What 73 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Mazda Mazda3

The driver-side sun visor has suffered an internal mechanical failure where the internal plastic tension components have cracked under normal use. As a direct result, the sun visor will not stay up and randomly drops down completely unprompted while the vehicle is in motion. This creates an immediate, sudden, and dangerous visibility hazard by blocking my forward view of the road while driving.Mazda has formally recognized this specific engineering defect across 2019–2025 Mazda 3 vehicles in Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) MC-11016209-0001, explicitly stating that the internal stay components crack. However, because Mazda has only issued a TSB and not a safety recall, out-of-warranty owners are forced to pay out-of-pocket to repair a component critical to safe driving visibility. This issue needs to be escalated to a formal safety recall before it causes an accident due to forward view obstruction.

NHTSA ODI 11747084

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The airbag system, specifically the curtain airbags and related airbag control components, malfunctioned by deploying spontaneously without any collision or impact. The vehicle and deployed airbags are still available and can be inspected upon request. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The spontaneous deployment of all four curtain airbags created an immediate safety hazard. Airbag deployment can cause injury, disorientation, or loss of control, especially if it occurs unexpectedly. Although the vehicle was stationary at the time, deployment without warning posed a serious risk of injury to occupants and could have resulted in a crash if it had occurred while driving. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has not been reproduced, as the airbags have already deployed. However, the spontaneous deployment itself is clear evidence of a malfunction. The issue has not been resolved or repaired, and responsibility for repair has not been accepted. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The incident was reported to Progressive Insurance, which denied coverage because there was no accident or collision. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer for defect analysis. No police inspection occurred because there was no crash or injury. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes. The airbag warning light was illuminated prior to the incident, indicating a potential system fault. Additionally, a strong chemical odor was noticed inside the vehicle immediately before deployment, originating from the front passenger side, moments before all four curtain airbags deployed.

NHTSA ODI 11711782

Driver side door handle failed. Cannot enter or exit through driver side door. If something were to happen that we need to get out in an emergency situation we cannot exit through the driver side door. No damage occurred. Just stopped working

NHTSA ODI 11701705

To whom it may concern, I was on a back road late in the evening not far from home [XXX] and a small deer ran into the road. I needed to brake to avoid hitting the deer. After breaking, a Brake System Malfunction warning message and i-ACTIVESENSE System Malfunction warning illuminated on my dashboard. I brought the car to a Mazda dealership the next morning. The technician determined that the brake fluid level sensor became stuck, requiring replacement of the brake fluid reservoir and the brake fluid level sensor. What failed: The repairs include replacement of the Brake Fluid Reservoir and the Brake Fluid Level Sensor. This is the link to the dealer report [XXX] . No one other than the dealer has inspected these parts to my knowledge. There was no accident of any kind. I personally felt unsafe after these parts failing and reached out to Mazda Customer Care to request investigation of the issue. The case manager just called me back today to say they could not help me. Mazda has denied warranty coverage, claiming the parts are not covered. However, I really do feel this is a critical safety system component that failed after normal emergency use with no collision or impact. Why I feel this is a safety concern: - The brake warning system became unreliable after a single emergency stop. - My car only has 42k miles and is in excellent condition and is fully dealer serviced. - A driver could lose the ability to receive proper brake system warnings if this failure occurs again. - A critical brake sensor should not fail under normal driving conditions, and its failure could lead to delayed driver response in an actual brake fluid loss scenario. It makes me worry for the future. For your consideration: I believe this represents a safety-related defect that should be investigated, as it affects the reliability of the brake system warning indicators in the 2019 Mazda 3. I appreciate your time and consideration. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11678802

The seat belt stopped retracting and no longer works, it was reported directly to the Mazda agency, but the warranty was not valid. The dealer said that the tensioners no longer work and the seat belt needs to be replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11662114

For the seat belt it does not retract back and there was no issue before. It suddenly stopped working and all of the seatbelt is out. This is a safety issue for anyone sitting in the front passenger seat. For the unknown part the button in the trunk to pull the back passenger seats down suddenly stopped working and no issues before then. I’m more concerned with the seat belt because this is a huge safety concern and issue. The seatbelt does not retract at all, leaving it completely extended and unusable. This issue occurred without any prior incident, accident, or external damage—it simply stopped working. This failure poses a serious safety risk, as the seatbelt cannot properly restrain a passenger in case of a sudden stop or crash. I have checked for recalls on my vehicle but found none related to this issue. I request that NHTSA investigate this issue, as it may indicate a manufacturing defect. If necessary, I would also like to request a recall or manufacturer repair program to address this safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11650943

