2011 MAZDA MAZDA3 Complaints

PREMATURE CLUTCH FAILURE. MAZDA3 WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION. CLUTCH SUDDENLY BURN OUT AND CANNOT SHIFT GEAR WHILE DRIVING. HEARD SOMETHING WAS FALLING DOWN UNDER THE CLUTCH AND THEN SMELL SMOKY ODOR. CAR DEAD IN MIDDLE OF LOCAL ROAD. ONLY HAVE 16,XXX MILES AND 2.5 YEARS ON THIS CAR. CONTACT THE MAZDA EXPERIENCE CENTER, BUT THEY THINK IT IS A NORMAL WORN OUT PART AND WARRANTY WOULD NOT TAKE CARE OF IT. HOWEVER, I THINK THERE IS POSSIBLE A DESIGN DEFECT IN THEIR CLUTCH. *TR

THE BATTERY APPEARS TO BE DEAD. AFTER JUMP START, THE CAR WORKS FOR ABOUT 3 DAYS. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START IF LEFT TO SIT OVER NIGHT WITHOUT DRIVING. THE BATTERY WILL NOT POWER THE VEHICLE AND WILL NOT ALLOW FUEL TO EXCHANGE FOR A PUSH START (MANUAL 5 SPEED). THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO BEAVERTON MAZDA DEALERSHIP IN BEAVERTON OREGON. THEY TESTED FOR ELECTRICAL LEAKS AND FOUND NONE. DID NOT REPLACE BATTERY. DEALERSHIP GAVE BATTERY A SLOW CHARGE OVERNIGHT. THE BATTERY WAS TESTED AND THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED BATTERY WAS IN LIKE NEW CONDITION. THE CAR DIES 6 DAYS LATER AFTER NOT BEING DRIVEN FOR 1 DAY. TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND MORE TESTS ARE DONE, WAS CHARGED FOR AN INSPECTION BILL THAT SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG. ALMOST 1 YEAR LATER, CAR NOT DRIVEN FOR 1 DAY AND BATTERY IS DEAD. SEEMS TO LEAK ELECTRICITY SOMEWHERE THAT CANNOT BE FOUND. *TR

AIR CONDITIONER COILS ARE CONTINUALLY PRODUCING MOLD. CHANGE AIR CABIN FILTER REGULARLY, MOLD IS EVEN GROWING ON FILTERS. WHEN COILS ARE TOUCHED, BLACK MOLD COMES OFF ON RAG. I HAVE SEVERE MOLD ALLERGIES AND HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE COILS CLEANED PROFESSIONALLY AS WELL AS THE AC VENTS CLEANED TO REMOVE SPORES. I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS KIND OF PROBLEM WITH ANY CAR I'VE EVER HAD. *TR

AFTER PARKING, I WAS UNABLE TO EXIT THE CAR. THE CABLE CONNECTING THE INSIDE DOOR HANDLE TO THE DOOR LATCH HAD SNAPPED. THE ONLY WAY TO EXIT CAR IS TO CLIMB OVER SEAT TO PASSENGER SIDE, OR ROLL DOWN WINDOW AND OPEN DOOR USING OUTSIDE HANDLE. THERE IS A SIMILAR ITEM I FOUND: NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: 10033728. *TR

AROUND 3000 MILES, MANUAL TRANSMISSION DEVELOPED ISSUE OF NOT GOING INTO FIRST GEAR FROM A STOP. DEALER INVESTIGATED AND SAID THAT THIS IS A QUIRK WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND CAN BE SAFELY IGNORED BY STARTING IN A HIGHER GEAR, WHICH WEARS OUT THE TRANSMISSION FASTER. AS OF THREE WEEKS AGO AT THIS POINT, TRANSMISSION DEVELOPED INTERMITTENT ISSUE WHERE IT "POPS" OUT OF SECOND GEAR OR GRINDS AND DAMAGES INTERNAL PARTS BEFORE AUTOMATICALLY MOVING TO NEUTRAL. THIS OCCURS AFTER A NORMAL SHIFT. ALSO HAS DEVELOP ISSUE WHERE IS DOES NOT PROPERLY GO INTO REVERSE, INSTEAD GOING INTO FIRST GEAR. DEALER SAYS THAT SINCE THERE ARE NO OBD2 COMPUTER CODES COMING UP, THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED BY THE MAZDA HEAD OFFICE TO REMOVE THE TRANSMISSION AND PHYSICALLY LOOK AT IT. CURRENTLY I AM VERY HESITANT TO DRIVE THE CAR AT ALL DUE TO THE FACT THE I DRIVE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHILE COMMUTING 50 MILES A DAY. I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT MY TRANSMISSION WILL PROPERLY FUNCTION AT HIGHWAY, LOCAL TRAFFIC, OR RESIDENTIAL SPEEDS. I HAVE BARELY AVOIDED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS UNTIL THE REVERSE GEAR ISSUE BECAME CONSISTENT. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AND THESE ISSUES HAVE ONLY APPEARED AS THIS CURRENT CAR HAS AGED VERY POORLY. THE DRIVE TRAIN HAS SHREDDED 50,000 MILE TIRES IN LESS THAN 25,000 MILES. I FEAR WHAT DAMAGE WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE OCCURRING WITH WAY TOO MUCH FREQUENCY AMONG THE 2011 MAZDA3'S WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AS PER THE OTHER POSTS. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP IN HAVING MAZDA PROPERLY INVESTIGATE AND RESOLVE THIS ISSUE TO PREVENT FURTHER TRAGEDY FROM THE VERY HIGH POTENTIAL FOR A LOSS OF LIFE OR BODILY FUNCTION INCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MAZDA3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILED TO HOLD THE SEAT BELT CLIP IN PLACE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO CLEANED THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE, HOWEVER FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 19,000. UPDATED 11/14/13*LJ. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER DECLINED TO REPAIR THE SEAT BELT UNDER WARRENTY DUE TO THE FAILED AREA CONTAINING A STICKY SUBSTANCE. UPDATED 11/25/2013 *JS

