2011 Mazda MAZDA3: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
132 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
45,100 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2011 model year. Data snapshot: . 95 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 28 of 132 complaints (21.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Steering behavior | 15 | 11.4% |
| Transmission and shifting | 13 | 9.8% |
| Braking behavior | 9 | 6.8% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 7 | 5.3% |
| Fuel system concerns | 1 | 0.8% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | 28 |
| Seats | 20 |
| Unknown Or Other | 18 |
| Electrical System | 15 |
| Steering | 13 |
| Structure:Body | 12 |
| Power Train | 11 |
| Exterior Lighting | 10 |
Air Bags: 28; Seats: 20; Unknown Or Other: 18; Electrical System: 15; Steering: 13; Structure:Body: 12; Power Train: 11; Exterior Lighting: 10
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 25 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 26 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 15 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 10 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 14 |
| 150,000 and above | 5 |
Under 25,000: 25; 25,000 to 49,999: 26; 50,000 to 74,999: 15; 75,000 to 99,999: 10; 100,000 to 149,999: 14; 150,000 and above: 5
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (26). 37 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 6 |
| 2012 | 7 |
| 2013 | 13 |
| 2014 | 11 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 15 |
| 2017 | 21 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 11 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 | 2 |
2011: 6; 2012: 7; 2013: 13; 2014: 11; 2015: 5; 2016: 15; 2017: 21; 2018: 8; 2019: 10; 2020: 9; 2021: 11; 2022: 9; 2023: 1; 2024: 2; 2025: 2; 2026: 2
Pattern summary
Air Bags leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 15 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 13 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 9 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10393754 · 2011-03-30 (March 30, 2011)
ON FRIDAY MY WIFE WAS DRIVING MY CAR (SHE LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE ON A MANUAL AND HAS NO PROBLEMS DRIVING IT) ON A BACK COUNTRY 2 LANE ROAD WITH OUR SON IN THE BACK AND OUT OF CELL PHONE COVERAGE. SHE WAS DRIVING ALONG AT 60 MPH, IN 6TH GEAR WHEN THE RPS STARTED TO BOUNCE OFF THE REV LIMITER. SHE CHECKED TO MAKE SURE SHE WAS STILL IN GEAR. SHE TOOK IT OUT OF 6TH AND PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL THEN TRIED TO GO BACK INTO GEAR. NO DICE, IT WOULDN'T SHIFT. SO SHE PULLED OVER AND SHUT IT DOWN. SHE TIRED TO START AGAIN, TRIED TO GET IT INTO FIRST, NOPE, TRIED …
Owner-reported narrative. 17,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10393754 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10402674 · 2011-05-25 (May 25, 2011)
APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH BOARD. THERE WAS A PASSENGER SEATED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIANS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT DIAGNOSE A FAILURE. THE TECHNICIANS STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED BECAUSE THE PASSENGER DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH BODY WEIGHT FOR THE VEHICLE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WAS SOMEONE IN THE SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE 50. DS
Owner-reported narrative. 50 miles reported. Look up ODI 10402674 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10411790 · 2011-07-11 (July 11, 2011)
CLUNKING NOISE FROM REAR OF VEHICLE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS OR ROUGH ROAD STARTED AT ABOUT 500 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. DEALER FOUND THAT THE SWAY BAR LINK NUT IN THE REAR WAS LOOSE AND TIGHTENED IT. AFTERWARDS READ ONLINE MANY COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS OF THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TT
Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10411790 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10426834 · 2011-09-22 (September 22, 2011)
ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2011 I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2011 MAZDA 3 FROM MAZDA OF ESCONDIDO. ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 I STARTED MY VEHICLE AND TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS AT WHICH POINT THE POWER STEERING LIGHT AND ALSO THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. AS I WAS TRYING TO PARK MY VEHICLE I NOTICED DIFFICULTY WITH THE POWER STEERING. ALSO, THE DSC BUTTON WOULD NOT TURN ON/OFF WHILE THE LIGHT WAS ON. ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2011 THE SAME TWO LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. I TOOK A PICTURE OF THE LIGHTS AND THE ODOMETER READING SO WE COULD SHOW THE DE…
Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10426834 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10427014 · 2011-09-24 (September 24, 2011)
CLUNKING NOISE FROM REAR OF VEHICLE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS OR ROUGH ROAD. DEALER FOUND THAT THE SWAY BAR LINK NUT IN THE LEFT REAR WAS LOOSE AND TIGHTENED IT. PREVIOUSLY FILED COMPLAINT 10411790 FOR SAME PROBLEM ON RIGHT REAR. ONLINE MAZDA FORUMS INDICATE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 4,100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10427014 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10436649 · 2011-11-21 (November 21, 2011)
I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN AND MY CAR STARTED ACCELERATING AS IF THE ACCELERATOR WAS FULLY DEPRESSED. MY FOOT WAS SQUARELY ON THE BRAKE AT THE TIME BUT I WAS BEING PULLED SLOWLY FORWARD ON TO A BUSY ROADWAY. I AM AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER AND WAS ABLE TO TURN THE CAR SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT ALONG THE SHOULDER TO AVOID ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I SHIFTED INTO PARK, AND THEN SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. MY FOOT PLACEMENT WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE ACCELERATOR, AND THERE WERE NO OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS (I.E. CARPETS). WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL. AS AN …
Owner-reported narrative. 3,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10436649 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10454971 · 2012-04-12 (April 12, 2012)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MAZDA MAZDA3 EQUIPPED WITH DUNLAP SB SPORT 250 225/40/R18 TIRES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSIDE OF BOTH FRONT TIRES WORE DOWN PREMATURELY AND TORE AWAY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT YOU COULD SEE THE WIRES ON BOTH TIRES. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY A TIRE SHOP THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED AN ALIGNMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE EXAMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,900 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 16,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
Owner-reported narrative. 15,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 10454971 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10456644 · 2012-04-27 (April 27, 2012)
I WENT ON A TRIP AND HAD MY TIRES ROTATED AND NO BRAKE WORK HAD BEEN DONE TO MY CAR. THE DEALER THAT ROTATED TIRES MECHANIC CALLED ME TO LOOK AT MY CAR AND SHOWED ME THAT MY BRAKES WERE WEARING UNEVENLY. THE ONE ON THE RIGHT SIDE HAD ABOUT 10MM OF BRAKE PAD ON IT AND THE LEFT SIDE HAD ONLY ABOUT 3MM OF BRAKE PAD LEFT. THE MECHANIC INSTRUCTED ME TO TAKE MY CAR BACK TO WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND HAVE THEM CHECK IT OUT BECAUSE THIS TYPE OF BREAK WEARING IS NOT NORMAL. I TOOK IT TO MAZDA THEY CHECKED IT OUT AND STATED THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG …
Owner-reported narrative. 29,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10456644 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
16V644000 · Structure:Body:Hatchback/Liftgate
Reported: 2016-09-06 (September 6, 2016)
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles manufactured November 18, 2008, to June 8, 2013, 2012-2015 Mazda5 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2010, to June 22, 2015, 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 26, 2015, and 2013-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured December 15, 2011, to December 26, 2015. On the affected vehicles, the lift gate support struts may corrode, possibly causing the struts to break and/or the lift gate to drop unexpectedly.
Consequence: If the lift gate falls unexpectedly, it may hit the user, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Mazda dealers will replace the both lift gate supports, free of charge, however parts are not currently available. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9916H.
NHTSA campaign record ↗17V082000 · Seats
Reported: 2017-02-09 (February 9, 2017)
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2011 Mazda2 and 2010-2011 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles equipped with a manual seat lifter. In the affected vehicles, the seat height adjustment lifter links may break or detach from the seat frame and the seat angle may incline causing the driver to not be able to maintain an appropriate driving position.
Consequence: If the driver cannot maintain an appropriate driving position, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat lifter links and install a reinforcement bracket to the lifter links, or replace the entire seat adjuster unit, free of charge. The recall began April 7, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 0917B.
NHTSA campaign record ↗