2019 Mazda Mazda3 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (9) · Visibility/Wiper (7) · Power Train (7)
🧭 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
42 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking 2019-12-19 · campaign 19V907000 · 35,390 vehicles
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Mazda3 vehicles. The Smart Brake System (SBS) can falsely detect an obstacle while driving, activating the automatic emergency braking system and suddenly stopping the vehicle.
Risk: Stopping the vehicle unexpectedly increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will update the SBS software. In addition, vehicles with certain production dates will receive an instrument cluster software update or replacement and a replacement owner's manual. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began February 14, 2020. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4219L.
Visibility:glass, Side/Rear 2019-07-29 · campaign 19V558000 · 22,571 vehicles
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019 Mazda3 vehicles equipped with manual dimming mirrors. The adhesive between the interior rearview mirror and the housing may not be properly bonded, allowing the mirror to detach from the housing. Note: Vehicles equipped with auto dimming mirrors are not affected by this recall.
Risk: Rearward visibility will be reduced without the rearview mirror, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the interior rearview mirror assembly, free of charge. The recall began September 19, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3919G.
Seats:front Assembly:head Restraint 2019-07-05 · campaign 19V514000 · 9,430 vehicles
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. The seat cover material on both front seats may interfere with the head restraint lock release button, causing it to stick in the release position and not allow the head restraint to lock into place.
Risk: Loose head restraints may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will install spacers at the bottom of the lock release buttons on both front seat head restraints, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3819F.
Engine 2019-06-27 · campaign 19V497000 · 262,220 vehicles
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018-2019 CX-5, Mazda6, and 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. A software error in the powertrain control module (PCM) may cause the engine to stall.
Risk: An unexpected stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3719F.
Wheels:lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs 2019-06-07 · campaign 19V425000 · 25,003 vehicles
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. The lug nuts on all four wheels may loosen, potentially resulting in a wheel detaching from the vehicle.
Risk: A wheel separating from the vehicle increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the front and rear wheel lug nuts to the correct specification, free of charge. The recall began July 9, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3519F.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2019-05-14 · campaign 19V363000 · 17,016 vehicles
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. Due to incorrect programing, the passenger air bag deactivation indicator light may erroneously turn off although the passenger air bag is deactivated. In addition, the seat belt status indicators for both the front passenger seat and/or rear seats may erroneously turn off although the front passenger and/or rear seat belts are unfastened.
Risk: Incorrect indicator warning lights may lead the driver and/or passengers to be unaware of deactivated air bags or unfastened seat belts, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag/seat belt status indicator assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 9, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3319E.
Service bulletins (827)
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.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-17 · SA-042-26a · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mazda connected services - frequently asked questions (faq) this service alert supersedes the previously issued sas listed below. the changes are noted in red text. sa-042/26 06/30/26 description frequently asked questions (faq) index general questions mazda connect indication setup and getting st
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 2026-09-10 · SA-038-26b · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service alert supersedes the previously issued service alert listed below. the changes are noted in red text. sa-038/26 08/18/26 and 06/15/26 description some customers may complain about any of the following: 1. infotainment center display does not provide the authorization code (otp) during t
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · SA-038-26a · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service alert supersedes the previously issued service alert listed below. the changes are noted in red text. sa-038/26 06/15/26 description some customers may complain about any of the following: 1. infotainment center display does not provide the authorization code (otp) during the mymazda a
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-20 · SA-054-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service alert supersedes the previously issued service alerts listed below: the changes are noted in red. infotainment reboot with navigation card installed this service information is no longer valid. refer to the following updated technical service bulletins: cx-5 / cx-9: 16-002/23 - updated
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-19 · SA-039-26a · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service alert supersedes the previously issued sa(s) listed below. the changes are noted in red text. sa-039/26 06/15/26 mazda connect symptom troubleshooting description customers having mazda connect concerns should have their vehicle repaired using the following repair procedure.
Showing the 6 most recent of 827 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-10 · Seat Belts“driver’s side seat belt would not retract.…”
2026-06-28 · Visibility/Wiper“the driver-side sun visor has suffered an internal mechanical failure where the internal plastic tension components have cracked under normal use. as a direct result, the sun visor will not stay up and randomly drops down completely unprompted while the vehicle is in motion. this creates an immediate, sudden, and dangerous visibility hazard by bloc…”
2026-01-18 · Air Bags“1. what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the airbag system, specifically the curtain airbags and related airbag control components, malfunctioned by deploying spontaneously without any collision or impact. the vehicle and deployed airbags are still available and can be inspected upon requ…”
2025-11-26 · Unknown Or Other“driver side door handle failed. cannot enter or exit through driver side door. if something were to happen that we need to get out in an emergency situation we cannot exit through the driver side door. no damage occurred. just stopped working…”
2025-08-06 · Service Brakes“to whom it may concern, i was on a back road late in the evening not far from home [xxx] and a small deer ran into the road. i needed to brake to avoid hitting the deer. after breaking, a brake system malfunction warning message and i-activesense system malfunction warning illuminated on my dashboard. i brought the car to a mazda dealership the n…”
2025-05-20 · Seat Belts“the seat belt stopped retracting and no longer works, it was reported directly to the mazda agency, but the warranty was not valid. the dealer said that the tensioners no longer work and the seat belt needs to be replaced.…”
2025-03-26 · Unknown Or Other“for the seat belt it does not retract back and there was no issue before. it suddenly stopped working and all of the seatbelt is out. this is a safety issue for anyone sitting in the front passenger seat. for the unknown part the button in the trunk to pull the back passenger seats down suddenly stopped working and no issues before then. i’m mo…”
2024-12-17 · Air Bags“a few weeks ago the following error message popped up on my dashboard: “airbag malfunction. have vehicle inspected”. this message came and went intermittently whenever i had a passenger in the vehicle. i scheduled and appointment at my local mazda dealership service center and in the meantime looked up the issue and found that it was extremely co…”
2024-11-03 · Engine“this began on 10.19.24 and as of 11.03.24 is ongoing and not repaired. on 10/19/24, while i was at a red light, the rpms on my vehicle went up and down repeatedly. after i arrived at my destination, which was about a half mile away, and put the car in park, the rpms repeatedly went up and down between 1,000 and 2,000 rpms and the check engine light…”
2024-08-18 · Structure:body“the car has had a lot of issues. the inside driver side glass for the display dash fogged up and had to be replaced. the first replacement didn’t fix it and i had to threaten legal action to get mazda to replace the glass a second time before it finally resolved the issue. the car (which is washed and waxed weekly), got rust on it in year 3. mazda…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.