CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Mazda · NHTSA safety record

2017 Mazda CX-3

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

Owners have filed 21 safety complaints about the 2017 Mazda CX-3 with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering back-over prevention.

The most complained-about system is the fuel and propulsion system, named in 8 complaints, 38% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 37,225 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers March 2017 to March 2025 · How this is counted

What is on file

21 complaints on file

21

Complaints

2

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 · 38%
ENGINE 3 · 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 10%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 10%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 10%
AIR BAGS 1 · 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 5%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 5%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 5%
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER 1 · 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 5%
STEERING 1 · 5%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 21.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 6.

8 6 4 2
17 20 21 22 23 24 25

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2025.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2017 Mazda CX-3, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 13.6% 13.8%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

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

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

STRUCTURE:BODY

crash · towed · 34,000 miles

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AT A VERY HIGH SPEED. A DRIVER DIDN'T SEE ME IN HIS LEFT SIDE BLIND SPOT AND WAS VEERING INTO MY LANE AT 85-90MPH. I SWERVED TO THE LEFT TO AVOID THE CAR AND MY CAR WOULDN'T STRAIGHTEN/I COULDN'T GET BACK THE CONTROL. I SMASHED THE GUARDRAIL WITH THE WHOLE LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR AND THE CAR WAS DEEMED TO BE TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED DESPITE THE HIGH SPEED AND IMPACT OF THE ACCIDENT.

NHTSA complaint 11342747. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed

I put my right signals on and came to a near stop, as I did a right turn into the parking space in front of the dry cleaners. I was slowly creeping into the parking space, and pushing the brakes, as I slowed down to a near stop in the parking spot. All of a sudden, as my right foot was still on the brakes, I felt the car lurch forward, and felt myself pulled back into my seat from the velocity, as the car suddenly accelerated forward out of control! I had NO CONTROL OVER THE CAR! I saw myself speeding towards the drycleaners’ glass window storefront! I came to a stop after I had driven over the sidewalk, over some plants, and crashed into the pillar in front of the dry cleaners, completely

NHTSA complaint 11479983, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield wiper fluid tank leaks when you pour fluid in empty within about an hour

NHTSA complaint 11649311. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
LED speedometer in dash showing incorrect speed or unreadable. Advised of chip malfunction.

NHTSA complaint 11604636. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Steering system seems to become unhinged. Something in the steering system is not working properly.

NHTSA complaint 11593642. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2017 Mazda CX-3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V487000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the camera image was distorted while in use. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11582377. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When starting the car in cold weather, the driver assistance system, to include rear camera display, navigation, hands-free voice commands and calling, continuously restarts for close to 15 minutes rendering safe navigation unavailable. Without a backup navigation system, drivers cannot get turn prompts and safely plan for the next exit or turn. This has happened repeatedly and could be related to the current open recall for the CX-3.

NHTSA complaint 11560157. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The engine on my 2017 CX-3 died while travelling on the interstate at 70mph just before the low fuel light would normally turn on. I pulled to the side of the interstate freaked out at what just happened. I was within a mile of an exit with a gas station and the car started when fuel was added. It's the exact same low pressure fuel pump failure symptom that later CX-3's are being recalled for. I took it to a Mazda dealer and he only recommended that I keep the tank over half full. I've been hoping the recall would be expanded to include my VIN number but there doesn't appear to be enough complaints yet to do this. I've been filling up at 1/4 tank and haven't had an issue again after driving

NHTSA complaint 11540736, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Mazda CX-3

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 27 2 —
2018 10 1 —
2016 48 3 —

Other 2017 Mazda models

CX-5 148 MAZDA3 83 CX-9 61 MAZDA6 60 MX-5 11

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Mazda on this site — 82 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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