2012 Mazda Mazda3: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 328 complaints
328
Total Complaints
37,000mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN
Top Issue
12
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

16,000 25th Percentile
37,000 Median Mileage
60,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN
38
ENGINE
32
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
31
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
24
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
20
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
18
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
18
AIR BAGS
16
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
16
SEATS
16

Severity Assessment

12
Crashes
1
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MAZDA MAZDA3. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIANS RECALIBRATED THE SEAT AND STATED THE SENSOR FUNCTIONED CORRECTLY. THE TECHNICIANS ALSO STATED THE ..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MAZDA MAZDA3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WERE AIMED TOO HIGH, CAUSING DIFFICULTY WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE..."
"THE DRIVERS DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE. BROKEN INNER DRIVERS DOOR CABLE. *TR"

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