2006 MAZDA MAZDA3 Complaints

POWER STEERING SEEMS TO QUIT - POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT COMES ON. SINCE WE WERE ON A FREEWAY, IT WAS SOME TIME BEFORE WE COULD GET OFF THE ROAD. STEERING WAS AVAILABLE, BUT VERY STIFF. WE TURNED OF THE ENGINE AND GOT POWER STEERING BACK/WARNING LIGHT OFF. SINCE THEN THE POWER STEERING WILL "FAIL" (GET STIFF) AS WE ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, IF WE WERE ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD ON A STEEP CURVE? WE DO NOT FIND MAZDA'S LITTLE FILM ON WHAT TO DO IF THIS PROBLEM TO "FIX" THE PROBLEM. MAZDA NEEDS TO RECALL CARS WITH THIS PROBLEM!! I AM TOLD THE REPAIR WOULD LIKELY RUN $1,400 TO FIX, WOW! NOT SURE I WILL BUY ANOTHER MAZDA, IF THIS IS NOT RESOLVED. *TR

OVER THE PAST 2 WEEKS, MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY AND THE POWER STEERING INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE DASH TURNS ON. THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING LASTS FOR ANYWHERE FROM 5 SECONDS TO 5 MINUTES, AND TYPICALLY RESOLVES WHEN BRAKING AND/OR TURNING AND SPEED IS REDUCED TO BELOW 20 MPH. THE POWER STEERING LOSS HAS OCCURRED AT A VARIETY OF SPEEDS, RANGING FROM 25 TO 70 MPH, AND HAS LED TO A JERKING OF THE WHEEL AND A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ON THE FREEWAY. ON AVERAGE IT OCCURS ABOUT ONCE OR TWICE PER DAY, SO ROUGHLY EVERY 20-30 MILES ON AVERAGE. I HAVE SEEN OTHER SIMILAR REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM FOR 2006 MAZDA3'S, AND A RECALL FOR THE 2007-2009 MODELS. THEREFORE I AM HOPEFUL THAT 2006 MAZDA3S WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AS WELL TO AVOID POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS CAR, AND PURCHASED IT WITH ABOUT 42,000 MILES. *TR

WAS DRIVING ON THE STREET AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN WHITE SMOKE STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE ENGINE THAT SMELLED LIKE RUBBER. THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS ALSO MAKING A LOUD NOISE. I PULLED OVER AND SHUT EVERYTHING OFF. CALLED THE DEALER WHO WALKED ME THROUGH AND WE VERIFIED IT WAS THE AIR CONDITIONER CLUTCH THAT BROKE OFF. NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH OR ANYTHING. AC IS NOW UNUSABLE UNTIL ITS FIXED. GLAD IT DIDN'T CATCH ON FIRE, WE PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY WHEN IT HAPPENED. NOW I HAVE TO GET IT FIXED, $1200+. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA MAZDA3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

A MAJOR CRACK IN RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DASHBOARD, IT GOES RIGHT THROUGH THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR. I WOULD ASSUME IS DUE TO THE HOT WEATHER AND THE QUICK TEMPERATURE CHANGES WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO. DUE TO THE CRACK, A SLIGHT SINKING OF THE ACTUAL DASH HAS STARTED TO OCCUR, MEANING , YOU COULD TELL THAT SOMETHING HAS CRACKED AND THE SIDES ARE SLIDING DOWN. I HAVE GONE ON MANY THREADS ON FORUMS THAT ARE ALL ABOUT THAT ISSUE. 5 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. IT ALSO HAPPENS ON THE 2ND GENERATION AS WELL. LAST THING THAT MIGHT BE CAUSED BY THAT "CRACKAGE" ARE THE RETAINING CLIPS LOCATED RIGHT BEHIND THE WHOLE DASHBOARD MORE TOWARDS THE LEFT SIDE BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. IT MAKES A VIBRATING, MORE LIKE A DANGLING NOISE AS OF SOMETHING IS LOOSE OR IN THE WORST CASE BROKEN. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 MAZDA 3I TOURING SEDAN . I WAS DRIVING TO PICK UP A CAKE FOR MY ANNIVERSARY WHEN I PARKED THE CAR GOT OUT GOT THE CAKE AND LEFT THE PARKING SPOT JUST A FEW FEET DOWN THE ROAD I HEARD SOME NOISE THOUGHT IT WAS MY ENGINE UNDER BODY PLASTIC THAT PROTECTS THE UNDER PART OF MY ENGINE. WELL WENT HOME TOOK IT OFF DRIVEN IT AROUND STILL THE SAME NOISE GRINDING THE DEALER SAID TRANSMISSION AND 3OTHERS SAID POWERTRAIN PROBLEMS I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF IT HAS A RECALL ON THE POWERTRAIN/ CARRIER AND PINION BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO DRIVE MY CAR. *TR

