CSR

Mazda · NHTSA safety record

2018 Mazda CX-3

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

10

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 Mazda CX-3 have filed 10 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2018 and May 2026. The most complained-about system is back-over prevention, named in 2 of them (20%). The typical failure was reported at 17,520 miles, the median across the 4 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 10.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 20%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 20%
ENGINE 2 20%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 10%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 10%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 10%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 10%
SUSPENSION 1 10%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 10%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 10%
WHEELS 1 10%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 2.

2018 2026
2018 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.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed · 12,600 miles

I WAS IN A PARKING RAMP, I ROUNDED THE CORNER GOING UP AND WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT, MY FOOT WAS ON THE BREAK, AND THE CAR ACCELERATED. I LURCHED FORWARD INTO A WALL OF THE RAMP. IT WASN'T RAINING SO PAVEMENT AND RAMP WERE NOT WET. THE DEALER HAS LOOKED AT THE CAR, SAID THEY SAW BREAK AND GAS PEDAL ACTIVE AT THE SAME TIME. THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR.

NHTSA complaint 11123896. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Fuel injector failed without warning. A lot of fuel leaked into the engine destroying a spark plug in one cylinder and ultimately ruining the catalytic converter when fuel got into it. Independent mechanic and Mazda dealership diagnosed. Car cannot be driven.

NHTSA complaint 11736705. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2018 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. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint 11629810. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Heavy condensation is occurring inside the driver side headlamp. A quick google search shows this is a common problem among Mazda owners and Mazda will not cover the repair. I am unable to get a Massachusetts state inspection sticker due to this.

NHTSA complaint 11577723. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V487000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11534626. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-3. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle was moving from left to right. The contact stated that the brakes were making an abnormal scraping sound. There was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The local dealer was not contacted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint 11504763. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Was driving my grandchildren home when an alarm that I had never heard before started sounding and BRAKE! showed up on the heads up display. The car came to a stop out in the middle of the street even though there was nothing in front of or around the vehicle. It was a good thing there was not a car behind me or they would have rear-ended my vehicle and we or the people in the car that hit us could have gotten seriously hurt. I took the car to the dealer and they did a diagnostics check and said no codes came up so there was nothing wrong with the car. They actually told me that when and if it happens again to videotape it for proof.

NHTSA complaint 11444015. 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
2017 21 1
2016 48 3

Other 2018 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.

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