"How reliable is the 2003 Mazda Mazda6?"

"Based on 245 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Mazda Mazda6 has a median complaint mileage of 24981 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Mazda Mazda6?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Mazda Mazda6 is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 245 total complaints filed."

2003 Mazda Mazda6: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 245 complaints

245

Total Complaints

24,981mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

7,800 25th Percentile

24,981 Median Mileage

96,332 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THERE IS AN ODOR COMING FROM THE EXHAUST. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER TWO TIMES FOR THIS, AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE GAS I WAS BUYING. SO I STARTED BUYING GAS OUT OF TOWN FOR A WHILE, THE ODOR CONTINUES. I HAVE 12,000 MILES ON THE CAR, AND THE ODOR KEEPS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. BUT ..."

"I AM EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS ON COLD STARTS. THE CAR WILL IDLE UP TO 2000 RPM, THEN IDLE ALL THE WAY DOWN AND DIE. ALL OF THIS WILL TAKE PLACE IN ABOUT 5-6 SECONDS. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT WAS AN AFTERMARKET HANDSFREE KIT I HAD ADDED TO THE CAR. BUT I PURCHASED THE CAR IN JANUARY AND HAD THE KI..."

"HAVE A MAZDA 6 THAT CONTINUOUSLY HAS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON. HAD AN INCIDENT WHERE THE CAR WAS FAILING TO ACCELERATE AND WAITED FOR TOW TRUCK. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR. WAITED 3 WEEKS BEFORE I COULD GET MY CAR BACK AND WHEN I GOT IT BACK, IT HAPPENED AGAIN 3 MO..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28