SUNROOF SHATTERED WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH NO OBVIOUS CAUSE. SPEED APPROX. 60 MPH. OPEN ROAD, NO OVERPASS, NO DEBRIS/ROCKS ETC. KICKED UP FROM OTHER CARS. TEMPERATURE WAS LOW 80S, TIME OF DAY WAS 7 PM (NO DIRECT SUNLIGHT OR EXTREME TEMPERATURES). *TR

WHEN A PASSENGER WHO IS 5'2" AND WEIGHS 95 POUNDS SITS ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OF MY 2011 MAZDA 3, THE AIRBAG LIGHT INDICATES THAT THE PASSENGER-SIDE AIRBAG IS NOT ON. I'VE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE MAZDA DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THEY COULDN'T FIX IT. ON MY OTHER CAR (A HONDA) AND ON ALL PREVIOUS MAZDA MODELS I'VE OWNED (323 AND PROTEGE), THIS SAME PASSENGER HAS NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH AIRBAGS DETECTING HER PRESENCE AS WE NOW DO WITH THE MAZDA 3. IS THERE A NATIONAL SAFETY REGULATION THAT MAZDA IS VIOLATING WITH PASSENGER AIRBAGS THAT DON'T DEPLOY WHEN AN ADULT IS SITTING IN THE SEAT? IS THERE A MINIMUM WEIGHT AND HEIGHT STANDARD THAT MAZDA'S PASSENGER-SIDE AIRBAGS SHOULD BE MEETING? I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT SUCH A STANDARD WOULD NOT INCLUDE AN ADULT WHO IS 5'2" AND WEIGHS 95 POUNDS. I'VE SEEN A DISCUSSION ON THE INTERNET AMONG OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM: HTTP://MECHANICS.STACKEXCHANGE.COM/QUESTIONS/1673/2011-MAZDA3-AIRBAG-DISABLED-FOR-LIGHT-PASSENGER. *TR

I FIRST TOOK MY CAR IN TO THE DEALER WHEN I NOTICED THE CLUTCH SLIPPING AFTER I SHIFTED OR WHEN I ACCELERATED AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. NOW, AFTER 16 DAYS, I FINALLY HAVE MY 2011 MAZDA 3 BACK WITH A COMPLETELY NEW CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. MAZDA PAID 50%, NOT INCLUDING THE RENTAL CAR. MY FINAL BILL: $700 (NOT INCLUDING THE RENTAL CAR COST FOR THIS TIME). THEY REPLACED NOT ONLY THE CLUTCH DISC, BUT THE FLYWHEEL AND ASSOCIATED BEARINGS AND PARTS. APPARENTLY THEY CONSIDER REPLACING THE CLUTCH AT 2 YEARS / 20K MILES TO BE "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" AND NOT UNDER WARRANTY. IN MY OPINION, THE FACT THAT IT WORE OUT SO QUICKLY, IN ITSELF, MEANS IT WAS DEFECTIVE. I HAVE DRIVEN A MANUAL CAR FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS (PREVIOUSLY A MAZDA RX-7) WITHOUT ANY ISSUES. I DO NOT ABUSE MY CAR, I DO NOT RIDE THE CLUTCH, AND I DO NOT LET ANYONE ELSE DRIVE THE CAR. MAZDA WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO SPEAK TO ANYONE WITH THE AUTHORITY TO ASSIST ME, SPECIFICALLY THE DISTRICT MANAGER WHO MADE THE DECISION. ON TOP OF THAT, THE WOMAN I SPOKE WITH WHEN I CALLED THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE AT (800) 222-5500 WAS NOT ONLY UNHELPFUL, BUT FLAT OUT RUDE AND CONFRONTATIONAL. AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE, I PLAN TO TRADE THIS CAR DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT WILL NEED ANOTHER NEW CLUTCH AT 40K MILES OF NORMAL DRIVING. MAZDA HAS LOST A LOYAL CUSTOMER FOR LIFE WITH THEIR "GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT" MENTALITY TOWARD WARRANTY CLAIMS. *TR

DRIVER SEAT GETS REALLY HOT AND BURNS YOUR BACK. HAVE TO TURN OFF AFTER 10 MINS. EVEN ON LOWEST SETTING. KEEPS GETTING TOO HOT. *TR