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What 117 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (117)Crash / fire / injury (9)Lights (36)Electrical system (32)Transmission & drivetrain (18)Brakes (15)Body & structure (11)Engine (11)Seats (9)Steering (9)Airbags (7)Seat belts (6)

32 of 117 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Dec 19, 2015Electrical system

HORN GRADUALLY FAILED, BECAME WEAKER AND WEAKER, EVENTUALLY TOTALLY SILENT. LOOKED ON GOOGLE TO FIND LOCATION (IT IS VERY TIGHT IN THERE!) DISCOVERED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF FAILED HORNS FOR THIS EXACT MAKE AND MODEL. HORN IS MADE BY FIAMM (ITALY). EXAMINED HORN, THE ADJUSTMENT SCREW IS SEALED. FAILURE IS INTERNAL. VEHICLE IS TWO YEARS OLD, HAS 39,000 MILES. REPLACED HORN WITH $10 AFTERMARKET ITEM, ALL OK NOW. TOOK ME ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO DO, AND I AM AN EXPERIENCED MECHANIC (CAUSE IS ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE ACCESS, ONLY HAD TO REMOVE ONE NUT AND ONE WIRE, THE TRICK IS GETTING TO IT), I FIX EVERYTHING FROM WRISTWATCHES TO AIRPLANE ENGINES. NO ACCIDENTS, NO INJURIES, BUT YOU MUST HAVE A WORKING HORN . . . THIS IS MY WIFE'S CAR, AND I WANT HER TO BE SAFE.

NHTSA ODI 10811265

May 26, 2015Electrical systemLightsVisibility & wipers

NOTICED FLICKERING OF HEADLIGHTS DURING NIGHT DRIVING WHILE BRAKING. THIS HEADLIGHT FLICKER WAS REPEATABLE WHILE NIGHT DRIVING AND BRAKING AT MODERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS.

NHTSA ODI 10721542

Mar 9, 2015Electrical systemEngine

A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE LOW BATTERY INDICATOR CAME ON INDICATING THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE MY KEY FOB BATTERY. MY CAR HAS A KEYLESS IGNITION/ PUSH-BUTTON START. I REPLACED THE BATTERY IN EACH OF MY KEY FOBS ABOUT A WEEK LATER. AFTER AN ADDITIONAL WEEK, MY CAR WILL NOT START WITH EITHER KEY FOB. THE DASHBOARD STATES THAT THE KEY IS NOT FOUND, EVEN THOUGH I REPLACED BOTH KEY FOB BATTERIES. I HAD TO TAKE THE IGNITION COVER OFF AND INSERT THE KEY TO START THE CAR. MAZDA IS CHARGING ME $100 JUST TO GET THIS LOOKED AT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10693002

Feb 18, 2015Electrical systemLights

THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER OR PULSATE WHEN I BRAKE OR DECELERATED MY 2013 MAZDA 3 HATCHBACK WITH THE 2.0 L ENGINE. NIGHT DRIVING IS DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10684010

Dec 21, 2014Electrical systemLights

WHEN I STARTED DRIVING AND PUT ON MY HEADLIGHTS. EVERYTIME I PUT ON THE BRAKES THE HEADLIGHTS DIM AS THE BRAKE LIGHT IS PUSHED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10667536

Sep 3, 2014SteeringElectrical system

DRIVING 60MPH ON MAJOR FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR, LIGHT RAIN. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. A FEW MINUTES LATER, EVERY WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND I LOST THE POWER STEERING. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND TURNED THE CAR OF, WAITED 10 MINUTES AND STARTED THE CAR. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON AND ALL OTHER WARNING LIGHTS WERE OFF. STARTED DRIVING AND 10 MINUTES LATER ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN AND LOST POWER STEERING AGAIN. LEFT VEHICLE IN GARAGE OVER NIGHT WITH HOOD UP THINKING IT WAS DUE TO RAIN/MOISTURE/COMPUTER PROBLEM. CAR STARTED FINE IN MORNING, NO WARNING LIGHTS. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A LOSE BATTERY CABLE. I AM THINKING IT WAS MORE THAN THAT. I HAVE NOTED MY CONCERN AND WILL AWAIT THE NEXT HEAVY RAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10630324

Apr 30, 2013Electrical system

I DROVE THE CAR ON FRIDAY, 4/26/13, FOR ABOUT 120 MILES. ON 4/29/13, I FOUND THE BATTERY DIED. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME FOR THIS BRAND NEW CAR ABOUT A MONTH. IT'S NOT A RELIABLE PRODUCT. THE SERVICE LADY IN MAITA MAZDA SACRAMENTO TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD DRIVE THE CAR EVERYDAY TO KEEP THE BATTERY WORKING. WHY DIDN'T THEY TOLD ME BEFORE I BROUGHT IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10510148

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Working with the data? Download all 117 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan verdict →