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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 · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 26, 2019EngineCrash2 injuries1 death

ON 2/14/19 BETWEEN 2:30 AND 3 P.M., MY MOTHER (MELISSA DODSON) WAS INVOLVED IN A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE (A 2004 GMC ENVOY) THAT RESULTED IN BEING DOA. SHE WAS DRIVING A 2018 MAZDA MAZDA3 SPORT FOUR DR AND TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON EAST HANOVER RD IN GRAHAM, NC AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE UNSUBSTANTIATED POLICE REPORT, IT STATED THAT MY MOTHER'S CAR VEERED/CROSSED THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINE BEFORE IMPACT. HOWEVER, THE ENVOY WAS REPORTEDLY DOING 55 MPH UPON ENTERING THE "S" CURVE SECTION OF THE NARROW 35 MPH TWO-LANE ROAD (WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE CRASH). IN MY MUST HUMBLING OPINION, I HAVE REASONS TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS MORE TO THE ACCIDENT CAUSING MY MOTHER'S DEATH THAT GRAHAM POLICE IS NOT INVESTIGATING OR HAS NOT INVESTIGATED. WHAT I MEAN IS THAT I HAVE REASONS TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS STILL AN OPEN RECALL ON THE MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLE THAT MY MOTHER PURCHASED (LESS THAN A MONTH BEFORE THE ACCIDENT); HOWEVER, I PERSONALLY FEEL THIS CONCERN IS NOT BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY. ENCLOSED I HAVE PROVIDED A COPY OF (IN MY OPINION) INCOMPLETE POLICE REPORT AND PICTURES OF MY MOTHER'S WRECKED VEHICLE AND ALSO I HAVE A LINK TO THE NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF THE ACCIDENT SITE TOO! HTTPS://WWW.THETIMESNEWS.COM/NEWS/20190215/BURLINGTON-WOMAN-KILLED-IN-THURSDAY-WRECK-POLICE-STILL-INVESTIGATING-CAUSE

NHTSA ODI 11191637

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 →