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What 138 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 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 (138)Crash / fire / injury (12)Electrical system (27)Fuel system (24)Brakes (22)Engine (13)Backup camera & sensors (11)Speed control (9)Parking Brake (8)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Seat belts (5)Visibility & wipers (5)

3 of 138 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 6, 2023BrakesCrash

Today on 3/6/23 I was parked outside a restaurant picking up food as I was inside the restaurant my hand brake failed to hold and my car rolled back and hit another customers car. My car is a manual and I had it in neutral and I was then approached by the owner of the vehicle I hit asking for my insurance information.

NHTSA ODI 11510516

Jan 5, 2015BrakesCrash

HAVING SPENT APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE TRAFFIC PICKED UP AGAIN, ONLY TO COME TO ANOTHER STOP. I WAS UNABLE TO STOP BECAUSE MY BRAKES HAD COMPLETELY FAILED, MY FOOT WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I HAD NO BRAKING RESPONSE AT ALL. I TAPPED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, NO DAMAGE TO HIS CAR, SO WE DECIDED NOT TO CALL THE POLICE. MY CAR SUSTAINED COSMETIC DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END, PUSHED THE LEFT FRONT FENDER BACK SO I WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 250 MILES FROM MY HOME WHEN THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED. THE FOLLOWING DAY I DID A TEST PANIC STOP IN A PARKING LOT, AND THE BRAKES THEN RESPONDED APPROPRIATELY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10670297

Jun 12, 2014Electrical systemBrakesCrash

ON MAY 7, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 11:00 PM I PARKED IN A PARKING SPACE, ON A HILL, AT TOWSON WOODS APARTMENT COMPLEX. I TURNED THE CAR OFF WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ENGAGED AT OVER 3/4 OF THE WAY UP. I WAS STANDING ABOUT 10 FEET OUTSIDE MY CAR, WHICH WAS OFF AND STATIONARY, TALKING TO A FRIEND FOR APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MINUTES WHEN MY CAR STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS OF ITS OWN ACCORD. I ATTEMPTED TO PUSH IT, WHICH FAILED, AND THEN I JUMPED INTO THE DRIVERS SEAT AND TRIED TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE UP AS FAR AS IT COULD GO, WHICH DID NOT STOP THE CAR. IT THEN CRASHED INTO THE BUMPER OF ANOTHER CAR. BECAUSE THE WHEEL HAD BEEN TURNED TO THE LEFT WHEN I PARKED, THE CAR HAD ROLLED AT AN ANGLE SO THAT ONLY THE RIGHT SIDE BUMPER MADE CONTACT WITH THE OTHER CAR?S BIG ALUMINUM BUMPER THAT STICKS OUT. AFTER DRIVING THE CAR OUT FROM AGAINST THE BUMPER, I FOUND THERE TO BE COSMETIC DAMAGE THAT INCLUDED THE BUMPER STICKING OUT. (ESTIMATE $855) MAY 16, 2014 AT 9:00 AM. AFTER APPROXIMATELY AN HOUR AND A HALF I WAS TOLD THAT THE TECHNICIANS FOUND THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE APPLIED WHEN THE HANDLE WAS APPLIED ALL THE WAY UP, WHICH THEY TERMED ?WITHIN NORMAL OPERATION." HOWEVER, FOR ?PEACE OF MIND,? THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY TIGHTENED THE BRAKE SO THAT NOW IT ONLY GOES UP 5 CLICKS. THE ACTUAL WORDING USED IS ?TECH MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENT SO EBRAKE DOES NOT GO ALL THE WAY UP.? ON MAY 21, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 7:05 PM, I STARTED MY CAR AND A FLASHING LIGHT ON MY DASHBOARD APPEARED. THIS IS THE ?BSM OFF? LIGHT, IN REGARDS TO THE BLIND SPOT MONITORING. I READ THE MANUAL AND IT SAID TO CLEAN THE AREA WHERE THE BSM SENSORS ARE, WHICH I DID. IT STILL WAS MALFUNCTIONING SO I DID THE NEXT STEP IN THE MANUAL, WHICH WAS TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER. ESTIMATE $250 ON JUNE 2 THE PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN. THE PARKING BRAKE GOES ALL THE WAY UP. WE ARE TAKING IT BACK TO THE DEALER AGAIN TO HAVE IT FIXED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10597877

Working with the data? Download all 138 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 2014 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan verdict →