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What 12 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 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 (12)Crash / fire / injury (4)Electrical system (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Brakes (2)Driver assistance (2)Engine (2)Airbags (1)Body & structure (1)Lights (1)Steering (1)Tires (1)

1 of 12 complaints match · Driver assistance · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

May 18, 2023Electrical systemBrakesDriver assistanceCrash

Automatic emergency braking suddenly engaged while driving on the highway. The car decelerated abruptly to a complete stop, causing the driver behind to rear-end me. There were no vehicles or obstacles in front of the car when the brakes engaged - the closest car was at least 100 feet in front of me. This collision was clearly the result of a faulty automatic emergency braking system. I do not feel safe driving the car knowing this malfunction could happen again, especially at highway speeds. Sudden unexplained braking presents a huge safety hazard to all drivers, increasing the likelihood for collisions and injuries. There were no warnings or symptoms prior to the unexpected brake system activation. After the brakes activated mistakenly, warning beeps and “BRAKE!” message appeared. Car has collision damage and has not yet been inspected by dealer. Police report filed.

NHTSA ODI 11522759

Working with the data? Download all 12 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 13, 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 2023 Mazda Mazda3 verdict →