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What 102 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Mazda Mazda3 Hatchback

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 (102)Crash / fire / injury (8)Electrical system (22)Brakes (13)Backup camera & sensors (12)Transmission & drivetrain (9)Engine (7)Visibility & wipers (7)Airbags (6)Fuel system (6)Parking Brake (6)Body & structure (4)

1 of 102 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 28, 2020Transmission & drivetrainBody & structureBrakesCrash

I PARKED AT THE TOP OF MY DRIVEWAY AT A SLIGHT INCLINE POSITION WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ENGAGED AND THE CAR WAS IN SECOND GEAR (MANUAL TRANSMISSION). IT WAS IN A STATIONARY POSITION AT THAT TIME. MY FAMILY EXITED THE VEHICLE AND WE WENT INSIDE OUR HOME. APPROXIMATELY A HALF OUR LATER I NOTICE MY CAR ROLLED DOWN MY DRIVEWAY AND CRASHED IN BETWEEN TWO TREES ON MY PROPERTY. EITHER THE EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILED OR THE CAR'S TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE PARKED. THE CAR WAS FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF MY PROPERTY STILL IN GEAR AND HAD THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IN THE ENGAGED POSITION.

NHTSA ODI 11376902

Working with the data? Download all 102 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 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 2016 Mazda Mazda3 Hatchback verdict →