KnownCarProblems2012 Mazda Mazda3 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 226 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Mazda Mazda3, most often about the transmission (18% of complaints, typically around 20,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Mazda3 model year since 2000 and has 1 recall.
Most common 2012 Mazda Mazda3 problems
Transmission
40 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles. Parts named most often: manual transmission, clutch assembly.
We were just returning from a trip of 9 days which contained many high speed highway hours and mountainous terrain. Car has 20000 miles on it. As we pulled off the highway and onto a city street, all three lights ( engine, autotransmission, and slippage icon) went off and there was a bare minimum of power to move car…
I was driving to work and as I was shifting through the gear I came up to a speed zone so I took my foot off the gas and as soon as I pressed my foot on the gas the shifter popped out of 4th gear and into neutral I had to quickly put it back into 4th gear so I wouldn`t get hit from behind after it happened a few more…
Engine
36 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 19,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system.
Hello, I was driving down a highway going about 30-40 MPH in the passing lane. I went to accelerate past a truck when I noticed I wasn't gaining any speed. I looked down and the ABS light was on. Thinking that I might be in a lower gear and my auto transmission wasn't shifting well I changed it over to manual. There…
While driving down the highway the vehicle all of a sudden lost power and began to slow down. The traction control light turned on at this time. Pushing the accelerator did nothing. When I switched the manual mode for the transmission the gear was not displayed on the dashboard and trying to up or downshift did…
Lights
31 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles.
High beam lights blink/flash when breaking low beam lights dim when breaking instrument lights dim slightly when breaking with both conditions mentioned
There has always been a massive voltage drop when slowing down or lowering speed. Happens consistently in all driving conditions, highway/city, nighttime/daytime. This leads to all interior lights and more importantly, headlights dimming and flashing whenever the engine speed drops. This often means at nighttime when…
Electrical
25 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel.
The contact owns a 2012 Mazda 3. The contact stated that the instrument panel was popping out of the display paneling. The failure hindered the visibility of the speedometer, fuel gauge, and oil levels. John hine temecula Mazda (42050 dlr dr, temecula, ca 92591, ([phone]) stated that there were no recalls on the…
Headlights intermittently dim when slowing down. Could be from letting off accelerator or applying the brakes. It is distracting and Mazda knows about this issue including the fix yet has not made comminications to owners.
Fuel system
22 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles.
The check engine light had been on for a week; the dealer said it was no big deal and to bring it in at any time. However, the vehicle lost power one day and other warning lights came on. I was able to drive home at a very low rate of speed and had it towed to the dealer. The dealer said it was a bad fuel injector and…
Driving at approx 45mph, car lost acceleration, power steering, and multiple engine lights on. Car moved to site of the road and towed to dealer.
Speed control
20 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 12,000 miles.
I have an automatic skyactiv 2012 5dr hatchback. I was pulling out on a back road that was 60mph and as soon as I pressed the gas to speed up with traffic it was as if the car lost all power. The traction control light came on and the car slowly accelerated as I had the gas pressed to the floor. It very slowly sped up…
The contact owns a 2012 Mazda3. The contact stated that it was difficult to start the vehicle. After the vehicle was started and while driving 15 MPH, the power steering, traction control, and anti-lock brakes failed. Moments later, the accelerator pedal became unresponsive. The contact stated that the failures…
Other or unspecified
18 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 40,500 miles.
Purchased this vehicle on aug 27th 2014 as a used vehicle and did the initial test drive during the day. A few days later while driving at night I decelerated while on the highway (speed is 55mph) to come to a complete stop at a 4 way intersection. The moment brakes are applied the front headlights flicker and…
I was stopped at a red light. Once light turned green, I pressed on the gas and the car revved to 3000 RPM but was barely moving and would not shift out of first gear. I looked at my speed and noticed the tcs problem light was on. By this time other motorists were honking at me at cursing I'm sure but I couldn't get…
Air bags
17 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 48,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, sensor.
Takata recall - vehicle was parked/stationary. The dashboard is breaking apart where the passenger side air bag is. See attached picture. This vehicle has never been in an accident and I have been the only owner of the vehicle. I will be calling the dealership to get this repaired since this is a huge safety issue for…
Airbag warning light flashes intermittently, dealership said my car is not included in the takata airbag recall. Car has never been in an accident.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2012 Mazda Mazda3 recalls
Body and structure: hatchback/liftgate
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.
Full defect summary
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 the lift gate to drop unexpectedly.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Questions about the 2012 Mazda Mazda3
- What are the most common problems with the 2012 Mazda Mazda3?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (40 complaints, typically around 20,000 miles); engine (36 complaints, typically around 19,000 miles); lights (31 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2012 Mazda Mazda3 have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 6, 2016 (body and structure). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2012 a bad year for the Mazda Mazda3?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Mazda3 model year since 2000, with 226 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.