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What 49 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 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 (49)Crash / fire / injury (4)Engine (18)Driver assistance (7)Electrical system (6)Airbags (4)Brakes (4)Lane Departure (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Body & structure (2)Fuel system (2)Speed control (2)

4 of 49 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Feb 28, 2025SteeringElectrical systemSpeed controlCrash

During the incident, the vehicle exhibited an uncontrollable malfunction—the steering wheel suddenly jerked sharply to the right while accelerating violently, leaving me unable to steer or brake effectively, the car was looking forward. The car ultimately came to a stop upon colliding with a truck parked diagonally in front of me. After impact, I observed that the front tires remained stuck in a turned-right position, with the steering wheel also locked in that position. This was not an isolated event. Multiple reports from Mazda owners describe similar experiences with their vehicles unexpectedly veering to the right and accelerating without driver input. Given these recurring reports and my own experience, I strongly suspect that a manufacturing defect—whether mechanical, electronic, or software-related—may have contributed to this accident.

NHTSA ODI 11645615

Jun 11, 2022AirbagsCrash1 injury

The vehicle was badly rear ended and the airbags didn't deploy. The dashboard indicated an "airbag malfunction" after the collision happened. The failure of the airbags put myself and my passengers at serious risk; if we weren't wearing our seatbelts, which we were, we would have been gravely injured. The vehicle is less than a year old and still under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11468801

Sep 7, 2021Electrical systemFire

The contact owns a 2021 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the passenger front side tire was flat which caused the contact to veer to the shoulder. The contact towed the vehicle to the dealer where the tire was inspected as the technician informed the contact that the tire was on backorder and no replacement tire was available. The vehicle then was towed back to the contact resident however was informed by the towing company that the vehicle abrupted in flames on the flatbed. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the flames. No police report was made. no injuries were sustained. The contact is awaiting approval from the insurance adjustor on adjustments needed to be made for the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 2,509.

NHTSA ODI 11431973

Mar 16, 2021Electrical systemFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 MAZDA MAZDA3. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A STAND STILL AT A PARKING LOT, WHEN IT CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND FILED A REPORT. THE POLICE WAS AT THE LOCATION BUT DID NOT FILE A REPORT. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVABLE BUT WAS TOWED AT A TOW LOT. THE CONTACT CALLED LOCAL DEALER MORONG FALMOUTH MAZDA (187 US-1 #1311, FALMOUTH, ME 04105: (207) 781-4020) AND WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,500.*DT*JB

NHTSA ODI 11403223

Working with the data? Download all 49 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 2021 Mazda Mazda3 Sedan verdict →