A few weeks ago the following error message popped up on my dashboard: “Airbag Malfunction. Have vehicle inspected”. This message came and went intermittently whenever I had a passenger in the vehicle. I scheduled and appointment at my local Mazda dealership service center and in the meantime looked up the issue and found that it was extremely common and caused by a design flaw where the wire harness to the seat airbags was too short causing eventual failure. The issue was so prominent that Mazda even issued a service bulletin on how to fix it which included replacing the wire harness and adding extra security clips to help prevent future failure. So I get my car to the service center and after looking at it they confirm this exact issue, say it is not covered under any extended warranty and tell me that it will cost approximately $1,000 to fix (diagnostic, parts plus labor). I asked how a safey issue such as an airbag not deploying isn’t covered and they reaffirm that it is NOT a safety issue and that there is no recall for it nor would it fail inspection with that error message. They also did confirm that in the event of an accident that airbag would not deploy while that error message was showing. I am at a loss right now and am not sure what to do as I cannot afford a $1,000 fix and am very confused as to how this design flaw for what I believe to be a safety issue is not covered under a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11631133

This began on 10.19.24 and as of 11.03.24 is ongoing and not repaired. On 10/19/24, while I was at a red light, the RPMs on my vehicle went up and down repeatedly. After I arrived at my destination, which was about a half mile away, and put the car in park, the RPMs repeatedly went up and down between 1,000 and 2,000 RPMs and the check engine light came on, and a message displayed saying malfunction - have the vehicle inspected. I spent $100 at my mechanic who could not pinpoint the issue. After I picked up the car, I stopped to get gas and then my battery died. I then decided to take my car to the dealer where I purchased it, Mazda of Roswell. After I put the car in park at the Mazda of Roswell service department, the RPMs started going back and forth between 1,000 and 2,500 RPMs. My car spent 6 days at Mazda of Roswell, where the service dept was unresponsive and my car was never inspected. I then spent $1600 at North Roswell Automotive, only to have the issue appear again after driving less than two miles. I am not sure it is safe to drive a vehicle in which the RPMs are unstable. So far this has only happened when the car is idling or in park. If it happens when the car is in motion I hope I am able to control the vehicle. My car needs service at a Mazda dealer but I need the dealer to be honest with me about what to expect in terms of how long it will take to address the issue. Since this is an engine issue, this issue could be something that causes the car to stall or fail at any time, including while I am in traffic; it could also be electrical, since the battery suddenly died without warning. This would place myself and others on the road in danger. I purchased the battery just over one year ago, so I do not know if there is an issue there.

NHTSA ODI 11623354

The car has had a lot of issues. The inside driver side glass for the display dash fogged up and had to be replaced. The first replacement didn’t fix it and I had to threaten legal action to get Mazda to replace the glass a second time before it finally resolved the issue. The car (which is washed and waxed weekly), got rust on it in year 3. Mazda repaired it and promised it would not return. 14 months later the rust is back and Mazda won’t repair it. I have escalated with no avail. I have had to replace the air conditioning fan for over $1K. I bought the car brand new with 59 miles on it, I have kept up on every maintenance and kept records and today it has 18,000 miles and I am told the transmission needs replaced. 18,000 miles on a garage kept car? This is not right!

NHTSA ODI 11609228

I had an oil change back in April of 2024. I have been driving the last couple of days and after about 15 minutes my low oil light comes. this car has 58.800 miles on it. I stopped at a oil express to see if I was low on oil but they said I was at full. I also checked to see if they saw anything leaking but they also said they didn't see anything. if the gasket is bad 58,000 that is telling me it's a faulty product. I'm afraid that my engine could lock up on the highway and cause a bad accident.

