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What 83 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 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 (83)Crash / fire / injury (6)Electrical system (20)Backup camera & sensors (11)Brakes (7)Engine (5)Visibility & wipers (5)Body & structure (4)Driver assistance (3)Fuel system (3)Suspension (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)

3 of 83 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

May 24, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

Transmission is pulling during shifting. Dealer updated Transmission software twice already during warranty. Car is doing it again. This can be a safety problem when pulling in front of traffic and Transmission fails to shift smoothly and it jerks/delays.

NHTSA ODI 11590646

Jun 15, 2018Transmission & drivetrainSpeed control

WHEN FROM A FULL STOP, THEN WITH WHEN NEEDING TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY, THERE IS A DELAY IN ENGINE RESPONSE. USUALLY HALF A SECOND TO ONE FULL SECOND DELAY IN ENGINE RESPONSE BEFORE IT STARTS TO ACCELERATE. ONE ONE OCCASION, IT DID NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL. I HAD TO THEN LET MY FOOT OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL AND PRESS DOWN ON THE GAS AGAIN FOR IT TO FINALLY ACCELERATE. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS FOR EXAMPLE WHEN I WAS ON THE FREEWAY. MY LANE WAS STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, BUT THE LANE TO MY RIGHT WAS OPEN, SO I WAITED TILL IT WAS CLEAR THEN TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND PRESS THE GAS PEDAL. WELL TO MY SURPRISE IT DID NOT ACCELERATE AND CONSISTENTLY MOVED AROUND 5 MPH, WELL THERE WAS A CAR COMING IN THAT LANE AND MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE SO I LET OFF MY FOOT AND PRESS THE GAS AGAIN AND IT STARTED TO ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ODI 11101965

Jan 31, 2018Transmission & drivetrainElectronic Stability Control (esc)

ENGINE SHUT DOWN IN TRAFFIC AND WOULD NOT COME OUT OF DRIVE. MAZDA DEALER SERVICE TOLD ME TO DISCONNECT BATTERY TO RESET SYSTEM. I THINK THIS IS SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH ANSWER

NHTSA ODI 11066024

Working with the data? Download all 83 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 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 2017 Mazda Mazda3 verdict →