Mazda 3 Reviews

Flash forward to March 2015. My sunroof failed again. I opened it. Couple hours later I tried to shut it and it made a noise and ceased. Took the car to Mazda Dealer. I waited 2 hours and ** came out and told me the roof was covered but I needed 2000$ worth of work. He said my rear brakes were metal to metal, it was leaking oil .... he went on and on then he said "I want to put you in a new car." The car was running great and I never seen a drop of oil on ground the ground so red flags began to pop up. I told ** "I didn't have money for all that right now but let's move forward with the roof." We made appointment for me to get a loaner car the following week and have roof repaired.

I decided to get another opinion on all the other work and come to find out the majority of work ** said I needed done was not needed. My rear brakes were fine, I was told new cars spew out more oil than my car was and basically not much needed to be done. Total came to 296$. Now I know that ** at the Mazda Dealer can not be trusted. I kept this information under my hat.

The day came for me to drop car off and get loaner car. At the end of day ** told me the roof was not covered. When I asked "why?" He said it was caused by debris. I asked to see it and was told they left it in roof. When I took car home there was dust and pollen on roof so I knew it had not been touched. When I called the warranty company to find out why my roof failed in 2011, they said they never paid out for a roof. When I asked Mazda dealer for the cause the roof failed in 2011 they said all their paper work was missing but magically they have the recall info. I feel they never replaced the roof, lied to get 2000$ out of me for an extended warranty, lied about debris being the cause so they can void coverage by the extended warranty.

I spoke to Service Manager, General Manager and they all talk in circles justify all the fabrications and finally told me I am not allowed to go back there anymore. I asked for all the paperwork in the file on my car and ** the General Manager gave me two pieces of paper... from April 29,2015.

I immediately called Mazda only for the representative to tell me that there's no way that I could drive my car for almost a month with those tires loose and maybe someone is tampering with my car in the parking lot. Very unprofessional statement first. Secondly, I informed her that I don't drive my car regularly because I had hand surgery Mar 11 and my car is parked majority of the time in my garage. I am so dissatisfied with her response and with the neglect of the person who performed the service on my car. This is the reason why people are so hesitant to go to the dealership and price increase but I trusted them and this is the thanks I got!

Plus now (Jan 2015), I tried to plug my MOTO G phone for recharging and the USB port doesn't read this phone, even for a simple recharge (Ok for Bluetooth). At Least my iPOD can be recharge in the USB port?? For my point of view, it is a very cheap for a BOSE audio system. Even my friend basic Hyundai ELANTRA system work very well and fast with all my electronic toys.

For the Brakes, it is my second Mazda, (previous was a 2005 Mazda 3 GT, new) and those were very good and long lasting brakes. I change the front brakes once in 287000 km and twice in the rear. On my MAZDA 6 2014, after 44000 km, they look like they won't last long. The dealer told me that we have to get them to dismantle the Caliper, to lubricate and keep them from locking/griping, that on a regular basis?? I will check this summer, when I switch to summer wheels if they are still good. The ABS is very nervous and weird in winter condition??

For now, since I keep my car for a minimum of 7-8 years, and high mileage, I am happy with my MAZDA except for the above . It drive very good, cheap on gas for a big car ( average 7.1 ltr on the computer after a year). The manual transmission is fun, and it is the reason i bought it, over a Mazda 3 GT 2014 (manual not avail on top model).

One last thing, the seats and the interior fit and finish are very good, but my ceiling panel cracks and groan big time in cold Canadian weather, which I didn't have this issue with my Mazda 3, during the 8 years of ownership. If I would buy another one (MAZDA)??, I don't know, if the electronic is the same, it is a big NO (before Mazda I was a VW fanatic, almost bought a GTI ilo the Mazda 6). Overall the 6 looks better and drive as good as my old 3, but my 3 felt like overall more durable on long term.

Long story short, they did not call me but added $90 to this already padded bill to change the thermostat. This was in the state of CT, and have had this issue before, where the shop does not call before adding more labor to the bill. Make sure when in CT that you warn the mechanic not to do this, as the state laws are apparently very soft on this.

Otherwise, the car has been excellent over 12 years and 100,000 miles of service. Unlike the new Mazdas, the windows are large and easy to see out of. And with winter tires, the car is unstoppable here in the Northeast. I highly recommend the Protege as a used car if you can find one with relatively low miles. As for the dealer where we purchased it in 2002, horrible experience and the minute we took delivery they did not want to have anything to do with us. Lucky this Mazda was trouble-free during the warranty period, unlike the many others reporting here on the newer Mazda 3.

