2025 Mazda Mazda3

Routine

Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the forward collision avoidance › automatic emergency braking. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking2
100
Vehicle Speed Control1
000
Unknown or Other1
101
Suspension1
000
Seat Belts1
000
Air Bags1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Air Bags › Air Bag/Restraint Control Module › Software25V357000
Filed May 29, 2025171,412 vehiclesMazda North American Operations

Defect. Mazda North American Operations is recalling certain 2024-2025 Mazda3 and CX30 vehicles. The Sophisticated Air Bag Sensor (SAS) units may set an error code and deactivate the air bags, due to a low battery condition.

Risk. Air bags that do not deploy in the event of a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy. Dealers will reprogram the SAS unit with improved software or replace the unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2025. Mazda's number for this recall is 7525E.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Vehicle Speed Control
Filed May 31, 2026FL

WHEN TURNING A CORNER IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, AS I GOT AROUND THE CORNER (SLOW SPEED (10 MPH?). THE CAR GRADUALLY SPED UP ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL. NO CRUISE ON AND NO FLOOR MAT PROBLEM. WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL "ON", THE ENGINE "REVED UP. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM.

Unknown or OtherCrash1 injured
Filed May 23, 2026SC

The vehicle was involved in a rear and side impact collision and the car was totaled on 5/14/2026. The air bags did not deploy. There was a recall on the air bag system immediately after purchase 6/28/2025 and it was taken in July of 2025 to Mazda of Columbia, SC and it was “repaired.” The airbags of the truck that collided with the Mazda did deploy.

Seat Belts
Filed May 5, 2026FL

I am reporting a catastrophic failure of the rear seatbelt restraint system in my 2025 Mazda 3. The rear seatbelt guide geometry is badly designed, allowing the webbing to bunch and jam during normal operation. This physical obstruction prevents the seatbelt from retracting, leading to three severe safety hazards: 1) Total failure to restrain occupants. 2) Structural damage to the vehicle's safety cell. 3) Public hazard where the obstructed door rebounded open into oncoming traffic. Restraint Failure: On multiple occasions, the rear seatbelt jammed in the guide clip while in use. Due to the lack of retraction, a 200lb adult passenger was able to fully exit the vehicle while the belt remained buckled. Most alarmingly, the vehicle's safety logic failed to trigger any occupancy warning alarms. The system remained "satisfied" because the buckle was engaged, despite providing zero tension or restraint to the occupant. Structural Damage & Public Hazard: Because the belt failed to retract, it remained loose and obstructed the rear door's closing path. The door rebounded off the slack belt into oncoming traffic, resulting in a significant structural dent to the C-pillar (door jamb) immediately adjacent to the striker. This deformation occurred in a critical area for side-impact protection. Efforts to Resolve: The vehicle was inspected by a dealer, who claimed the system was functioning normally despite being shown the jamming. I escalated this to the Mazda North American Operations E

Suspension
Filed Aug 17, 2025TN

January 10, 2025, at low city speed, I struck a small pothole. The entire car felt like it had been in an accident—a violent jolt—followed by immediate vibration and a pull. Inspection showed one OEM 18" rim was bent. I contacted Mazda after diagnosing and was offered a slight discount on the replacement rim, not a warranty repair or full diagnosis. I have the bent rim in my possession. July 2025, at low speed, I barely contacted another small pothole and immediately felt the same drivability issues. A second rim was found damaged. This was only 4,500 miles after the first incident. I called the dealership manager; he said he would get back to me but never did. I later sent a letter that went unanswered. My subsequent research shows innumerable similar owner complaints for 2020–2025 Mazda 3s experiencing rim deformation from ordinary road irregularities. Why this is a safety issue (technical points): Bead-seat deformation & air loss: A bent alloy rim can distort the bead seat, causing slow leaks or sudden deflation, especially after heat cycles—creating a loss-of-control risk. Dynamic instability: A rim that’s even slightly out-of-round produces high-frequency vibration, steering pull, and reduced traction in turns or under braking; it can trigger ABS/ESC interventions and increase stopping distance. Load path & suspension stress: The 18" low-profile package leaves little sidewall cushion. On normal bumps/potholes, impact energy transfers directly to the wheel. Repeated “bott

Air Bags
Filed Jun 5, 2025GA

I found out about this recall today. Mazda doesn’t have a fix to this recall yet. I am scared to drive my car in the event of a crash, due to the fact that my airbags won’t go off due to the recall. Mazda said to just “be aware until we have a fix” I cannot just “be aware” if I get into an accident and my airbags don’t go off.

Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency BrakingCrash
Filed Feb 4, 2025MI

Car was turning left in front of me. I was going about 30 mph. I started to steer to the right of the car into a passing lane. The AEB stopped me and the guy behind me rear-ended me. The system did not need to react, I was not going to hit the car in front of me, but I could not steer to the right until I came to the passing lane.

Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking
Filed Jan 31, 2025MI

Second event: Again about 30 mph, a FEDEX truck was turning left in front of me, as I steered to the right to pass it, the AEB stopped me, fortunately there was no one behind me this time. The last time this happened I was rear-ended.

7 of 7 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2010
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20261000Routine
2025 — this page7100Routine
202412300Routine
202312021Fatalities reported
202224000Routine
202149120Routine
202032200Routine
201974600Routine
2018108401Fatalities reported
201783200Routine
2016104610Do not drive
2015130420Do not drive
2014138410Routine
2013117120Routine
2012226110Above average
2011132220Routine
2010686350Above average
2009115410Routine
2008303310Above average
2007222330Above average
2006166230Routine
200597330Routine
2004145320Routine

Compare every Mazda3 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: May 29, 2025. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.