NHTSA ODI 11592585

I noticed oil was leaking and my engine was steaming after driving. My mechanic found a crack in a cylinder after watching YouTube and finding out Mazda has this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11580786

Shown engine light on dashboard and Car was struggling to run while pressing the gas, took to the mazda dealership and they told low pressure and high pressure fuel pump needs to be replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11574327

The engine coolant system/electronic coolant control valve is known for failing on the N/A Skyactiv-G engine. When it fails, it fails stuck open. There is a TSB out for this problem (01-011/21). This results in the engine coolant never making it to operating temperature, and poor heater performance during cold weather. When I took it to a dealer, they stated that the check engine light must come on from DTC P0126:00 before they can address the problem under warranty. Even after driving the car and having 30+ minute drives where the temperature gauge never makes it past the first tick (blue), I haven't had the check engine light come on. It's unclear what circumstances are required for DTC P0126:00 to occur, but I've never had a car essentially not get warm during an entire 30+ mile highway drive, even when it's 0 fahrenheit outside. It appears like this is a degenerative problem as I did not have this problem last cold season. This year, since the first day it has been colder than about 45 degrees, the engine has struggled to reach operating temperature, and of course is even worse now that it is colder. Without the heated seat, it would be difficult to be comfortable in this car due to this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11566864

Cylinder head is leaking oil due to known defect by Mazda. The rocker arm rubs the cylinder and causes the wall the thin and oil to leak through. Oil sprays on exhaust and other moving parts causing a safety concern due to possible oil combustion. This is in relation to TSB SA-031/21. Only alert is the low engine oil light due to the leak. At this point, oil has already covered a majority of the engine compartment and exhaust manifold.

NHTSA ODI 11563232

Cracked cylinder head causing oil leak. Confirmed by Mazda Dealership. Vehicle has always had routine maintenance and remote start used to warm engine prior to driving. No warning lights appeared to alert driver prior to noticing issue- took it in because driver could smell burning oil which is a fire risk to safety of occupants while using vehicle. This type of issue is a manufacturer flaw and should be covered with recall since there are a lot of people online experiencing the exact same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11555108

The vehicle's battery has gone dead on several occasions since replacing the OEM battery. The OEM battery which was approximately 3 years old, also had gone dead, prompting its replacement. The battery has gone dead within 1-2 days of not using the car. Charging the battery by running it is only a temporary fix as the car needs to be constantly driven in order to charge the battery, which is not usual and customary for the maintenance of a vehicle. This cannot be functioning to manufacturer's specifications, as I find it extremely difficult to believe that manufacturer's specifications stipulate to drive the car with more frequency. This is a safety issue. Should this happen during the winter months, an individual may be left stranded. The NHTSA must demand Mazda to issue a safety recall to fix this safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11545284

Vehicle will over heat and then show warning messages that auto light system malfunction and engine will shut off randomly.

NHTSA ODI 11535822

The contact owns a 2019 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the vehicle network malfunction, vehicle inspection”, the check engine warning light and all the safety features were disabled, and the windshield wipers turned on independently. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road. The contact mentioned that the gear shifter failed to shift out of park(P) and the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact was able to operate the vehicle normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test and stated that no failure was found however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the dealer stated that they were aware of the failure, but the vehicle needed to be diagnosed by a Tech. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 36,329.

NHTSA ODI 11528488

The contact owns a 2019 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that after pulling over to the shoulder the vehicle would not immediately restart. The contact stated that approximately five minutes later, the vehicle restarted without pressing the start button. The contact stated that the message "Network Malfunction" was displayed. The contact stated that several electrical malfunctions had previously occurred with the vehicle including the front windshield wipers independently activating, with the headlights and instrument cluster lights flickering. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,000.

NHTSA ODI 11500760

Faulty Fuel pump by factory

NHTSA ODI 11498742

Check engine light appeared then I had a dead battery. I purchased a new one and the check engine light went away for a while until now. Then I found a letter online that I never received of a recall for california vehicles that were manufactured during specific dates. Mine is listed as one but it does not have an active recall.

NHTSA ODI 11495401

Dealer service tech stated the high pressure and low pressure fuel pumps failed and needed replaced. My car was not included in the recall regarding fuel pumps for Mazda, so the dealer would only cover 50 percent of the cost. Service tech and warranty service rep stated that Mazda was aware that what happened to my car is a factory malfunction but because my car is out of warranty they would not cover the entire expense. My car is 3 years old and only has approximately 67,000 miles on the engine. The fuel injectors were replaced at 10,000 miles by warranty. The service tech even stated this is obviously regarding the recall of the fuel pumps and did not understand why my car was not included.

NHTSA ODI 11482262

The contact owns a 2019 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the brake warning light illuminated and the vehicle would brake suddenly without the driver depressing the brake pedal. The failure had become recurring. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V907000 (Forward Collision Avoidance). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480028

the vehicle started surging at low soeeds and accelarating and control module issues for the transmission

NHTSA ODI 11461434

Car suddenly stalled and failed to accelerate while driving with accelerator fully depressed.

NHTSA ODI 11446574