A maxi sport is a much faster and performs much better and is a large amount of money cheaper. I have been banned from taking my car back to the dealer who sold me the car for no reason and have also been told that my extended warranty is not valid at any other dealer than the one the car was purchased from. I have tried to call Mazda and get help and they just tell me they have nothing to do with the car and to go to the dealer. All Mazda do is sell the cars to dealers and they hold zero responsibility in regards to problems with their product and offer no help to rectify any issues. I have had the car looked at by a performance shop and they have told me the car is a total lemon and it is not in any way the brochures describe the car and it is a disgrace that I cannot do anything to fix the issues.

I have been having a constant list of problems coming up with the car and it is like extracting teeth to get the warranty issues fixed. Mazda are a disgrace of a company they have no worry about taking advantage of people and there way of dealing with any issues is to ignore it and pass the buck every time. What does a person need to do to get their brand new car looked at and how can a company that manufactures a car claim to have no obligation about their product. And any conduct issues about the product are all the responsibility of the dealer as they are a franchise. This is something that needs to be addressed and if I want something done and want to pay for it, they have all the time in the world need something defective fixed and they will do anything to not need to do it.

Has anyone else been having issues with the 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv? If so please comment on it and if have had any luck getting the issue fixed please comment so I math be able to get the issues fixed before I park it through their shop window because it is a worthless bit of car. And I still need to pay the finance on it but I'm still stuck with the lemon. Mazda you are a disgrace and I hope you get what is coming to you, what goes around comes around. And one day you will get what you deserve and I would never recommend that anyone buys a Mazda because they will regret it, I can promise that. The dealer I felt with is Mazda Brookvale 2100 the salesman Tom ** and he will lie and do anything to make the sale though has little to no knowledge about the product he is selling!!!!!!!!!!!!

My car had issue after issue trying to die at stops or in stop and go traffic, getting 22 mpg hwy miles (which I was told was normal), freezing in first gear or not shifting out of first gear, running loud and hot (which I was told was normal), and a slew of defective parts that seem to pop up every few months. Even though I purchased an extended warranty, I was told by Overland Park Mazda that I was no longer allowed to bring the car back for service and because my car had been in the shop so much prior that I was no longer allowed a courtesy car which has been noted in my account so no matter where I take it I get refused. If my car had worked in the first place, I wouldn't have needed a loaner. I paid for my car so I could drive it.

It's been an epic battle with Mazda any time I need service because they refuse to allow techs to even look at it on a Saturday or without discussing the issue with corporate due to the amount of issues I've had already. This combined with the inability to have a courtesy loaner or shuttle means I have to take time off work and borrow a car or get rides every time my car needs maintenance. I just picked it up yesterday from yet another major repair that took me borrowing my dad's car for 4 days and again missing work.

All I wanted was to buy a good reliable car and what I got was the absolute worst nightmare I have ever experienced for the last 2 years. I would gladly trade the car off for a comparable car, but Mazda refuses to accept any responsibility for the bad car and they told me the only thing they'll offer is a discount on a new Mazda if I want to trade out of the car.. I will never own or even suggest anyone else buy a Mazda as long as I live and breathe. DO NOT BUY A MAZDA, EVER!!! They used to be great and now they are just garbage.

They mentioned that I had burned four liters of oil in about 3000 kms and could/would not provide an answer as to the large oil loss. They said it would be okay to drive. Shortly afterwards the ticking became a clanking noise and had to get the vehicle towed to the dealership for another assessment. The service manager assured me that it was just a turned bearing and could be repaired. Apparently not as there was severe damage to the engine and could not repair or rebuild. They suggested a used engine with 80,000 kms as a replacement.

Reading many articles on the web, apparently at 80,000 kms is when many 2.3 owners were having difficulties with their engines. I eventually bought a remanufactured engine and had the local mechanic do the installations. Due to the large number of complaints about this engine and in particular mine and knowing that the car has been serviced by Mazda since day one I will be processing a small claims court action against Mazda. This or similar engine should be quite capable of reaching 250-300,000 kilometers.

I believe that the ZOOM ZOOM company is selling an engine with very little long term advantages. There are many stories on the web to substantiate my claim. Mazda should be ashamed of themselves for selling an inferior product and not standing behind their not so quality engine.

I have visited a service department already 3 times, the first time it was on Wednesday 22nd January 2014 (if I remember well). At that time one of the acceptance person saw the issue with my backup camera, but unfortunately the garage was already closed at 6PM, so he told me to bring back the car any day later. So I did... I brought back the car there the following Saturday 25th. After a wait of about a hour the acceptance person and one of the technicians came to me and they told me that the issue was solved with a software update released by Mazda also aiming to resolve this KNOWN issue. I left the facility very happy...

Few days back I have experienced the same issue. Too bad! So I went back to the service department on Saturday 1st February 2014. After some discussions we have agreed to leave the car there for some tests. Just to let you know, I did not ask, and I did not get offered any car loaner for the inconvenience. Tuesday February 4th 2014, I got a call back from the service manager. He was telling me that I had to pick back my car even though the issue wasn't solved. Seems that they were not being able to reproduce the problem in 3 days, so he asked me to take back the car and take a picture when the problem happened again. Also he told me that this was not a known issue for Mazda. He told me that this was a mandatory step to move forward to Mazda support in order to get some kind of decision on how to proceed or how to fix this issue. So I did, even though I was not very persuaded, initially it was a KNOWN issue later on it wasn't anymore.

On February 5th, 2014, I took a video of the issue and I brought the car back to them as requested. The service manager was very nice with me, he has explained me that now they had all the needed information and evidences to bring this on higher level, but I had to be patient and leave the service department with my car and wait their call back for instructions. So, I did, I was pretty happy about the agreed plan.

Around an hour later I got a call back from Mazda customer service... The person at the phone was telling me that even though I brought the video to the service department this was not enough to provide any solution or to fix the problem, because the issue has to be reproduced by Mazda's technicians, so I told him that the acceptance person has seen the problem and he knows about it... but the person at the phone told me that no one has mentioned that...???

I felt teased, and frustrated... I lost already a lot of my working time behind this issue. So I told him, okay, I'll bring the car back to the service and I will leave it there for the needed time, but I would need a car loaner in the meantime... I cannot stay without the car for such long time... So he told me that this is not possible for some unreasonable reasons! At this point I got seriously disappointed, frustrated and pissed off! I was trying to find a peaceful solution with Mazda, but now he was telling me that, basically, I can keep the car as it is, with this problem!?! I was thinking...Ehi!!! My money were all good, I did not pay with broken bucks! Why should I keep the car with this problem?! Finally Mazda left me with a faulty brand new car!!! Think twice before spend your money towards a Mazda car. Cars are very beautiful, but unfortunately the customer service is very disappointing.

I tried it again on 28.01.2014 and I still feel that there is something wrong. I tried a friend’s Mazda 3 2014 car and I got sure that I had a problem in my brake system. I'm very frustrated and I went Mazda Abu Rawash on 28.01.2014 to check this again, and they spent the whole day to check them and at the end this did something to the back brake. The issue has been enhanced but the problem still existing. Kindly assist as this is not an expected behavior from a Zero car so either to fix it or change the car for me.

So I hope that you take the necessary action to resolve the problem or change the car completely or provide me with a redemptive value of what has been paid in the car, especially as the car is still in warranty and so avoid the risk of surprise, which can lead my life to danger or avoid any problem in the motor. And if I don't receive any reply or the problem will not solved, I will be obligated to report my complaint to the Official/Governmental Egyptian authorities responsible for protecting my rights, or to the media, which will play a very negative role on the company's reputation and the reputation of the car inside Egypt and the Middle East.

The Service Mgr (Rick) phoned me back and said that some of my receipts had no logo and he was sure they were fake. I suggested he could contact the business where they were done and confirm them if he had doubts. He said it wasn't 'his job' to do that and that it was my job to satisfy him. Finally, he admitted he had not even submitted anything to Mazda Canada for consideration and he would not. He did not offer me any suggestions as to what I should do to ameliorate the situation.

I phoned Mazda Canada and they indicated that as long as I had an 'open work order' I would still have warranty coverage even if the mileage surpassed the 100k. (The car still runs with the noise but I was advised it will suddenly die altogether at some point in the very near future.) Mazda Canada customer support person stated they would look into it and call me back in a few days. I finally called the same service rep back to advise him that Mazda Toronto did not have an open work order and they refused to open one. I was told that Mazda Canada could not make a dealer open one and without one, once the 100k is reached, I have no warranty. He suggested I phone the General Mgr of Mazda Toronto and discuss it with him. I said that after all the crap they have given me, I was not confident it would do much good. The Service Rep then stated that he would no longer deal with me because I was using 'foul language and it was too rude' and he was terminating my call. I asked if I could have the name of a Customer Service Supervisor or be put through to one, and he refused.

I phoned back right away and a lady CS Rep spoke to me and said she would take over where the last CR Rep terminated because there was no Supervisor available and I was to call her and let her know how I make out with the alternate dealer. I attended a dealer closer to my current residence and they removed the valve cover and found it had no sludge, so that indicates my oil changes were done as far as they can tell. They have no idea why the motor is failing until the motor is either torn apart etc. This dealer wants receipts from purchase time almost 5 years ago until current. I am now locating the numerous receipts as I remember where I might have gotten them done.

This lack of service is not acceptable. I am a senior widow and this was to be my last vehicle. I hand wash and wax and clean the car regularly, do regular maintenance and keep it in good shape because it was intended to be my last vehicle. Now I just want to get rid of it and get anything as long as it isn't a Mazda. I like the car, but the service from both the dealer and the company is deplorable.

I need a vehicle for numerous medical appointments all over the area so I am still driving the car. I still don't know what will transpire with this alternate dealer where I have taken it. I am not too hopeful that anything will happen at all. They have opened a work order for me so as long as they don't close it, the warranty should be in place. This dealer (service Mgr.) is aware of the problems I have been experiencing and is willing to submit the claim to Mazda Canada when I accumulate the receipts for oil changes that were done out of town, etc., at other than a Mazda Dealer. This clearly stresses to me that I need to keep everything re a vehicle even if it is a simple oil change receipt. I should have some answer within the next weeks as to whether Mazda will replace the motor or not.

The car still wasn't running the way it was when I bought it. I was very disappointed. The clutch and shifting were finicky. At 9,500 miles, as I was driving home through a winding canyon road, I had great difficulty getting the car into first gear. It was not easy to get home. I had to signal cars to pass me while I struggled with the shifting. The car was towed into the dealer. Turns out to be the slave cylinder. They had the car for 3 days and had to flush all of the hydraulic system--clutch and brakes.

I have been completely unhappy with this car. It is not the car that I bought only 1 year ago. Don't buy a Mazda 3 with Sky Active technology. You're buying the financing, not the car.

I rode in the car several times and it was acting up on and off, but was not consistent and was doing all the things we told them was happening. We then took the car back in on February 24th. My daughter told them it was not shifting, smoking, she smelled some kind of fluid leaking, the steering wheel was shaking and it was running hard. They took it out and drove it for miles, called her back, said they found nothing. They could not get it to do what she was claiming to do. I called them back and was told they found nothing wrong, could not get it to do anything but did notice the transmission not shifting right. They said they would take it out again on Monday the 28th. That morning of the 28th, they called my daughter at 9 am, told her the shocks were leaking, the left tire was damaged, the boot on the front axle was cracked, the axle was broken and the shocks were damaged. Hmmm. How come all of a sudden all these issues surfaced? They hooked it up to the computer system both in October and this time, and found nothing wrong. And without taking it out again on the 28th, all these issues surfaced - the same issues that I am sure were there in October.

I was told that the extended warranty would fix the transmission but nothing else and that the axle would not be covered because the cracked boot had dirt in it and was the cause of the axle breaking. After talking to another mechanic about this, I was told that the cracked boot would have not caused the axle to have broken, and if the shocks were leaking fluid, they should have caught that which they did not till this time in February not in October, which we smelled the same fluid in October as we did in February. The co-owner asked me if the shocks were leaking fluid, would that have caused your shocks to be damaged? I said, “Yes it would.” He laughed at me and said, “No it would not,” and I said, “Yes it would.” Then, he asked if I was going to take the car to another mechanic to get the rest of the car fixed, everything outside of the transmission and I said, “Yes, to get it fixed correctly.”

He got upset over that, then he proceeded to go on about how his service shop fixed many axles and disagreed with my answer about the boot not causing the axle to break or the leaking fluid damaging the shocks. He got upset over just fixing the transmission and he got so loud I had to move the phone from my ear and he went on and on about me not allowing anyone to talk because I was interrupting everyone that was talking to me as I sat there on the phone not talking but listening to him raise his voice to me. And basically in a round-about way, he told me to come and get my piece of ** car not in those words but in a round-about way out of his shop. And I said, “Do I need to get a lawyer in order to settle this?” And he said, “Go ahead, if that is what you need to do.” He continued to talk to me in a very loud voice, and several people around me heard him from my phone. I proceeded to hang up the phone. I just want them to fix what they caused more damage to my car because they did not catch the breakdowns of my daughter’s car in October. If the issues were caught, I would not have $1100 worth of repairs.

Problem #2: When my car hit 70,000 miles and was very well-maintained and regularly and faithfully, at every 3500 miles, oil changed, my overheating sensor and my thermostat both went at the exact same time. In seconds, my car shut off without warning. My mechanic was in shock and my engine was killed. I was forced to have another motor put in my 2 1/2 yr. old Mazda at my full expense. Problem #3: My airbag lights are now staying on all the time. Both bags are now off. Yet I see this is another item that many Mazda owners are experiencing and again, no recall. I do not want to be a statistic, but fear in time there will be a bad accident involving a Mazda and then something might be done and these Mazda’s will be recalled and repaired.

