Owners' Stories

Bought 2007 Mazda3 S GT in CA. I've loved everything about the car for the first 4.5 years. I upgraded the map/dome lights in the car with LED bulbs. Now the light over the license plate and the right, rear LED tail light do not work. When I press the brake the it lights up. I had to buy the entire lamp assembly because the LEDs aren't sold separately. But it keeps doing the same thing. Because it's the same LED and it works when I press the brakes, what could it be? All my fuses under the hood are good.

Hi, I purchased the Mazda 2010 over a year ago. Recently, my dog went "crazy" over a sound she heard in the garage for over a day. She was a frantic, distressed and panting, clinging, unhappy little dog. I tried to resolve the problem and found that the sound was related to the trunk being partially open. That was taken care of but the trunk icon is still flashing on the screen, How do I turn it off? Thanks. akn

I bought a 2010 Mazda3 Hatch a few months ago; 6,700 miles on it. I used to drive a mini-van & absolutely love this Mazda, goofy grin and all! It easily handles city & highway driving and is blast to drive. Although, I would agree that the moonroof would be better if the controls were had some lighting. Cargo space is fabulous for a small car! I was able to pack a recliner chair in the Hatch w/the rear seats folded down!

I love this car for it's pep, styling and fun to drive attitude but sadly it has it's problems. First off minor issues... No lighting on moonroof controls --a pain at night as you are poking around in the dark hunting for the controls. The back seat is definitely tight --Another inch would be nice. 5 speed manual not 6 speed --I see that this is rectified in later year models. I find myself constantly wanting to upshift when already in 5th gear. It certainly hurts gas mileage as well. A/C output --It is barely adequate on a normal day in Houston. Eats tires --I accept this due to the negative camber built in to give this car it's great grip and handling. BUT keep those tires rotated!!! Now the major stuff... Alarm system replaced at 23K --It turns out this model had an aftermarket unit which supposedly is now replaced by an OEM version in later models. New rear brake pads at 35K --I see this repeated in other reviews, why an issue??? HVAC control system burned out at 48K --Circuit board burned out causing fan blower to stop. Not covered by warranty. Why??? Dealer couldn't explain what caused problem. A/C compressor at 53K --Mazda covered parts including compressor, pulleys, freon, etc. but I had to pay labor. Mazda said they have been having problems with this particular compressor unit. So, overall inspite of it's fun to drive personality I probably will not buy another Mazda 3. I drive my cars carefully and keep them maintained. So my standard is I should be able to get 10 years and 100K miminum without any problems. This car does not meet my standards. One other thing... I can't stand the goofy grin on the front end of recent Mazda's. I don't want to drive around in a clown car!?!? What were they thinking???

I have a 2010 Mazda 3 and my wife was driving it the other day and all of a sudden it made a horrible noise and it wouldn't go over 20 miles an hour. Makes terrible noise when you put it into gear. So called and had it towed to mazda dealer and they said we damaged the underside of the car and it might not be covered by warranty. They said we need to have a mazda rep come and look and then they said they needed to have a japanese rep come and look at it and they called me and said that there is a small dent on the transmission cover where the mount broke and that is what caused it so we must have done it. We did nothing to the car. They said but mazda will give you the benefit of the doubt and cover it under warranty and give us a rental until it is fixed. Sounds a little fishy.

I've owned a 2004 hatchback for 5 years, currently 117k miles. No major issues to speak of. Minor Problems: 1. Road Noise, this is not a quiet car on the road. My first tire replacement was at 42k, got some Conti Contacts, no improvement. Next replacement was at 100k, got some Hancook V12's .. a little better... 2. Not great in the Snow. Bought snow tires for the first time last winter. Marked improvement. 3. Gas cap emissions seal failed twice. Covered while under warranty, probably only a few states are required to have this "feature". I get about 30.5 mpg. 95% highway driving, so this is probably a little high... also explains why I just replaced the breaks for the first time last week. Comfortable inside, even for all day drives... even in the back seat I'm told. Good car all around though, highly recommended.

Bought new in 2004. Have 61000 miles now. Have owned 4 Hondas before this since 1977. Would NOT buy another Mazda. 1. Transmission had "hard shifting" from 1st-2nd gear. Required 3 trips to dealer finally to find out the computer needed to be "reflashed" to solve problem. 2. rear brakes needed replacement at 40k miles while front brakes where maybe 30% used, Never had a car so biased to the rer brakes and obviously not equally distributing brake pressures. 3. Air conditioner has been marginal at best. I do not expect it too much but the unit has a very hard time just keeping interior at a bearable level. 4. Most important......The idle speed about 9 months ago dropped down to about 500-600rpm. This is a speed where I get engine shake when in gear (its an automatic). When I approached the dealer they said the idle speed COULD NOT be adjusted higher. I went o another dealer and they said that 3 of the 4 engine mounts were cracked and needed replacement at over $700. I seriously doubt the mounts to be cracked because I drive this car VERY gently. If they are in fact cracked, then this is extremely POOR quality of the mounts. On the PLUS side, the engine has plenty of power and runs smooth at cruising RPMS, the enterior is good, handling is excellent. As the economy improves I will be getting rid of this car and will return to Honda again.