What 49 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Mazda Mazda3

Brakes are underpowered especially when hot. Drove 20-30 minutes in traffic and when decelerating from 60 mph highway in turn lane to turn into neighborhood the brakes felt very soft . Car only has 28k miles on it and pads have plenty of life left. Have seen similar complaints on online forums.

NHTSA ODI 11595331

During a night drive, travelling approx. 40mph, car warning system audio blared a warning and suddenly braked causing car to skid (was raining) and causing driver to also jolt forward with momentum. There was very little time between beginning of audio warning and car slamming on brakes.

NHTSA ODI 11504587

Strong unburnt fuel smell had just started at 6700 miles. Mazda Dealership stated that they would not be looking at my car and that gas smells are normal... After this encounter, I had 2 mechanics look at my car. Both had concluded that the smell predominantly comes from near the rear driver wheel, under the body, and that it is an extremely dangerous situation. I am a full time student and do not feel safe driving this car to class but I have no choice since Mazda is neglecting this issue. I also reported to the dealer that my brakes seem to be defective since they are causing excessive shaking when applied. Dealer informed me that they do not warranty the OEM brakes that came on my car, however Mazda Corporate informed me that they do. I do not feel safe driving this car knowing the car may combust and harm me and others on the road. The brakes also do not inspire confidence. A complaint has been filed with Mazda Corporate.

NHTSA ODI 11486305

I had two incidents during a short 25 min drive. Incident 1: I was in right side of the road, there were 2 lanes on this side. I was in the far left lane driving at below 30 mph, there was no vehicle directly behind me, and no vehicle directly in front of me. There was no vehicle in the oncoming side of traffic. There was 1 vehicle in the right lane next to me, about 20 feet behind. This vehicle slowed down to turn right into a parking lot. I did not have my foot on the brake at all, the vehicle behind me was in no way veering into my lane or doing anything abnormal. At this point, all of a sudden my car hard braked automatically. I had not touched the brake and I was driving straight and not veering. It was very sudden, and very hard braking, and it jerked me in my seat because of how hard the brake had suddenly turned on. Incident 2: After that first incident, there was a second time when this happened on the same trip. Once again, this time I was driving at about 35 mph. It was again where there were two lanes on my side of the road and I was in the left lane. No vehicles were in front or behind me. In the right lane next me to, there was 3 vehicles in a row about 25 feet behind me, and the front vehicle of them stopped to turn right into another parking lot area. The same thing happened, I did not have my foot on the brake at all, and had not veered at all and was driving straight. The brakes automatically came on suddenly in a very hard brake, resulting again in a sudden complete stop, even though there were no cars in directly in front or behind me. The vehicle was brought brand new at the dealership , so I had no cause to have the brakes inspected by the dealership, police, or insurance company. There was a warning that the safety features had been disabled due to obstruction of the front sensor, but there was no warning lamps that the emergency automatic brake was going to be used, it just happened.

NHTSA ODI 11446816