CSR

Mazda · NHTSA safety record

2014 Mazda MAZDA3

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

138

Complaints

10

Crashes

1

Fires

5

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2014 Mazda MAZDA3 have filed 138 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2014 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 27 of them (20%). The typical failure was reported at 34,625 miles, the median across the 88 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints halved year on year: 7 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 15 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 4 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (4)

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

23V487000 · July 14, 2023

The defect
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Mazda3 and 2016-2021 CX-3 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display properly by showing a flickering or distorted image.
The risk
A rearview camera that does not display properly can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera, as necessary. In addition, dealers will install a wiring harness fastening seal. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 13, 2023. Final owner letters for affected models and model years in the states of CT, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA and VA were mailed August 14, 2024. The remaining owner notification letters will be mailed at a future date, anticipated on or before May 1, 2025. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 6. Mazda's number for this recall is 6023G.

Mazda North American Operations · up to 236,100 vehicles across all model years covered

PARKING BRAKE

17V393000 · June 22, 2017

The defect
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda6 and 2014-2016 Mazda3 vehicles. Water could possibly enter the brake caliper causing the parking brake actuator shaft to corrode and possibly bind.
The risk
If the parking brake actuator shaft binds, the parking brake may not engage or disengage fully. If the parking brake does not engage properly, the vehicle may move unexpectedly if it is parked on a slope, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will check the parking brake actuator shafts, replacing any that are corroded, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed August 24, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1217F.

Mazda North American Operations · up to 227,814 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

16V684000 · September 22, 2016

The defect
Mazda Motors North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Mazda3 vehicles manufactured January 4, 2014, to September 18, 2015. The fuel tank of the affected vehicles may have been improperly handled during manufacturing and, as a result, the welded attachment of the Inlet Check Valve (ICV) may fail and allow fuel to leak.
The risk
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and depending on the tank lot number, dealers will inspect the ICV weld, replacing the fuel tank, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 0116I.

Mazda North American Operations · up to 17,484 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

14V173000 · April 3, 2014

The defect
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Mazda3 vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through December 18, 2013, and model year 2014-2015 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured May 20, 2013, through December 4, 2013, and both equipped with a 2.5L engine and a regenerative engine braking system. 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.
The risk
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.
The remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on May 19, 2014. Owners may contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 7314D.

Mazda North American Operations · up to 5,700 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 138.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 27 20%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 27 20%
SERVICE BRAKES 22 16%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 21 15%
ENGINE 13 9%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 11 8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 7%
PARKING BRAKE 8 6%
POWER TRAIN 7 5%
SEAT BELTS 5 4%
AIR BAGS 4 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 4 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 21.

2014 2019 2026
2014 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SEATS

2 injured · crash · towed · 6,000 miles

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AT 65 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. THE ROAD WAS STRAIGHT AND SHE WAS TRAVELING IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE WHEN SHE WAS STRUCK FROM BEHIND LEFT OF CENTER BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. HER CAR BOUNCED OFF THE RIGHT SIDE GUARDRAIL AND THEN SPUN ACROSS THE ROADWAY. HER CAR THEN STRUCK THE CONCRETE BARRIER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD. MY DAUGHTER AND HER PASSENGER WERE THROWN BACKWARDS DUE TO THE IMPACT FROM BEHIND AND MY DAUGHTER LOST CONSCIOUSNESS AT THAT POINT. SHE SUFFERED A CONCUSSION AND HAS HAD FREQUENT AND SOMETIMES SEVERE HEADACHES, ALONG WITH BACK AND NECK PAIN SINCE THE ACCIDENT. THE PHOTOS I AM SENDING WERE TAKEN AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND THE DEBRIS FROM THE ROADWAY WAS

NHTSA complaint 10823880, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

1 injured · crash · towed · 20,000 miles

AS I WAS TURNING INTO A PARKING SPOT TO PARK MY CAR, THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND RAN INTO A CONCRETE WALL. I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS CAR'S PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN TO GET FIXED AFTER THE SAFETY RECALL IN JANUARY '16. AS I REALIZED THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING - AND PUSHING ON THE BRAKE WOULD NOT STOP IT - I LIFTED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE CRASH ULTIMATELY STOPPED THE CAR - NOT THE BRAKE OR EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. LESS CONCERNED ABOUT THE DAMAGE TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR, AND MORE CONCERNED THAT I HAD ZERO CONTROL OVER THE CAR AND ANY ABILITY TO STOP IT.

NHTSA complaint 10884129. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

1 injured · crash · 7,935 miles

IN PARKING GARAGE, TURNING INTO PARKING SPOT. CAR ENGINE REVVED UP, AND CAR ACCELERATED INTO THE GUARD RAIL, SMASHING THE FRONTEND OF THE VEHICLE AND DAMAGING THE RADIATOR. DRIVER DID NOT PUT FOOT ON THE GAS; CAR LUNGED FORWARD ON IT'S OWN. THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED, AND DRIVER HAD DARK BRUISES ON ABDOMEN, LEFT ANTERIOR THIGH, AND LEFT SIDE OF NECK D/T SEAT BELT, AND ALSO HAD MINOR WHIPLASH. FORTUNATELY, NO OTHER CARS OR PEOPLE WERE AROUND WHEN CAR ACCELERATED. ALSO, HAD THE CAR HAD MORE THAN JUST A FEW FEET TO RUN INTO SOMETHING, THE DRIVER WOULD HAVE BEEN INJURED WORSE. PRIOR TO INCIDENT, CAR ENGINE REVVED UP FOR SEVERAL SECONDS ON ITS OWN TWICE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY.

NHTSA complaint 10716911. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured · 100,000 miles

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY IN THE SNOW/RAIN MIX WHEN I HEARD A LOUD BANG! I THOUGH I WAS HIT BY ANOTHER CAR BUT WHEN I LOOKED AROUND I NOTICED THE GLASS OF MY SUNROOF HAD SHATTERED AND SOME GLASS FELL ON ME. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THE SUNROOF HAD ACTUALLY BLEW OUT AND UPWARDS FROM THE INSIDE OUT. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WHO THEN SUBMITTED A CLAIM TO MAZDA. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE AWARE OF LATENT DEFECTS IN SUNROOFS, THEY REFUSE TO REPAIR/REPLACE MINE. IT'S COLD AND RAINING HERE AND I HAVE PART OF MY CAR ROOF MISSING DUE TO A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT THAT I KEEP READING ABOUT ALL OVER THE INTERNET. THIS IS DANGEROUS TO HAVE HAPPEN AND THESE SUNROOFS SHOULD BE REPLACED. I COULD HAVE BEEN

NHTSA complaint 11075234, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

PARKING BRAKE

70,000 miles

The contact owns a 2014 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that when attempting to secure the vehicle, the electric parking brake failed to engage after pulling up the hand lever. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V393000 (Parking Brake); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was previously taken to a dealer for an unrelated recall repair, but the parking brake failure was not addressed or resolved. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA complaint 11749418. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The fuel tank leaks fuel at a full tank and smells of gas in the cabin until about 3/4 tank. Car was dripping a large puddle of gas inside of a parking garage. Problem has been reproduced by my mechanic even after replacing the fuel pump retaining ring. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer or police. CEL did not come on until recently reporting a very small EVAP leak. Inside the car and the surrounding area would smell of gasoline even if there was no leak in the ground.

NHTSA complaint 11744056. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

PARKING BRAKE

72,000 miles

The contact's nephew owns a 2014 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while parked on several occasions, the parking brake failed to engage, and there was no resistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

NHTSA complaint 11743735. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
The rear backup sensors no longer work and did not give any indication they stopped working. They do not detect cars driving up from behind when driving or switching lanes or objects or people behind the car anymore when you reverse. This happened without any notice or warning indications.

NHTSA complaint 11727114. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Airbag warning symbol on dashboard flashes with or without passenger seated in front seat.

NHTSA complaint 11721073. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
Blend door actuator linkage will not allow for heat to be turned on, will blow cool/cold air, have had it looked at and the gear teeth will not stay in line with on another to be able to turn when the knob inside the car is turned. I was told that this may be a recall but do not see anything listed, but that it is a known problem for this model of mazda 3 and ford expiditions

NHTSA complaint 11711857. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Mazda MAZDA3

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 12 3
2021 49 1
2020 32 2
2019 74 6
2018 107 4 1
2017 83 2
2016 103 6
2015 130 4
2013 117 1
2012 226 1
2011 132 2
2010 686 3

Other 2014 Mazda models

Every Mazda on this site — 81 vehicles, 161 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst