Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 8 safety complaints
about the 2025 Mazda MAZDA3 with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the air bags.
The most complained-about system is forward collision avoidance,
named in 2 complaints, 25% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers January 2025 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
8 complaints on file
8
Complaints
2
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
1
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
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 25%
2 25%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 25%
2 25%
AIR BAGS 1 · 13%
1 13%
SEAT BELTS 1 · 13%
1 13%
SUSPENSION 1 · 13%
1 13%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 13%
1 13%
WHEELS 1 · 13%
1 13%
048
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 8.
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 2025 at 4.
8 6 4 2
252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2025 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA has not crash tested the 2025 Mazda MAZDA3. Its New Car Assessment Program
tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach
motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so
an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It
is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a
different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people
inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke
during ordinary use.
Recall campaigns
1 on file
AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
Mazda North American Operations is recalling certain 2024-2025 Mazda3 and CX30 vehicles. The Sophisticated Air Bag Sensor (SAS) units may set an error code and deactivate the air bags, due to a low battery condition.
The risk
Air bags that do not deploy in the event of a crash increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will reprogram the SAS unit with improved software or replace the unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2025. Mazda's number for this recall is 7525E.
Mazda North American Operations · up to 171,412 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.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1 injured · crash · towed
The vehicle was involved in a rear and side impact collision and the car was totaled on 5/14/2026. The air bags did not deploy. There was a recall on the air bag system immediately after purchase 6/28/2025 and it was taken in July of 2025 to Mazda of Columbia, SC and it was “repaired.” The airbags of the truck that collided with the Mazda did deploy.
NHTSA complaint 11739690. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
Car was turning left in front of me. I was going about 30 mph. I started to steer to the right of the car into a passing lane. The AEB stopped me and the guy behind me rear-ended me. The system did not need to react, I was not going to hit the car in front of me, but I could not steer to the right until I came to the passing lane.
NHTSA complaint 11640657. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car started displaying a telematic malfunction. The service paperwork also says U0198:00-03 CMU Communication error with emergency call unit. The Mazda dealerships maintenance department says this is currently unrepairable. According to them if I have an accident the car will not communicate that through the emergency call unit. The car was purchased new and has had no accidents. I have taken it to the dealership 4 separate times to repair this problem.
NHTSA complaint 11767456. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHEN TURNING A CORNER IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, AS I GOT AROUND THE CORNER (SLOW SPEED (10 MPH?). THE CAR GRADUALLY SPED UP ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL. NO CRUISE ON AND NO FLOOR MAT PROBLEM. WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL "ON", THE ENGINE "REVED UP. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint 11741126. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SEAT BELTS
I am reporting a catastrophic failure of the rear seatbelt restraint system in my 2025 Mazda 3. The rear seatbelt guide geometry is badly designed, allowing the webbing to bunch and jam during normal operation. This physical obstruction prevents the seatbelt from retracting, leading to three severe safety hazards: 1) Total failure to restrain occupants. 2) Structural damage to the vehicle's safety cell. 3) Public hazard where the obstructed door rebounded open into oncoming traffic. Restraint Failure: On multiple occasions, the rear seatbelt jammed in the guide clip while in use. Due to the lack of retraction, a 200lb adult passenger was able to fully exit the vehicle while the belt …
NHTSA complaint 11735932, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SUSPENSION
January 10, 2025, at low city speed, I struck a small pothole. The entire car felt like it had been in an accident—a violent jolt—followed by immediate vibration and a pull. Inspection showed one OEM 18" rim was bent. I contacted Mazda after diagnosing and was offered a slight discount on the replacement rim, not a warranty repair or full diagnosis. I have the bent rim in my possession. July 2025, at low speed, I barely contacted another small pothole and immediately felt the same drivability issues. A second rim was found damaged. This was only 4,500 miles after the first incident. I called the dealership manager; he said he would get back to me but never did. I later sent a letter that …
NHTSA complaint 11681156, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
I found out about this recall today. Mazda doesn’t have a fix to this recall yet. I am scared to drive my car in the event of a crash, due to the fact that my airbags won’t go off due to the recall. Mazda said to just “be aware until we have a fix” I cannot just “be aware” if I get into an accident and my airbags don’t go off.
NHTSA complaint 11665067. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published November 9, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed May 29, 2025.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published November 9, 2026.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst