2013 MAZDA MAZDA3 Complaints

2013 MAZDA 3. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO HEADLIGHT CONDENSATION. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE HEADLIGHTS WERE REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. *JS

IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS, MY CAR BATTERY HAS DIED 3 ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS. WHETHER IT'S A COLD START OR I'VE DRIVEN SOMEWHERE AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. NO RESTART, BATTERY DEAD. EACH TIME I'VE HAD TO CALL A SERVICE FOR A JUMP AND HAVE TAKEN IT TO A LOCAL AUTO PARTS STORE WHERE TESTS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED ON THE BATTERY, ALTERNATOR AND STARTER ... NOTHING FOUND WRONG EACH TIME. THE LAST TIME THE CAR WOULDN'T START, I HAVE PUSH BUTTON START. EVEN THOUGH THE BATTERY WAS DEAD, THE PUSH BUTTON WAS STUCK IN THE 'CAR RUNNING' POSITION, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO BE JUMP STARTED. THE CAR DEALERSHIP HAD NO CLUE WHY THIS HAPPENED OR IF IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN.

CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WILL CUT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE. THE RADIO SHUTS DOWN, THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE IS LOST, AND POWER STEERING GOES. SEVERAL SENSOR LIGHTS COME ON. I HAVE TO FIGHT TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THEN TURN THE CAR OFF. WHEN RESTARTED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON BUT THE CAR WORKS FINE. THIS WILL ALSO HAPPEN WHEN THE CAR IS IDLING WITH THE SAME LOSS OF POWER. I TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON AND IT WORKS OKAY AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED IN A VERY MOUNTAINOUS PASS RECENTLY AND THERE WERE NO SHOULDERS TO PULL OVER ON AND I HAD NO POWER STEERING OR ACCELERATION. I'VE TAKEN TO SEVERAL MECHANICS AND THEY CANNOT FIND THE ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKERED AND FLASHED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MAXON HYUNDAI MAZDA (2329 US 22, UNION, NJ 07083). THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL AND THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO TAKEN TO CRYSTAL MAZDA (220 RTE 22 WEST, GREENBROOKEE, NJ 08812) WHERE IT WAS ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 96,000.

PCM DOES NOT REGULATE ALTERNATOR OUTPUT CORRECTLY CAUSING THE HEADLIGHTS TO FLASH/STROBE AND HORN TONE TO FLUCTUATE WHILE BRAKING IN MOTION. THE HEADLIGHTS FLASHING COULD LEAD OTHER DRIVERS TO BELIEVE YOU ARE SIGNALING THEM, AND LACK OF POWER TO HORN REDUCES THE AUDIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE HEARD BY OTHER DRIVERS. DEALERSHIP/MAZDA IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAS PROVIDED A "SOFTWARE UPDATE" TO FIX THE ISSUE, BUT HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL, THUS REQUIRING CONSUMERS TO PAY $60-$100 USD FOR THE UPDATE IF OUT OF WARRANTY. ON NOVEMBER 22TH 2017 I WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION AND WAS BRAKING COMING TO THE RED LIGHT WHEN A VEHICLE ON A SIDE STREET WAVED AT ME AND PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME I USED MY HORN OF WHICH FLUCTUATED WITH POWER, I WAS ABLE TO AVOID THE CRASH BUT IT WAS A CLOSE CALL. I SUSPECT THE OTHER VEHICLE THOUGHT MY FLASHING HEADLIGHTS WERE SIGNALING THEM TO "GO AHEAD". I BELIEVE THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AS THIS ISSUE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND THE HEADLIGHTS FLASHED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (MAZDA KNOXVILLE, 8814 KINGSTON PIKE, KNOXVILLE, TN 37923) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 134,000.