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I AM HAVING A PROBLEM. IT STARTED BY THE CAR NOT STARTING, THEN IT WOULD START AND BE FINE FOR A COUPLE MONTHS. BATTERY WAS NOT LOW, FLUIDS WERE PERFECT, EVERYTHING WAS TESTED AND NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. BUT THERE OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM. NOW, THE CAR STARTS BUT I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF PARK AND THE LETTERS DON'T LIGHT UP WHEN I SHIFT GEARS. IT'S A SECURITY PROBLEM I BELIEVE BUT THERE ARE NOT MANY MILES ON THE CAR AND THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SO LONG. IT'S RIDICULOUS. *TR

MAZDA CONTINUES TO IGNORE MY COMPLAINT AND ADMITS MY CAR IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THEY WILL NOT REPLACE MY MAT AFTER THE BRACKET BROKE OFF DUE TO A WARRANTY ISSUE. THEY FIXED THE BRACKET BUT DID NOT FIX THE MAT. EVER SINCE THEN, IT GETS CRUMPLED AND STICKS TO THE BREAK AND PEDAL. ITS GETTING WORSE OVER TIME. LAST NIGHT I WAS WITH MY WIFE AT A DRIVE THROUGH. ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE CAR ACCELERATED. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE PARKING BRAKE, THREW IT IN PARK, AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. WE ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF US. I THEN TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED. WHAT HAPPENED IS THE MAT GOT STUCK AND WHEN MY WIFE PUSHED THE BRAKE, SHE TAPPED THE GAS. I HAVE TOLD MAZDA ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS, THEY DENIED MY REQUEST TO FIX THE ISSUE, NOW THEY JUST IGNORE ME. NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENS IT COULD HAVE A WORSE ENDING. JUST BECAUSE THEY RATHER SAVE MONEY THEN FIX THE ISSUE FOR A LOYAL CUSTOMER. THEY ATTEMPTED TO FIX THE ISSUE PREVIOUSLY BUT FAILED. NOW THEY WONT EVEN RETURN MY CALLS AND IGNORE ME. THE DEALER EVEN TRIED BUT WAS DENIED THE WARRANTY. THE FACT REMAINS, MAZDA ADMITS MY CAR IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND TOLD ME THEY WONT FIX IT, FOR AN ISSUE THAT HAPPENED UNDER WARRANTY AND NOTHING TO DO WITH ME. THEY ATTEMPTED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE BUT FAILED, IN FACT, I COULD ARGUE IT MADE THE ISSUE WORSE BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE DEALER TRIED TO FIX THE MAT THEY BENT IT EVEN MORE, AND NOW JUST IGNORE ME WHEN I ASK THEM TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE AGAIN. *TR

DUNLOP SP SPORT SIGNATURE SIDEWALL SEPARATION. RISK OF SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY AND/OR VEHICLE DAMAGE COULD RESULT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THIS MODEL OF TIRE ON WEB SITES SUCH AS: HTTP://WWW.VEHICLETIRE.COM/COMPLAINT/DUNLOP/SP+SPORT+SIGNATURE. *TR

DRIVING AT 35 MPH BRAKES GAVE OUT. BRAKES NEEDED TO BE PUMPED JUST TO STOP AND HAD 8 YEAR OLD CHILD IN THE CAR. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID BRAKE BOOSTER WAS BAD AND WOULD COST $625 TO FIX. FOUND ON-LINE ON FORUMS THAT MAZDA BRAKE BOOSTERS GO OUT AT ABOUT 50K MILES. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVER AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD. HAVE OWNED 6 VEHICLES OF DIFFERENT MAKES AND NEVER HAD ANYTHING FAIL ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART FOR DRIVER SAFETY. *TR