Home · 2018 Mazda Mazda3 · Complaints

What 107 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 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 (107)Crash / fire / injury (6)Electrical system (30)Visibility & wipers (16)Backup camera & sensors (15)Engine (12)Fuel system (10)Brakes (6)Driver assistance (5)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Lane Departure (4)Body & structure (2)

1 of 107 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 24, 2020BrakesCrash

VEHICLE WAS OFF AND UNATTENDED IN PARKING LOT:MANUAL TRANSMISSION WHICH I'VE DRIVEN MY WHOLE LIFE & I'M NO SPRING CHICKEN. LIVE IN FLAT CITY WHERE HILL/ROLLING BACK HAS NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE. CAR HAS ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE. 1 DAY A YEAR INTO THE LEASE, WAS PARKED @A PUMP@TGAS STATION &WHEN CAME OUT,CAR HAD MOVED/ROLLED BACK. SHOCKINGLY I THOUGHT I MESSED UP/MIGHT'VE FORGOTTEN2 ENGAGE PARKING BRAKE, DESPITE IT BECOMING 2ND NATURE. THANKED GOD DIDN'T ROLL BACK INTO ANYTHING/ANYONE, VOWED 2 BE XTRA MINDFUL/CAREFUL.TURNS OUT NO MATTER HOW CAREFUL/MINDFUL I'VE BEEN,JUST THE OTHER DAY IT HAPPENED AGAIN.THIS TIME, HUSBAND WAS IN THE CAR W/ME &SWORE SAW ME AS USUAL, AS 2ND NATURE, ENGAGE THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE. MIND U,HAVE NEVER PUT IT INTO 1ST YEAR 2 PARK BECAUSE NEVER NEEDED 2. I GUESS SHOULD HAVE THIS TIME AS BACK-UP 2 THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE THAT DIDN'T ENGAGE. WE WERE ACROSS THE LOT AT THE ATM WHEN WE SAW CAR ROLLING BACK. HUSBAND RAN 2 TRY 2 STOP IT BEFORE IT COULD HIT SOMETHING BUT HE DIDN'T SUCCEED. IT WAS 2 HEAVY & ENDED UP CRASHING IN2 THE POSTS& HANDRAIL THAT I GUESS ARE THERE FOR THAT EXACT REASON. POSTS STOPPED CAR BUT HUSBAND HURT HIS WRIST & NECK IN HIS ATTEMPT 2BE SUPERMAN. POSTS OF COURSE HAD NO DAMAGE. CONTACTED MAZDA,THEY SAID THEY'D CHECK IT OUT. I REFERENCED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL IN PRIOR YEARS. THEY SAID NO RECALL HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR THIS YEAR. DURING THIS WHOLE COVID-19 & HUSBAND BEING FURLOUGHED, THE LAST THING WE NEED IS AN EXTRA EXPENSE AS MY INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE WILL BE. CAR IS @DEALER NOW & THEY'RE TESTING IT 2SEE IF IT HAPPENS WHILE IN THEIR SHOP.I HATE FOR THIS TO BE A FAULTY PART OR WARRANTY ISSUE BUT ALSO HOPING IT IS SO IT WILL BE ANNOUNCED &OTHER PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT THIS HORRIBLE POSSIBILITY O GRATEFUL THAT CAR DID NOT ROLL BACK AND INJURE A PERSON OR AN ANIMAL! UGH! BEWARE! *TR

NHTSA ODI 11330612

Working with the data? Download all 107 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 2018 Mazda Mazda3 verdict →