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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)

2 of 117 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Aug 15, 2017AirbagsCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT REAR ENDED THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME. THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY, THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. DUE TO THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE VERSUS THE DAMAGE, THE INSURANCE COMPANY DECLARED THE VEHICLE DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED OR MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11015339

Dec 28, 2016AirbagsCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BROKEN NOSE, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10937856

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 →