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What 32 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan

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 (32)Driver assistance (15)Brakes (3)Electrical system (3)Steering (3)Fuel system (2)Lane Departure (2)Suspension (2)Body & structure (1)Engine (1)Equipment (1)

3 of 32 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

Aug 18, 2023BrakesDriver assistance

My car's automatic emergency brake is deploying without warning, during driving, when there are no other cars in my forward proximity. I took it to the dealership to have it fixed, and on the drive home, it did it again. There is a recall for similar makes and models for this year, but my car has not been included.

NHTSA ODI 11539401

Sep 9, 2021Brakes

The contact owns a 2020 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the ABS warning light illuminated, and the brakes locked up and caused the vehicle to stall. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed however, the dealer was not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

NHTSA ODI 11432381

Mar 13, 2021BrakesDriver assistance

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE STRAIGHT AHEAD ON A TWO-WAY CITY STREET WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES IN FRONT OR ON MY SIDES. I WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 40 MPH. THE TWO-WAY STREET IS SEPARATED BY A CONCRETE DIVIDER AND TROLLY TRACKS. A "BRAKE!" ALERT APPEARED ON THE DISPLAY SCREEN FOLLOWED BY BEEPS. SUDDENLY THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP CAUSING THE VEHICLE BEHIND TO COME TO A SCREECHING HALT. IN A FEW SECONDS I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11402806

Working with the data? Download all 32 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 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 2020 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan verdict →