2021 Mazda MAZDA3
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 52 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 17th highest complaint count among 22 MAZDA3 model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 2 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 1 person was injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Tires, valveFeb 22, 2021
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2021 Mazda3 and CX-30 vehicles. Air may suddenly leak from the tire air valve.
A sudden air leak from the tire air valve may cause a loss of vehicle control while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four tire air valves with new parts, free of charge. The recall began April 6, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4721B.
Campaign 21V101000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
52 reports, newest first.
Seat belts, Jan 6, 2023
The latches inside the driver's seatbelt receptacle feel like they wear out over time. The only reason I can tell is because there is a really noticeable creaking that develops from inside the receptacle while the seatbelt is connected. This is worse for drivers with bigger waists and as the driver's waist continues to tug on the seatbelt during operation, the creaking gets worse over time. There are no electronic warnings. The seatbelt still properly connects and there are no electronic messages saying that anything is wrong with the seatbelt. My driver's original seatbelt receptacle has already been replaced once under warranty at a Mazda dealership. Now the second seatbelt receptacle is starting to do the same thing again after about 6 months of use. I fear that even if I get it replaced a second time, this will just continue to happen. Perhaps there is a manufacturing defect. As this issue continues to get worse, I fear that this creaking will develop into a major failure with the seatbelt connection itself.
Structure, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 2, 2023
Car emits a very audible squeak when shifting right above 30mph and 40mph, car surges at lower and constant speeds, tach will slowly drop when applying throttle, surge slightly, then function as normal again
Engine, Nov 13, 2022
Purchased car in January 2020 and within a month/few thousand miles the low engine oil light came on. Almost two years later car continues to burn excessive oil triggering low engine oil light. Dealer doesn’t acknowledge an issue, Mazda still doesn’t have a repair. Owners required to pay for excess servicing until a repair is issued. This is a widespread problem impacting the engine.
Engine, Nov 5, 2022
Turbo using/burning oil- Consumption issue.
Engine, Oct 11, 2022
Oil light has come one twice within 17,000 miles of owner ship. The first time at 4,800 miles and the second at 17,529 miles, the most recent was only 3,500 miles since the last oil change.
Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 25, 2022
Strong unburnt fuel smell had just started at 6700 miles. Mazda Dealership stated that they would not be looking at my car and that gas smells are normal... After this encounter, I had 2 mechanics look at my car. Both had concluded that the smell predominantly comes from near the rear driver wheel, under the body, and that it is an extremely dangerous situation. I am a full time student and do not feel safe driving this car to class but I have no choice since Mazda is neglecting this issue. I also reported to the dealer that my brakes seem to be defective since they are causing excessive shaking when applied. Dealer informed me that they do not warranty the OEM brakes that came on my car, however Mazda Corporate informed me that they do. I do not feel safe driving this car knowing the car may combust and harm me and others on the road. The brakes also do not inspire confidence. A complaint has been filed with Mazda Corporate.
Engine, Sep 19, 2022
After roughly 2,000 miles of driving, the low oil light comes on. The engine is burning oil. Mazda has issued a TSB on it, but they have taken no action to fix the issue. Right now they just top off the oil.
Air bags, Sep 4, 2022
Air bag malfunction light comes on a and goes off multiple times while driving
Engine, Aug 22, 2022
The engine is burning oil. Oil and filter were changed at 5000 miles. At about 9000 miles, the engine oil level light came on. Topped off with oil and took to dealer, they confirmed no oil leaks and changed the oil.
Wheels, Aug 15, 2022
This new car has less than 8000 miles on it and suddenly 3 of 4 BRIDGESTONE TIRES Turanza el440 215/45R18 89 have sidewall bubbles. Interesting that there are a ton of issues w sidewall Bridgestone tires on line yet the dealership keeps claiming the car must have been run over a median? Without any damage anywhere on the car? Come on.. it is clearly a manufacturer defect. They have history with sidewall bubbling. Consumers getting shafted at best and maimed at worst. Do something please!
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 8, 2022
Vehicle detects cars in other lane as an impeding collision in turns, activates emergency braking when no collision is imminent.
Engine, Aug 2, 2022
At around 3600 Miles my Mazda which I had for only a couple of months displayed a low engine oil light which required a visit to the dealership.This was under normal driving conditions.
Engine, Jul 1, 2022
My Mazda 3 2.5T has been burning oil in excess. The car has a total of 24,000 miles and has been serviced 3 times. I have had to add oil in between every service. The oil has been completely burned off by 4,000-5,000 miles. I have noticed that other people have been posting about the same issues online. When talking to the dealership they state that they have noticed this issue with the 2.5T’s but offer no fix and seem to overfill the engine oil to try and compensate.
Engine, Jun 29, 2022
Excess oil consumption in engine. Low light came on around 5,000 miles and dipstick showed engine oil was at the minimum mark.
Engine, Jun 27, 2022
Engine is consuming excessive oil. Dealership states there is a TSB out but the fix is to keep topping the oil off. I would like an investigation to determine the root cause of the oil consumption on a new engine.
Air bags, Jun 11, 2022, crash
The vehicle was badly rear ended and the airbags didn't deploy. The dashboard indicated an "airbag malfunction" after the collision happened. The failure of the airbags put myself and my passengers at serious risk; if we weren't wearing our seatbelts, which we were, we would have been gravely injured. The vehicle is less than a year old and still under warranty.
Engine, May 29, 2022
Low engine oil warning between oil changes. Burned 3+ quarts between 5000 mile and 10,000 mile service.
