2012 Mazda Mazda3: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 226 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 1 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
226
Complaints
1
Recalls
9
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
5
Injuries
36.3
Severity index
Severity index 36.3 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Mazda Mazda3 ranks 105 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 19% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 40 | 17.7% |
| ENGINE | 32 | 14.2% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 31 | 13.7% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 25 | 11.1% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 20 | 8.8% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 18 | 8.0% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 18 | 8.0% |
| STRUCTURE | 17 | 7.5% |
The single most-reported system is POWER TRAIN, cited in 40 of 226 complaints (17.7%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 16 |
| 2013 | 20 |
| 2014 | 30 |
| 2015 | 15 |
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 30 |
| 2018 | 18 |
| 2019 | 22 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2021 | 17 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 7 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16V644000 | 06/09/2016 | 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, 20 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.