2014 Mazda Mazda3: owner complaints and recalls

Complaints about the 2014 Mazda Mazda3 are still climbing years after launch. The last three full years account for 36 of the 138 filings on record, which usually means a defect that surfaces with mileage rather than a factory fault.

138
Complaints
4
Recalls
10
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
5
Injuries
62.3
Severity index

Severity index 62.3 - Medium. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 62.3p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2014 Mazda Mazda3 sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 139 2014 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2014 Mazda Mazda3 ranks 88 of 139 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 37% of its model-year peers. See the full 2014 ranking.

What actually fails

Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 27 complaints (19.6%)27 20%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 27 complaints (19.6%)27 20%Service BrakesService Brakes: 22 complaints (15.9%)22 16%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 21 complaints (15.2%)21 15%EngineEngine: 13 complaints (9.4%)13 9%Back Over PreventionBack Over Prevention: 11 complaints (8.0%)11 8%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 9 complaints (6.5%)9 7%Parking BrakeParking Brake: 8 complaints (5.8%)8 6%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2719.6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2719.6%
SERVICE BRAKES2215.9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2115.2%
ENGINE139.4%
BACK OVER PREVENTION118.0%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL96.5%
PARKING BRAKE85.8%

Complaints filed per year

010212014: 142015: 102016: 72017: 132018: 122019: 212020: 62021: 72022: 62023: 112024: 162025: 92026: 6 (partial year)1415161718192120212223242526
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
201414
201510
20167
201713
201812
201921
20206
20217
20226
202311
202416
20259
2026 (year to date)6
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 1.9x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
16V68400022/09/2016FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLYMazda Motors North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Mazda3 vehicles manufactured January 4, 2014, to September 18, 2015. The fuel tank of the affected vehicles may have been improperly handled during manufacturing and, as a result, the welded
17V39300022/06/2017PARKING BRAKEMazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda6 and 2014-2016 Mazda3 vehicles. Water could possibly enter the brake caliper causing the parking brake actuator shaft to corrode and possibly bind.
14V17300003/04/2014ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATORMazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Mazda3 vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through December 18, 2013, and model year 2014-2015 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured May 20, 2013, through December 4, 2013, and both equipped with a 2.5L engine an
23V48700014/07/2023BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERAMazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Mazda3 and 2016-2021 CX-3 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display properly by showing a flickering or distorted image.
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.