Other or unspecified, Apr 10, 2022
A have a new 2021 Mazda 3 Hatchback with 3,500 miles. As I was driving and approaching a traffic light to stop, my car shut down completely while in traffic. I turned on my hazard lights, put the car in the park position, and restarted the vehicle. As I proceed with driving, when I made a right turn onto the blvd, a minute after turning when I came to another stop, the vehicle shut down again. I called Romano Mazda in Syracuse, NY. They set me up with an appointment for the following week and gave me a rental. They kept my vehicle for 3 days. Per the technician, there were no codes found or pending codes. said they contacted the Mazda tech line and was told there was no history of the fault within the ODR date and released my vehicle back to me. My vehicle only has 3,500 miles on it. ITs a huge safety hazard. I transport my mother who is 93 years of age. I don't feel confident driving it. especially on the highways. In 2019 over 262,000 Mazdas, including the Mazda 3 hatchback were recalled for problems with vehicles stalling out. Sound like the same issue with the 2021's
Air bags, Apr 8, 2022
My car started to show a warning on the dashboard that the airbag system is malfunctioning. The alarm would come on for a few seconds, then turn off, then repeat like that multiple times every drive. At the time it started, my car had less than 500 miles on it, and it continued after that until I got it fixed. I took it to the Mazda dealership where I bought it, and they said it was a short circuit to the driver's side airbags. They told me that could have caused the airbags to deploy prematurely or not at all in an accident. I am also a part of a Mazda 3 community and am active on the forums, and in the last month I have seen at least 30-40 other 2021 Mazda 3 owners also report the same exact error code, with the same short circuit issue being cited as the problem by the dealership. Parts are on backorder for weeks for most of these owners, and some of them were told by the dealership to keep their car while they waited for the part, whereas my own dealership told me it was unsafe to drive the car and to have it towed to the dealership instead.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Jan 22, 2022
Context: ADAS was not on. Lane keep assist is disabled in system settings entirely as it is dangerous. Blinkers were on, I was pulling out from parallel parking into left turn lane onto a straight road with slight incline. Car is of the Turbo trim on stock tires. Upon finishing pulling out of parallel parking spot and gassing the car, torque vectoring or some underlying collision avoidance may have phantom activated. I felt torque shift to the wrong tires, unsettling the car, and the wheel -- with no human input -- jerked to the left to force me into the lane left of intended. I applied throttle and steered right back into the correct lane, but the car was applying torque to the wrong tires and applying a left bias to the steering. Only after I got above 25mph and held straight did the car settle. Almost caused an accident if the lane was not empty due to car unsettling itself into the left lane.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 9, 2022
I had two incidents during a short 25 min drive. Incident 1: I was in right side of the road, there were 2 lanes on this side. I was in the far left lane driving at below 30 mph, there was no vehicle directly behind me, and no vehicle directly in front of me. There was no vehicle in the oncoming side of traffic. There was 1 vehicle in the right lane next to me, about 20 feet behind. This vehicle slowed down to turn right into a parking lot. I did not have my foot on the brake at all, the vehicle behind me was in no way veering into my lane or doing anything abnormal. At this point, all of a sudden my car hard braked automatically. I had not touched the brake and I was driving straight and not veering. It was very sudden, and very hard braking, and it jerked me in my seat because of how hard the brake had suddenly turned on. Incident 2: After that first incident, there was a second time when this happened on the same trip. Once again, this time I was driving at about 35 mph. It was again where there were two lanes on my side of the road and I was in the left lane. No vehicles were in front or behind me. In the right lane next me to, there was 3 vehicles in a row about 25 feet behind me, and the front vehicle of them stopped to turn right into another parking lot area. The same thing happened, I did not have my foot on the brake at all, and had not veered at all and was driving straight. The brakes automatically came on suddenly in a very hard brake, resulting again in a sudden complete stop, even though there were no cars in directly in front or behind me. The vehicle was brought brand new at the dealership , so I had no cause to have the brakes inspected by the dealership, police, or insurance company. There was a warning that the safety features had been disabled due to obstruction of the front sensor, but there was no warning lamps that the emergency automatic brake was going to be used, it just happened.
Air bags, Dec 18, 2021
Instrument panel display shows a warrning message: Air Bag System Malfunction. Have the Vehicle inspected.
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 28, 2021
The error code "B14FO-76 FORWARD SENSING CAMERA DEVIATION - WRONG MOUNTING POSITION" was discovered, and verified, by a Safelite Auto Glass service center when the 2021 Mazda 3 was in for a repair (stone chip) to the windshield on September 21, 2021. There were no warning messages nor lights to alert the driver as to the improper installation/mounting of this device. There has been no known modification to nor obstruction of the FSC -- its condition is now as it was received new from the dealer. Improper mounting ("Wrong Mounting Position") of the Forward Sensing Camera affects multiple safety systems of this vehicle, which affects the safety of the vehicle's passengers as well as everyone's safety around the vehicle every time it is driven -- there's no telling what injury and damage may occur from an errant un-commanded driving tasks such as emergency braking and faulty lane departure corrections.
Electrical system, Sep 7, 2021, fire
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the passenger front side tire was flat which caused the contact to veer to the shoulder. The contact towed the vehicle to the dealer where the tire was inspected as the technician informed the contact that the tire was on backorder and no replacement tire was available. The vehicle then was towed back to the contact resident however was informed by the towing company that the vehicle abrupted in flames on the flatbed. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the flames. No police report was made. no injuries were sustained. The contact is awaiting approval from the insurance adjustor on adjustments needed to be made for the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 2,509.
Forward collision avoidance, Apr 15, 2021
2021 MAZDA 3. CONSUMER WRITES REGARDING FAILED SBS SYSTEM. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE SMART BRAKE SYSTEM SLAMS ON THE BRAKES UNNECESSARILY, WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALER THAT FEATURE COULD NOT BE DISABLED. *JS