Common problems with Mazda 3??

[barbiexgina]

Im going to a few dealerships next week to finally buy my Mazda 3.
Before that tho, I wanted to know in general, what are the common problems that Mazda 3s all tend to have??? Anything specific i should be looking for when im looking in the dealerships??

Thank you.

[MAZDA Kitten]

Just take a look through all the TSB's and that should pretty much cover it

[Malcolm991]

These cars are all good in general! Some people have problem's with there cars and others don't. I have 88k on my 06 and have yet to have a single problem.

[plontoc]

I'm nearing 100,000 on my 2006 and the only problem I've had is a few rattles and a busted engine mount (I hit a pretty big pothole). Other than that, great car.

[5_Alive]

Horrible cars. Stay away from them. It will give you nothing but a headache and you will regret not buying a BMW for the same amount of money.
























































LOL, I'm just kidding!!
Great, fantastic cars. Just make sure to inspect it for any signs of rust or pending rust (if your buying it used).

[barbiexgina]

im happy to read all these positive reviews. hopefully ill find the one that wont screw me over...
another question tho, mazda 3s, are they assambled in japan or states? and do they use any of the ford parts in them? (i know ford owns some parts of mazda financially, but im not too sure how much influence they have on the actual assambly of the car)?.

[Thrizzl3]

im happy to read all these positive reviews. hopefully ill find the one that wont screw me over...
another question tho, mazda 3s, are they assambled in japan or states? and do they use any of the ford parts in them? (i know ford owns some parts of mazda financially, but im not too sure how much influence they have on the actual assambly of the car)?.

Mazda 3's are made in Japan:)

[mazda lover]

Im going to a few dealerships next week to finally buy my Mazda 3.
Before that tho, I wanted to know in general, what are the common problems that Mazda 3s all tend to have??? Anything specific i should be looking for when im looking in the dealerships??

Thank you.


do a search "pros and cons" "problems"
also try www.mazda3forums.com and do a search there also
try doing a GOOGLE search, check with the Lemon Aid book, try JD Power etc...do your homework...

[MAZDA Kitten]

im happy to read all these positive reviews. hopefully ill find the one that wont screw me over...
another question tho, mazda 3s, are they assambled in japan or states? and do they use any of the ford parts in them? (i know ford owns some parts of mazda financially, but im not too sure how much influence they have on the actual assambly of the car)?.

Yes there is some "Ford" parts on these cars....

For example the springs had "FOMOCO" on them
Try searching this site and other Mazda forums

[5_Alive]

The calipers, gas tank, suspension^^, and other tid-bit things have FoMoCo written on them, but only because they were Ford funded and/or shared/designed together.
Other than that, its completely a Mazda, and you should have no worries.
Even talk to Jeff aka TheBiz on this board if you would like to purchase one.
MANY people on this forum and otherwise have bought from him, and I have yet to hear a complaint about him.

[Bean]

Dont make the mistake I did, go get your car from Jeff at Mazda of Toronto. :)

[mogul_pro]

Minus a blown engine that Mazda would not replace even though I was only 1/2 way through my waranty no real issues at all...

[Bean]

Why wouldnt they replace the engine? What was their excuse for this? Cannot replicate the problem?? Seems to be the most common answer for them. :flaming

[barbiexgina]

mazda wouldn't replace a blown engine even tho it was still under warranty???? wow thats really really sucks, ...
just curious, what was their excuse for that??

[Jeff0]

Minus a blown engine that Mazda would not replace even though I was only 1/2 way through my waranty no real issues at all...

wow...is this true???

[mazdabetty]

mazda wouldn't replace a blown engine even tho it was still under warranty???? wow thats really really sucks, ...
just curious, what was their excuse for that??

This might sound strange, and I hate to sound like I'm taking away any potential business from a Mazda dealership, but keep an eye open for M3s at other dealerships as well, if you want to buy used. Mine is from a GM dealership, and not only did they give me a ridiculous deal on the car cuz they wanted it off their lot, but they also gave me a lifetime engine warranty (AND a great set of winter tires) as an incentive. Sure the catch is I have to get all my oil changes done with them, but it's a small price to pay to have the security.

Then again maybe Mazda offers even better incentives, (and I'd only go to Mazda anyway for everything else... :bana )

[Cardinal Fang]

Mine is from a GM dealership, and not only did they give me a ridiculous deal on the car cuz they wanted it off their lot, but they also gave me a lifetime engine warranty (AND a great set of winter tires) as an incentive.


Lifetime warranty on an engine? I hope you got that in writing with no exclusions.

[mazdabetty]

Lifetime warranty on an engine? I hope you got that in writing with no exclusions.

haha yes I did get it all in writing (along with a nice sticker to prove it on my window... for whatever reason...) and I keep the signed slip very, very close to me. lol

[Rev T]

OMG, I wish I had listened to these people before I fell in love with my M3 and lept without looking. Hopefully you will do your due dilligence and check the problems first. I actually took my car back to the dealer this morning because the top third of my rear window wasn't defrosting...turns out it isn't a defroster but an antenna built into the glass! Silly me, don't know why I thought I needed to actually see out the back window, an antenna is way more important then the safety of my children!

[Rev T]

Oh yeah, and make sure the paperwork they are showing you matches the car! My paperwork was out by 3000 km and they were going to safety it based on the original mileage! I made them re-inspect.... who knows what someone (apparently the owner of 3 mazda dealerships took a used car with rock chips and a broken windshield to drive for 3 months!) may have hit. But this seems to be common, by the time we were done, we had talked to 6 more employees who all admitted to borrowing the cars off of the used car lot.

[stock3]

It's a used car, so you have to check for potential accident evidence, maintenance history and overall shape of the car. The only real issue with 3's is the rust. Check if it was rust proofed and check the rear fenders and brake light for rust issues or quick bondo fixes. Don't get suckered into thinking that you are buying from a Mazda dealer so that they would not sell you a piece of junk. If they can, they will, as they buy their used cars from an auction just like every body else in the used car business.
Better yet, bring the car to your mechanic of choice for an inspection. It usually costs about $100, but it is the best money you can spend when dealing with used cars. If the dealer won't allow you to do that and they come up with some half baked excuse, walk away from the deal. If they tell you that inspection is not needed because they offer you a warranty, don't fall for it. These warranties have so many loop holes that it is very hard to get it enforced. Simply put it's much better to ensure you are getting a well maintained, no accident car even without any warranties then buy an unknown car but with warranty.

Remember one thing, this is a cut throat business and nobody will do you any favors. If you don't do your due diligence, no one else will.

[SamAwad]

Im going to a few dealerships next week to finally buy my Mazda 3.
Before that tho, I wanted to know in general, what are the common problems that Mazda 3s all tend to have??? Anything specific i should be looking for when im looking in the dealerships??

Thank you.

Hi there,

if you didnt buy a MAZDA 3 yet..
please contact me w, we have tons of them in the dealership..;)
All kind iof trim levels..And I can also get you a great deal on extented warranty ;)
and our service department is one of the best..
give me a shoot you wont regret it 6478647868 ;)

Sam Awad

[Pereira11]

Hi there,

if you didnt buy a MAZDA 3 yet..
please contact me w, we have tons of them in the dealership..;)
All kind iof trim levels..And I can also get you a great deal on extented warranty ;)
and our service department is one of the best..
give me a shoot you wont regret it 6478647868 ;)

Sam Awad

seeing this is from 09 he probably bought one already...