2019 Mazda Mazda3 Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 5,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was traveling east bound on the 10 fwy at about 50 MPH between the exits town and indian hill with indian hill exit at 1 miles away and I was changing lanes so that I could exit on indian hill there was a truck that was at the indian hill exit putting it in front of my vehicle 1 miles away there was a car that was behind me at…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 17,000 miles

I was driving on us one between ft. Pierce and vero beach, just before christmas, 2019. There was no traffic in front or besides me, although there were cars approaching from the rear. The car suddenly violently shook and came to an immediate stop. I tried to start it, and nothing happened. I could see cars coming up behind me and knew I…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 3,200 miles

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

This began on 10.19.24 and as of 11.03.24 is ongoing and not repaired. On 10/19/24, while I was at a red light, the RPMs on my vehicle went up and down repeatedly. After I arrived at my destination, which was about a half mile away, and put the car in park, the RPMs repeatedly went up and down between 1,000 and 2,000 RPMs and the check…Owner complaint, filed 2024

I had an oil change back in April of 2024. I have been driving the last couple of days and after about 15 minutes my low oil light comes. this car has 58.800 miles on it. I stopped at a oil express to see if I was low on oil but they said I was at full. I also checked to see if they saw anything leaking but they also said they didn't see…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 4,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

The vehicle's battery has gone dead on several occasions since replacing the OEM battery. The OEM battery which was approximately 3 years old, also had gone dead, prompting its replacement. The battery has gone dead within 1-2 days of not using the car. Charging the battery by running it is only a temporary fix as the car needs to be…Owner complaint, filed 2023

When trying to start the vehicle it is unable to start and the car chimes while the complete instrument cluster flashes off and on. The car will not start and the entire instrument panel blinks/flashes displaying all warning lights. I hear whirring and clicking noises. Just prior to it not starting I may experience the driver side vents…Owner complaint, filed 2021

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 11,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

I noticed oil was leaking and my engine was steaming after driving. My mechanic found a crack in a cylinder after watching YouTube and finding out Mazda has this issue.Owner complaint, filed 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the vehicle network malfunction, vehicle inspection”, the check engine warning light and all the safety features were disabled, and the windshield wipers turned on independently. The contact was able to pull over on the side…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 36,329 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 7,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

The driver-side sun visor has suffered an internal mechanical failure where the internal plastic tension components have cracked under normal use. As a direct result, the sun visor will not stay up and randomly drops down completely unprompted while the vehicle is in motion. This creates an immediate, sudden, and dangerous visibility…Owner complaint, filed 2026

I'm having an issue with all glass in the vehicle when I'm driving in the rain or foggy weather. Seems it's like the top layer of glass was damaged by sun, please follow the links below to see more details: https://imgur.com/a/zlidrmj https://youtu.be/q47nisrtwzw https://youtu.be/frgwtvq3gdgOwner complaint, filed 2020, at 8,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 8,000 miles. Parts named most: Automatic emergency braking (6).

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2019 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the brake warning light illuminated and the vehicle would brake suddenly without the driver depressing the brake pedal. The failure had become recurring. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 15,000 miles

was driving in a car park and it randomly braked thinking someone was infront of me but there was nothing and the car behind me almost rear ended. Already fixed the recall last year according to Mazda. This is extremely scary and not sure what would have happened if this was on a highwayOwner complaint, filed 2021

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

Shown engine light on dashboard and Car was struggling to run while pressing the gas, took to the mazda dealership and they told low pressure and high pressure fuel pump needs to be replaced.Owner complaint, filed 2024

Check engine light appeared then I had a dead battery. I purchased a new one and the check engine light went away for a while until now. Then I found a letter online that I never received of a recall for california vehicles that were manufactured during specific dates. Mine is listed as one but it does not have an active recall.Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The airbag system, specifically the curtain airbags and related airbag control components, malfunctioned by deploying spontaneously without any collision or impact. The vehicle and deployed airbags are still available and can be…Owner complaint, filed 2026

A few weeks ago the following error message popped up on my dashboard: “Airbag Malfunction. Have vehicle inspected”. This message came and went intermittently whenever I had a passenger in the vehicle. I scheduled and appointment at my local Mazda dealership service center and in the meantime looked up the issue and found that it was…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Parts named most: Body (5).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

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…Owner complaint, filed 2024

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…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 4,500 miles

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

The seat belt stopped retracting and no longer works, it was reported directly to the Mazda agency, but the warranty was not valid. The dealer said that the tensioners no longer work and the seat belt needs to be replaced.Owner complaint, filed 2025

For the seat belt it does not retract back and there was no issue before. It suddenly stopped working and all of the seatbelt is out. This is a safety issue for anyone sitting in the front passenger seat. For the unknown part the button in the trunk to pull the back passenger seats down suddenly stopped working and no issues before then.…Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

Jan. 23, 2020. 10:45 am. I was on my street, a narrow residential street, preparing to back in my garage. In order to do that on this narrow street, I touched the lip of the driveway across the street. Speed well under 3 MPH. When I did so, my car suddenly sharply [VIN] and at the same time swerved to the right. The acceleration and…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 2,802 miles

My car suddenly made a big clunk noise and I was warned of a power steering malfunction. I have also been warned multiple times that due to a malfunction the 'safety systems have been disabled', another issue in having is a headlight malfunction. When the headlight malfunction occurs the digital speedometer gets very dark and I am unable…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 5,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

I have taken my car to multiple mazda dealers over the last several months with complaints of something very wrong with it [VIN], specifically in the suspension, driveline, etc. Every time I plead with them that I am scared to death to drive this car because I truly feel that I might die in it due to its defects, but every time I am…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 13,900 miles

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

Radar cruise control malfunction and safety systems malfunction frequently. Safety systems completely disable without warning periodically while driving. Radar cruise control doesn't work randomly. Mazda dealership can't replicate the issue. Other 2019 mazda 3 owners have the exact issue and no recall or fix has been issued.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 5,000 miles