WHEN DRIVING THE AFFECTED VEHICLES IN HEAVY RAIN OR IN DEEP PUDDLES, THE ALTERNATOR BELT MAY SLIP, CAUSING THE POWER CONTROL MODULE (PCM) TO INCORRECTLY ASSUME FAILURE OF THE CHARGING SYSTEM. ONCE THE PCM ASSUMES THAT THE CHARGING SYSTEM HAS FAILED, THE VEHICLE WILL STOP CHARGING AND COULD RESULT IN POOR ACCELERATION, LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST AND WINDSHIELD WIPER OPERATION, AND A POSSIBLE ENGINE STALL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH."

I HAVE A 2013 MAZDA 3I 5-DOOR HATCHBACK WITH APPROXIMATELY 61,000 MILES, 90% HIGHWAY DRIVING TO AND FROM WORK. AFTER HAVING THE BATTERY REPLACED (ORIGINAL) EARLIER THIS YEAR, I THEN NOTICED THAT MY HEADLIGHTS WOULD FLASH INTERMITTENTLY, AT THAT TIME. AS THE YEAR PROGRESSED, THE HEADLIGHT FLASHING, WHICH PRESENTS ITSELF ONLY UPON BRAKING OR DECELERATION, BECAME MARKEDLY INCREASED AND BRIGHTER, INCLUDING THE DASHBOARD INFORMATION SYSTEMS WINDOW INSIDE. I WENT TO AN AUTHORIZED MECHANIC, WHO FIRST PUT MY CAR ON DIAGNOSTIC, WHICH SHOWED THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS VERY WEAK/WORN. SINCE I HAD EXTENDED WARRANTY, THROUGH A PRIVATE COMPANY, BUT ONLY UNTIL 60,000/5 YEARS, I RUSHED TO MAKE TIME FOR THE MECHANIC TO RECEIVE AUTHORIZATION AND REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR, WHICH HE DID, AND MY CAR RUNS GREAT. THERE REMAINS, THOUGH, THE PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHTS FLASHING. SINCE THE MECHANIC DID RESET THE COMPUTER, WE WERE STUMPED. THEN MY HUSBAND FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN FROM MAZDA DEALING WITH THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE, STATING THAT THE CAR MUST GO TO THE DEALER BECAUSE ONLY THE DEALER CAN RESET ALL THE PARTS OF THE COMPUTER. I THEN CONTACTED MAZDA, BUT HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE MADE TO PAY FOR THIS ADJUSTMENT/REPAIR SINCE MAZDA APPARENTLY IS WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL CAR. JUST GOOGLE IT, THERE ARE ALOT OF M3 OWNERS OUT THERE WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS, MOST GOT RESOLVED BECAUSE THEY WERE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. GREAT FOR THEM, BUT THAT DOESN'T HELP ME. NOT ONLY IS THIS A PROBLEM FOR ME SINCE I DRIVE NEARLY 40 MILES EACH WAY TO/FROM WORK EACH NIGHT, BUT I AM TIRED OF OTHER DRIVERS FLASHING THEIR LIGHTS AT ME, HONKING, OR YELLING. IT IS MOST ANNOYING, NOT TO MENTION A SAFETY HAZARD, SINCE I AM A NIGHT-TIME/EARLY MORNING DRIVER, PREDOMINANTLY DRIVING IN THE DARK. PLEASE ADVISE.

TAKATA RECALL: ONCE I GOT THE AIRBAG OF MY MAZDA3 IS NOT SAFE, IT WORRIES ME A LOT. I HOPE THE RECALL COULD BE COMING SOON AND I PREFER TO STAYING IN A SAFE ZONE. THANKS!

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN I NOTICED MY AIRBAG LIGHT BEGAN BLINKING WHILE IN MOTION. I DID NOT BRAKE EXCESSIVELY AND I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING OR SWERVE. IT JIST RANDOMLY LIT UP OUT OF THE BLUE. THEN I NOTICED MY PASSENGER AIRBAG SIGN WAS OFF. I CALLED THE MAZDA DEALER AND THEY QUOTED ME $160 JIST TO DIAGNOSE THE LIGHT. I TOLD THEM I GOT A POSTCARD ABOUT AN AIRBAG RECALL AND THEY INSISTED MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED IN THAT RECALL. IT SHOULD BE.