issue
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .