Body complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 17% | — |
| 2023 | 1 | 8% | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 8% | — |
| 2021 | 2 | 4% | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 3% | 2,000 miles |
| 2019 | 5 | 7% | 5,000 miles |
| 2018 | 2 | 2% | 30,000 miles |
| 2017 | 4 | 5% | 23,000 miles |
| 2016 | 4 | 4% | 26,000 miles |
| 2015 | 6 | 5% | 50,000 miles |
| 2013 | 11 | 9% | 55,000 miles |
| 2012 | 17 | 8% | 37,000 miles |
| 2011 | 13 | 10% | 68,000 miles |
| 2010 | 169 | 25% | 49,000 miles |
| 2009 | 4 | 3% | 31,000 miles |
| 2008 | 8 | 3% | 54,000 miles |
| 2007 | 9 | 4% | 46,000 miles |
| 2006 | 12 | 7% | 71,000 miles |
| 2005 | 2 | 2% | 84,000 miles |
| 2004 | 8 | 6% | 130,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The car has had a lot of issues. The inside driver side glass for the display dash fogged up and had to be replaced. The first replacement didn't fix it and I had to threaten legal action to get Mazda to replace the glass a second time before it finally resolved the issue. The car (which is washed and waxed weekly), got rust on it in year 3. Mazda repaired it and promised it would not return. 14 months later the rust is back and Mazda won't repair it. I have escalated with no avail. I have had to replace the air conditioning fan for over $1K. I bought the car brand new with 59 miles on it, I have kept up on every maintenance and kept records and today it has 18,000 miles and I am told the transmission needs replaced. 18,000 miles on a garage kept car? This is not right!
I purchased my 2019 Mazda3 hatchback brand new last sept (2019). This summer I noticed the rear driver side door was difficult to open fully. It seemed to be binding at the hinge. However, on further investigation I realized the front edge of the door was actually hitting/rubbing against the back edge of the front door! This had not been an issue for the first few months I owed the vehicle. I attributed it to either a settling of the structural frame of the car or an expansion of the doors due to the summer heat. Either one I believe are cause for action by the manufacturer. I have now brought the car to two different Mazda dealership service dept's and both explained that, while the car has obviously not been in an accident, repairing the defect under warranty might be more difficult than I would expect. …
This goes with previous form tge other thing is that my door flew of on freeway right before it jerked like stated in other form my car had just been fixed from same doors and now one flies of car doingb80 miles per hr on i15 in nevada causin the accident I had I feel repair shop needs to cover the cost of accident
I am noticing excessive paint chips on the hood and front fenders of my 2017 Mazda 3. The paint is: soul red crystal paint. I have not noticed or heard road debris hit the car. The car has about 23000 miles. The paint seems very thin. I have noticed other Mazda owners with this paint having similar issues. Perhaps these cars should be recalled and be repainted. I have submitted a photo - there is one dent right front fender from a rock that did hit the car over a year ago, but the chips were not there.
I parked at the top of my driveway at a slight incline position with the emergency brake engaged and the car was in second gear (manual transmission). It was in a stationary position at that time. My family exited the vehicle and we went inside our home. Approximately a half our later I notice my car rolled down my driveway and crashed in between two trees on my property. Either the emergency brake failed or the car's transmission failed while parked. The car was found at the bottom of my property still in gear and had the emergency brake in the engaged position.
Water gets into the trunk and fills up the spare tire well. Causing mold and rust inside trunk. Throughout baring inside clutch/transmission component explodes destroying the clutch and transmission. Parking break doesn't disengage correctly causing brakes to wear down quickly. Water getting into rear break calipers making them defective. This has happened mainly in city street driving but noticeable on the highway.
I have filed this claim because the car in mention has been repaired by Mazda for failures in the door latching-locking system on three (3) separate occasions on different doors since I purchased it and it is currently showing signs of failure on one of the doors that was not affected before. I no longer consider the vehicle safe to drive and I strongly believe that failures of this nature May cause accidents with catastrophic injuries to the driver and to others. As a Mazda customer, car owner and engineering professional, I'm extremely concerned when I contemplate the possibility that this might not be an isolated case and that other Mazda owners might be driving unsafe vehicles. I have also started a claim with the bbb auto line case maz1714424 where I pursue repurchase of the vehicle by Mazda among other items.
My spouse was driving on a highway and suddenly heard a loud sound. He scanned the surroundings and did not see any unusual occurrence. He felt cold air and noise and when he look up, his sunroof is gone, just a few glass left on the side looking like granules. He had spontaneous sunroof explosion.
Related recalls (1)
Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles manufactured November 18, 2008, to June 8, 2013, 2012-2015 Mazda5 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2010, to June 22, 2015, 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 26, 2015, and 2013-2016 CX-5…
Remedy: Mazda dealers will replace the both lift gate supports, free of charge, however parts are not currently available. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mazda Mazda3 years have body problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2010 (169), 2012 (17), 2011 (13), 2006 (12) and 2013 (11) model years. Body complaints make up 25% of all complaints for the 2010.
Is there a recall for Mazda Mazda3 body problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 16V-644 (hatchback/liftgate, Sep 6, 2016). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mazda Mazda3 body problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles; 53% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the body (129 mentions), followed by the frame and members (8).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.