2020 Mazda Mazda3

Low pressure fuel pump failure with 75,575 miles on odometer. Fuel pump completely seized. Car was parked at a retail location and would not start. Upon troubleshooting, mechanic was able to determine the low pressure pump was not delivering fuel. Pump was replaced. Faulty fuel pumps could lead to hazardous conditions as they are mounted within the fuel tank. I feel this is too early in the vehicles life for this component to have completely failed.

Reported

Jul 2026

Incident date

Jun 2026

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

size 21545ZR18 93Y. replaced these oem tires with these from costco on feb 27 2025. in dec 5 2025 the tire developed a large bubble. miles bought was 27790. current miles 31212. per tire center steal belting was broken no signs of road hazard or other damage. the belt broke and rubber was stressed with " maybe a 1000 miles regaining before catastrophic failure." wear instrument showed they were literally showing new tires. states they were the 3rd michellin tires with dude wall bubbling that week. states could have caused severe accident. no warnings damage leaks or idicators. all maintenance and pressure follwed per manufacturing specs. tires are a danger to drivers even low miles to failure to cause accident.

Reported

Mar 2026

Incident date

Dec 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

My Mazda3 began producing a chirp when shifting from 3rd to 4th gear (automatic transmission). The dealer stated that the car needed a new torque converter. At the time the car only 37,000 miles on it, quite low mileage for a torque converter to fail. Mazda has previously admitted to producing cars with faulty torque converters, as specified in Mazda TXXXXXX] ). While my car fit the description of both the problem and proposed fix, and also fell within the applicable models/VINs listed on the TSB, Mazda corporate HQ stated that my specific VIN was not covered by the TSB, and therefore the repair cost was my responsibility. Since the problem, solution, and general vehicle type are entirely as described in the TSB, it appears possible that the TSB was too narrowly scoped and omitted impacted vehicles, to the detriment of owners. This would also cause potential safety concerns, since an unrepaired torque converter could produce unexpected shifting problems. Therefore I suggest that NHTSA investigate to determine if additional vehicles are impacted by Mazda's faulty torque converters. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Reported

Feb 2026

Incident date

Sep 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

I pulled into the driveway (at about 5 mph) of my passenger's home, when a very loud, metallic pop occurred somewhere inside my vehicle. I could not discern the problem by visually inspecting the car. Upon returning to my home, I arranged for the dealership to inspect the car's suspension. They found that both rear springs had snapped off from their lower vehicle attachment points. At the time of the incident, my car was less than 6 years old and had approximately 62500 total miles. I had the dealership replace both rear springs and associated attachment hardware. Prior to this failure, the dealership had routinely inspected the suspension of my vehicle as part of PA annual inspections. I experienced NO warning symptoms prior to the suspension failure.

Reported

Nov 2025

Incident date

Oct 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

TSB 02-003/24 Car front suspension bolts corroded and making metal on metal sounds during turning and braking

Reported

Nov 2025

Incident date

Aug 2024

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

See attached document for complaint.

Reported

Jul 2025

Incident date

Jun 2025

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Passenger seat belt won’t retract and remains in a locked state.

Reported

Jul 2024

Incident date

Jun 2024

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Google search shows Mazda has common problem with their front sensing camera, people are reporting the issue for different Mazda models across the board for the last few years including newer models as well. My car display shows few malfunction warning messages. Following captured from MyMazda app. 1. Forward sensing camera malfunction. i-ACTIVESENSE advanced safety and driver support systems may not operate correctly. 2. High Beam Control System is disabled. Automatic switching between high and low beams is unavailable.

Reported

Jun 2024

Incident date

Mar 2024

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

While driving on a residential street the automatic emergency braking system activated and brought the car to a very abrupt stop but there was nothing in the front of the car to activate the system. There were no cars in the on-coming lane and no cars in the lane beside my car. When the car stopped the Brake warning appeared in the windshield and a warning tone sounded. It was in the early evening and it was raining. Fortunately there were no cars behind me so there were no injuries. I took the car to the Mazda dealership and upon inspection they noted that the radar system associated with the automatic emergency braking system was malfunctioning and not correctly calculating the distance between the car and other objects. They are in the process of replacing the radar. If this had happened on the highway at higher speeds or if there had been a car behind me I would have been injured.

Reported

Sep 2023

Incident date

Sep 2023

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

My car's automatic emergency brake is deploying without warning, during driving, when there are no other cars in my forward proximity. I took it to the dealership to have it fixed, and on the drive home, it did it again. There is a recall for similar makes and models for this year, but my car has not been included.

Reported

Aug 2023

Incident date

Aug 2023

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

on 3 occasions may 2023, June 2023 and July 2023 the forward Collison camera activated. in May and June it showed the vehicle to near stop like radar cruise control in rush hour speed traffic. in July 2023 it sounded the alarm and came to a full stop in heavy traffic. it occurs on bright hot days going straight no turns no oncoming traffic no traffic around and no obstacles hold or dips. this can cause the car to stop immediately and cause an accident. App detects problem with system but dealer cannot find problem and blame camera or GPS or satellite radio factory equipped.

Reported

Jul 2023

Incident date

Jul 2023

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

in May 2023 the visors of the vehicle hinge melted causing the visors to hang down to eye level and would not hold up causing visibly issues for driver and passenger. dealer said it is a common issue in heat but it blocks forward visibility and won't hold up and if there were and accident, forward movement of passenger or driver can cause the head to hit the visor causing injury.

Reported

Jul 2023

Incident date

May 2023

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Automatic safety notification censoring system for the brakes engaged when a stop was not applicable or necessary causing the car to brake on its own in traffic. Luckily no one else was on the road.

Reported

Jun 2023

Incident date

Feb 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Lane departure warning activated and attempted to correct during a gentle curve. The location had shifted lanes due to construction, so clear lines were visible but not the actual lane to follow which is a frequent occurrence in New York City. The system came close to steering me into the adjacent lane occupied by another vehicle forcing me to fight the correction. There was a lane departure warning on the dash and I believe the blind spot indicator was on (i.e. the adjacent vehicle was detected in some capacity). I considered this especially dangerous as in this zone also had very tight lanes so my physical correction could have also caused an accident. There was no malfunction of the physical components. No dealer or service center has reproduced the issue however I have discussed with other drivers of the same line (2020-23 Mazdas) who have had similar experiences leading to a decision to disable these "safety" features. Mazda provides a reasonable description of scenarios where lane departure and assistance will disable itself due to poor conditions or low confidence. I would recommend at a minimum requiring the system to detect and potentially differentiate lane widths, as city driving sometimes has extremely tight lanes (for example, the inner roadway of the Williamsburg Bridge where two adjacent lanes are perhaps 8-9ft with less than 2ft on either side to the wall). In these scenarios, any steering correction at all is more dangerous than if it were off.

Reported

Jun 2023

Incident date

Jun 2022

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

I was driving down 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, traffic was crowded but flowing with an estimated speed of 20mph between lights. I believe the distance between my front bumper and the car ahead was only slightly under 2 car lengths in motion. Coming to a stop light, the car in front of me slowed and I followed, applying pressure to the brake gradually. Roughly 2-3 seconds into my braking, the forward collision warning activated (fast beep) followed by a hard brake causing myself and one passenger to lurch forward. The car behind me managed to hard brake before hitting me by a very small margin. As my car came to a near stop the space in front opened to several car lengths, that is a continuous application of gradual braking would have been totally sufficient to stop. Weather conditions were good. A similar situation had occurred to me before on the highway (unnecessary forward collision warning, but thankfully no auto brake) and so after this I decided to check the front for any obstruction of sensors and could not find any. I have heard from at least one other owner of a similar model Mazda that they have experienced the same during city/Manhattan driving.

Reported

Jun 2023

Incident date

Apr 2022

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

•The first incident I had with the SBS was about a month on the highway, I was approaching a vehicle that was braking due to upcoming traffic. I had plenty of time to stop, upwards of 8-10 car lengths. Yet my SBS kicked in and slammed the brakes, jarring me forward. Luckily no one was directly behind me at that time because I have no doubt it would have caused an accident. At that time, it was the only time it had occurred, so I wrote it off as the sensor being a bit too sensitive. •The second incident I have had was recent, 11/23. I was pulling into a parking spot at work, that has a concrete wall to section off parking spots. I was low speed, turned into the spot and the SBS activated, slamming the brakes, resulting in me being propelled into my steering wheel. I was roughly 5-6 feet away from the wall

Reported

Nov 2022

Incident date

Oct 2022

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Fuel pump, car dying out, can't turn off brake release from when it dies. Shaking when accelerating. Fuel gas issue.

Reported

Aug 2022

Incident date

Aug 2022

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

I was traveling approximately 5 mph with approximately 15 feet from the car in front of me, maintaining a constant following distance. The collision warning sounded, followed by emergency braking within 1 second. No collision was imminent.

Reported

May 2022

Incident date

Mar 2022

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

I was traveling 25mph with no obstruction in front of me, when the collision warning sounded. The braking system did not activate. No collision was imminent.

Reported

May 2022

Incident date

May 2022

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Was letting car slow down for red light. No cars in front of me. Suddenly the car braked and the brake warning came on. I was pretty far back from the light. I took the car to the dealer and he said the occurrence did not show on the computer. There was a recall for this problem but not for my car. If someone had been behind me or if this happens on a busy street, I would be rear ended. There have been other computer problems with this car but they never happen when the dealer checks for them.

Reported

Apr 2022

Incident date

Mar 2022

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

EL VEHICULO TIENE PROBLEMAS DE ENCENDIDO, DESPUES DE ESTAR EN REPOSO DOS DIAS NO ENCIENDE SE TIENE QUE PASAR CORRIENTE, INCLUSIVE EN MANEJOS CORTOS AL VOLVER A ENCENDER EL VEHICULO PRESENTA EL MISMO PROBLEMA, ESTE ES UN PROBLEMA EN LA MAYORIA DE ESTE TIPO DE VEHICULOS, MISMOS QUE SON ENCONTRADOS MUCHOS COMENTARIOS EN INTERNET, EL VEHICULO ESTA EN LA CDMX MEXICO.

Reported

Dec 2021

Incident date

Apr 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

While driving the vehicle decided to suddenly brake ....... thinking it was dangerous ..... lucky no one was behind me ..... that was really scarry and could have caused an accident for no reason.

Reported

Dec 2021

Incident date

Jul 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

I was on the Queensboro Bridge headed from Queens, NY into Manhattan on the afternoon of August 29. Weather was partly cloudy and dry conditions. Traffic was bumper to bumper and moving anywhere from 0mph to maybe 5mph. I was in the middle of the bridge driving approximately 5mph and my 2020 Mazda 3 beeped (collision warning) and applied brakes. I was almost rear ended and my two passengers were jolted forward. I maintained a safe following distance the entire time. I believe a van on my left triggered my car’s actions as it passed. I was in no danger of getting into an accident although I was quite shaken up since this is the first time my car applied its brakes. I have an appointment to bring my car in and would like the automatic braking system disabled. Previously, the car from time to time has alerted of a collision always under 40mph and a previous inspection of my vehicle (after I reported collision warning activation) revealed everything was working properly.

Reported

Sep 2021

Incident date

Aug 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

The contact owns a 2020 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the ABS warning light illuminated, and the brakes locked up and caused the vehicle to stall. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed however, the dealer was not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

Reported

Sep 2021

Incident date

Sep 2020

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

The Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) system performs poorly (it does not hold a set speed well up and down hill; compared to our 2006 Mazda3), but the safety concern is the forceful, sudden, and not-always-predictable braking the vehicle does even if there is not another vehicle in front of us. It brakes, sometimes, for a vehicle in the right lane (we, in the left), and continues to brake unless we override the system. No problem--except if there may be someone following too closely, it could cause a collision. It seems to be related to the MRCC, as no "Brake!" warning accompanies the unwanted brake application. I've contacted Mazda numerous times; they recommended taking it to the dealer. I have--they can find nothing wrong. All of this seems related to a MRCC update (SSP C5) that was done to smooth the MRCC's operation. It did fix the sudden deceleration and acceleration when following other vehicles, but now is worse in other aspects. I may be wrong, but it all seems to be a software issue, so it's not surprising that the dealer can find "no concerns". As to the date of this incident, it happens nearly every time we take the car on a highway or interstate.

Reported

Aug 2021

Incident date

Aug 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

The front radar sensor failed and doesn’t work anymore rendering the FCW and ACC useless. There is a TSB out about water damage getting into the sensor. There are 2 warning lights on. They first appeared when I turned on my car one day.

Reported

Jun 2021

Incident date

Jun 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

I was driving 35MPH on a side street in “sport” mode. Car system beeped, car auto stopped, red circle with explanation mark and the word Break appeared on my center console. My drive shift popped out of Drive. No object was in front of my car, nothing ran out in front of it. Fortunately, there weren’t any other cars behind me or an accident would have followed.

