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What 102 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Mazda Mazda3

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)

7 of 102 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Sep 28, 2021Transmission & drivetrainEngine

Timing cover leak, all maintenance was completed before the service bulletin. This is a TSB but should be a recall for how common this issue is as they stated it could be caused from the assembly line during a pressurized test. “ This may be caused by oil escaping from a fine clearance created at the sealant applied to joint (A)between the cylinder block (B) and head (C) when the engine was pressurized during leak testing on the engine assembly line.” TSB Bulletin No.: 01-018/18. Timing cover issues are not something that should be happening under 100k miles.

NHTSA ODI 11434757

Oct 19, 2020Engine

RATTLING/FLUTTERING NOISE EVERYTIME I INITIALLY TURN THE CAR ON WITH AC. WHENEVER THE A/C WAS IS ON AND I STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR. NOW, IT DOES IT EVERYTIME I PUSH ON THE ACCELERATOR WITHOUT THE A/C BEING ON.

NHTSA ODI 11365257

Jan 11, 2020Electrical systemEngineFuel system

MY 2016 MAZDA 3 IS DOING THE SAME THING AS WHAT YOU JUST HAD A RECALL ON WITH THE SOFTWARE BUT MAZDA UPDATED THE SOFTWARE AND IT'S BACK AGAIN MY CAR IS HAVING TROUBLE GOING IT MISFIRES MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IT'S ON IT TAKES A LOT OF RPMS TO GO IT'S SUCKING UP MY GAS I'VE ALREADY HAD TO REPLACE MY BATTERY BECAUSE MY CAR IS DYING MY FUSE BOX SMOKES EVERY NOW AND THEN AND I ONLY HAVE 45000 MILES THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING

NHTSA ODI 11298609

Aug 1, 2019Electrical systemEngine

6/18/19 6:45 AM: MY CAR 'STALLED' OR LOST POWER AS I WAS ACCELERATING AND TURNING LEFT ACROSS A BOULEVARD (US 51 HWY IN MCFARLAND, WI). LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, PUT THE CAR IN PARK, TURNED OFF THE CAR (EVEN THOUGH I HAD NO POWER), WAITED A FEW SECONDS AND RESTARTED IT. THERE WERE A LOT OF DASH WARNING LIGHTS TRIGGERED ONCE I LOST POWER, BUT I DO NOT RECALL SPECIFICALLY WHICH ONES. I RESUMED DRIVING AND HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM SINCE. HOWEVER, I DID FIND OUT LATER (JULY 10, 2019) THAT MY CAR COULD BE UNDER NHTSA RECALL NO. 19V497000, BUT WAS TOLD BY MY DEAL RUSS DARROW-MADISON, WI, ON 7/26/19 THAT MY CAR WAS NOT ELIGIBLE. I ASKED IF THEY REPORT THE PROBLEM TO ANYONE & THEY SAID NO, BUT IF THERE IS A RECALL ON MY CAR, IT WOULD HAVE DOCUMENTATION IN THEIR NOTES THAT SAYS THERE WAS A PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11241074

Dec 17, 2018Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. UPON DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL FOR THE THIRD TIME, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. WHEN THE VEHICLE RESTARTED, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR FLASHED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000. *TT

NHTSA ODI 11161973

Sep 6, 2017Engine

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WENT INTO A COMPLETE STALL. IT CONTINUED TO ROLL AND THE CHECK CHECK ENGINE LINE, TIRE PRESSURE, POWER STEERING LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL, KEY NOT PRESENT. THE CAR DIDN'T START RIGHT BACK UP. THE KEY HAD TO BE PUT TO THE START BUTTON BEFORE THE CAR RESTARTED. WE IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND PARKED. WE LEFT THE VEHICLE AND 2 HOURS LATER WE RESTARTED THE CAR TO DETERMINE IF IT NEEDED TOWED. IT STARTED BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON AT THAT TIME. DROVE THE CAR HOME AND LEFT IT PARKED UNTIL WE DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WERE THEY DID DIAGNOSTICS AND COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. WE WERE SENT HOME. NOW WE ARE NOT DRIVING THE CAR DUE TO FEAR OF RANDOM STALL. THERE WAS A RECALL OF MADZA 3 2016 BUT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE INFO AS FOLLOWS NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 15V621000, NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 16V685000, NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 16V684000. THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING AT THIS TIME.

NHTSA ODI 11021689

Aug 23, 2017SteeringElectrical systemEngine

MY CAR STARTED SHAKING AND I LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING. I PULLED OVER AS BEST I COULD AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THAT RATS HAVE CHEWED THROUGH THE ENGINE HARNESS AND OTHER WIRING. THEY SAY THEY HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF CASES IN BROOKLYN AND QUEENS JUST LIKE THIS. THEY SAID THAT RATS ARE ATTRACTED TO THE COATING ON THE WIRES. MAZDA WON'T ISSUE A RECALL OR REPAIR THE WIRING. IT IS A FIRE HAZARD AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. I GUESS THEY ARE WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO BE INJURED OR DIE BEFORE THEY FIX IT? MY CAR IS 18 MONTHS OLD WITH 7,062 MILES. I WAS PARKED ON A CITY STREET IN BROOKLYN AND HAD ONLY DRIVEN 3 BLOCKS WITHOUT MAKING ANY TURNS WHEN I HAD TO PULL OVER. MY CAR IS LOCATED AT KOEPPEL MAZDA 718-721-9100. THEY SHOULD HAVE ALL OF THE DETAILS OF THE DAMAGE IF YOU NEED IT. I DRIVE THE CAR ALMOST EVERY DAY AND IT IS PARKED ON A DIFFERENT STREET EVERY DAY. THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW WHEN OR WHICH STREET THIS HAPPENED ON.

NHTSA ODI 11019165

Working with the data? Download all 102 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 7, 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 verdict →