2010 Mazda Mazda3 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility/Wiper (100) · Seats (95) · Structure (67)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mazda Mazda3 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
485 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Seats 2017-02-09 · campaign 17V082000 · 173,859 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: If the driver cannot maintain an appropriate driving position, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Structure:body:hatchback/Liftgate 2016-09-06 · campaign 16V644000 · 580,455 vehicles
Defect: 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
Risk: If the lift gate falls unexpectedly, it may hit the user, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (291)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-09-11 · SA-041-26a · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
description if you encounter any type of electrical concern (e.g, dead battery, engine no start, dtc(s) stored...), interview the customer before proceeding with normal mgss diagnosis by asking if any aftermarket devices have been installed. aftermarket devices may be the cause of the electrical con
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-20 · SA-055-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
product quality information (pqi) description service information mt-041/12 is no longer valid. it has been unpublished and superseded by the field quality information report (fqir) reporting system.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-07-29 · 09-022-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. the changes are noted in red text. 09-042/04 12/10/04 description some vehicles may exhibit inoperative electric rear window defroster grid lines, integral antenna concerns causing radio reception issues or terminal tabs pulled
Engine 2026-06-19 · SA-041-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this sa supersedes the previously issued sa(s) listed below. the changes are noted in red. sa-061/25 12/17/25 description if you encounter any type of electrical concern (e.g, dead battery, engine no start, dtc(s) stored...), interview the customer before proceeding with normal mgss diagnosis by ask
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-21 · SA-029-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service alert supersedes the previously issued sa listed below: the changes are noted in red. sa-011/24 02/12/24, 06/06/24, 07/29/24 description mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. mazda recommends dealers follow the sch
Electrical System 2025-12-17 · SA-061-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
if you encounter any type of electrical concern (e.g, dead battery, engine no start, dtc(s) stored...), interview the customer before proceeding with normal mgss diagnosis by asking if any aftermarket devices have been installed. aftermarket devices may be the cause of the electrical concern. below
Showing the 6 most recent of 291 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-04 · Electrical System“the at light came on the dash, added transmission fluid because it was a little low but the light still has not gone off. i think there is an electrical problem within the transmission. it's had shifting issues since purchasing this vehicle. i also have a small child that comes with me to work and i do not want my car to catch on fire while we are …”
2026-03-09 · Tires“my girlfriend had bought a car from a dealership in pennsylvania and the car is registered in pennsylvania at a dealer called premier world wide auto sales. when she had bought the car all four of the tires i believe should have failed pa safety inspection and the owner of this shop keeps telling me that they pass one hundred percent even though th…”
2026-01-12 · Unknown Or Other“nhtsa complaint narrative i am filing this complaint regarding a 2010 mazda 3, vin [xxx] . the vehicle experiences intermittent transmission control failures, including difficulty shifting out of first gear and warning indicators triggered by vibration. the transmission and transmission control module have already been replaced. the dealership ha…”
2025-09-24 · Structure:interior Panels:dashboard“see attached document for complaint.…”
2025-08-27 · Service Brakes“on august 15, 2025, my 2010 mazda 3 began displaying the abs warning light intermittently while driving. the abs system is a critical safety feature, and when the light comes on, i am unsure if the braking system will function properly in an emergency. i scanned the vehicle using a foxwell diagnostic tool and retrieved the following abs-related fa…”
2025-08-27 · Unknown Or Other“i have reason to believe the dealership i bought my vehicle from rolled back my odometer. upon checking my carfax information, 12/01/24, the odometer read 161,142, which the dealership did own my vehicle at this time. when i bought this car in april of 2025, the odometer was reading 130,000. …”
2025-04-17 · Service Brakes“the a.b.s pump module is defective in these vehicles. there are tons of people having issues with them. when they fail it happens suddenly resulting in brake failure, power steering failure, the car does not like to shut off, the vehicle will go into "limp mode" and every light on the dash comes on. the part itself is costing close to $1000 u.s.d …”
2025-02-18 · Seats“this vehicle is subject to recall #: 17v-082 referring to a drivers seat lifter link than can break. my car has a broken lifter link, was brought to the dealership and instead of replacing the entire seat adjuster unit like the recall states, they simply installed a reinforcement bracket. when brought back to med center mazda they state it has …”
2025-01-17 · Unknown Or Other“transmission slipping. not shifting correctly. …”
2025-01-16 · Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems“i purchased two tires from les schwab in molalla, or on 1/15/25 in which upon them changing the tires they damaged one of my tpms sensors and they did not replace it. i didn't have a warning light before i went in and now i do and they knowingly did not replace it when tpms sensor service was part of purchasing the new tires. instead they quoted me…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.