Reported

May 2021

Incident date

May 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

THIS CAR IS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD, WITH ONLY 1600 MILES. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX 30 OR 40 MPH THE SMART BRAKE SYSTEM (SBS) FALSELY DETECTS RANDOMLY AN OBSTACLE WHILE DRIVING, ACTIVATING THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY WARNING LIGHT AND ALARM. THE MAZDA DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR REPAIR THE PROBLEM ALTHOUGH THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAS PART OF AN EARLIER RECALL. I.E.MAZDA RECALL NUMBER 4219L

Reported

May 2021

Incident date

Mar 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE STRAIGHT AHEAD ON A TWO-WAY CITY STREET WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES IN FRONT OR ON MY SIDES. I WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 40 MPH. THE TWO-WAY STREET IS SEPARATED BY A CONCRETE DIVIDER AND TROLLY TRACKS. A "BRAKE!" ALERT APPEARED ON THE DISPLAY SCREEN FOLLOWED BY BEEPS. SUDDENLY THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP CAUSING THE VEHICLE BEHIND TO COME TO A SCREECHING HALT. IN A FEW SECONDS I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE OFF.

Reported

Mar 2021

Incident date

Mar 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

MY VEHICLE IS LESS THEN A YEAR OLD AND HAS LESS THAN 10000 MILES ON IT. THE PAINT IS CHIPPING EXTREMELY EASILY. WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH I HAD 3 CHIPS IN THE PAINT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BARE METAL ON THE DOORS. I BOUGHT A PAINT TOUCH UP PEN FROM MAZDA AND FILLED THEN IN. NOW, A FEW MONTHS LATER I FILLED IN 17, YES 17 MORE ON MY HOOD. I DIDNT EVEN COUNT THE CHIPS IN THE PAINT ON MY BUMPER. THIS IS ABSURD, MY OTHER VEHILCE THAT IS 17 YEARS ON AND HAS OVER 150K MIELS HAS 2 HOOD CHIPS!! AND IT'S DRIVEN THE SAME AMOUNT.

Reported

Mar 2021

Incident date

Mar 2021

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

WATER COMING INTO CABIN FROM DRIVER DOOR WINDOW. BROUGHT IT TO MAZDA SERVICE CENTER THREE TIMES AND THEY CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHERE WATER IS COMING FROM. WATER POOLS IN THE DOOR WHEN IT RAINS AND SEEPS INTO THE CABIN.

Reported

Jan 2021

Incident date

Nov 2020

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

MY NEW 2020 MAZDA 3 PREMIUM WITH 1,177 MILES SUDDENLY TOOK COMPLETE CONTROL OF STEERING MY CAR. DRIVING 65-70 MPH ON A 3 LANE STRAIGHT HIGHWAY ON A CLEAR DAY, WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC, I MOVED ONE LANE TO MY LEFT, AND THE CAR TOOK OVER THE STEERING, PULLING MY CAR OUT OF THE LEFT LANE NEARLY MISSING THE CENTER CEMENT DIVIDER, THEN DARTING BACK ACROSS MY LANE AND HALFWAY INTO THE LANE TO MY RIGHT,THEN DASHING BACK TO THE CEMENT MEDIAN. I AM UNAWARE OF HOW MANY TIMES THE BACK AND FORTH OCCURRED, I TRIED TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN TO NO AVAIL. THE CAR WAS MOVING FAST, AND THE PATTERN THE CAR MOVED IN WAS VERY PRECISE, AS IF THE CAR KNEW NOT TO HIT THE MEDIAN AND GO FURTHER INTO THE LANE TO MY RIGHT. FINALLY THE CAR STOPPED STEERING ITSELF, AND I WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY. MY CAR WAS NOT DAMAGED. I HIT MY HEAD TWICE ON THE DRIVES SIDE DOOR. I DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.

Reported

Sep 2020

Incident date

Sep 2020

Mileage

Not provided

Outcome flags

None reported

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2020 CX-30 and Mazda3 vehicles. The front brake caliper mounting bolts may not have been tightened properly during assembly, possibly allowing the calipers to loosen.

Risk: Loose brake calipers can reduce braking performance or interfere with wheel rotation, affecting vehicle handling. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front brake caliper bolts, tightening them as necessary. If bolts are missing, the affected brake caliper will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 24, 2020. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4420F.

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Mazda3 vehicles. The Smart Brake System (SBS) can falsely detect an obstacle while driving, activating the automatic emergency braking system and suddenly stopping the vehicle.

Risk: Stopping the vehicle unexpectedly increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will update the SBS software. In addition, vehicles with certain production dates will receive an instrument cluster software update or replacement and a replacement owner's manual. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began February 14, 2020. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4219L.