I always loved my Mazda and two family members have purchased one through my ravings. Now, I am seeing more and more problems with mine and I just want it fixed so it will be a safe and dependable car to drive. I love the gas mileage, but please issue recalls to protect innocent lives and end these expensive repairs that are not our fault.

When I brought it to the dealer, they told me they are not responsible for the repairs since it's not a default in the paint itself. So Mazda will not stand behind its paint job? I can't wait to see what would happen if I had a bigger issue and how they would get out of fixing that. I currently own two Mazdas, but not for long! I have full intention of trading in both of my Mazdas and get something else after this. I have read of others complaining about the paint/paint job used by Mazda.

I had made several attempts to visit the service center when the vehicle was in warranty. I had spoken to Amos ** who is the assistant service manager which he had stated he could not authorize to write a repair order concerning the peeling on my dash board and that he wasn't able to do anything for me. He had explained to me that I need to talk to Service Director ** at Gunther Mazda 441 location in South Florida where the vehicle was purchased.

So, I called ** explained to him I was there before the warranty expired and was told he wasn't in when I arrived. I did meet with him on Friday, 17th of August. He in fact indicated to me that the Mazda 3 is having a dashboard problem. He had taken a picture of my dashboard to send over to a consulting specialist. He told me it may take a long time to get back with me and Mazda Consulting would make that decision if their willing to goodwill it. He never bothered to do a written repair order. I hope that Mazda will consider and do what’s right and fix the problem at no cost to the customer.

It was with great anticipation that I turned on the air when leaving the dealership only to be blasted with the same smell. Further convinced that it was something inside the car, I began another round of cleaning and deodorizing, and had to replace several purses that became contaminated with the smell, after sitting in the car. I became suspicious that the cabin air filter had actually not been changed and took the car to a local reputable mechanic that I've done business with (successfully) for the last 15 years. Though the car only had 45,000 miles on it (only 10,000 on the "new" cabin filter, I asked the mechanic to replace the filter. I could sense he was "entertaining" my concerns until he pulled out the "new" cabin air filter. He displayed it to me and called over the other employees who were shocked when they were shown the receipt where I paid for it to be changed just 10,000 miles ago. The filters were covered in mold stains and debris, and it was clear they'd either never been changed, or the system is so compromised that it deteriorated the filters in 1/3 the time.

I took the bagged filters directly to the dealer and lodged my complaint (with the new filters in the odor coming from the air and heat was the proverbial "breath of fresh air" that I'd not experienced since the car had 10k miles on it). The car was not inspected, nor was there an offer to do so. The dealer insisted that the filters had been changed yet told me he'd "cut a check" to refund me the cost of the "installation" that was done 10K miles ago (I have not cashed the check). It was only a short reprieve from the odor, as the interior of the vehicle is completely compromised. The odor in the upholstery and carpeting is recirculated through the system and everything that comes in contact with the car still has a musty odor.

Though Mazda has had other models with bacteria problem, their position is "not with this model". I called the dealer and advised him that I intended to call the corporation, and asked if he had any other recommendations. He did not. I buy Mazdas, and have recommended Mazdas (my mother and sister both purchased Mazdas on my glowing reports), as they are usually problem free for many years, and the dealers have been responsive and trustworthy. Apparently times have changed. Because of Mazda's inaction and deceit, I have a car with only 54,000 miles on it, and I can't use for trips and can't sell. Mazda's position? Take it to a different dealer, and "oh, it's out of warranty".

They had me get all the receipts for service records and I ended up being around 800 miles over due on one of the oil changes and on my current one, I was roughly 1,140 miles or so. I was thinking this was fine due to my owners manual saying the oil needs to be changed every 7500 miles. I assumed that they left a grace period for busy work schedules and time to make appointments around hectic schedules. So because of these overage of miles between the two oil change stated above, they (Mazda) said that the oil light that never went off was irrelevant since I was over due on the two oil changes stated earlier.

My argument is that my windshield wipers come on the second a rain drop hits the car. I have a sensor that tells me when my front right tire is low 5 p.s.i., or when I get sideways around a corner in bad weather, my car automatically stops me from spinning out of control. But somehow when I'm three quarts low of oil and Ive missed an oil change for a week or two, my oil light sensor does not come on. How is that irrelevant to my motor throwing a rod due to lack of oil? Are they saying if I would have gotten an oil change, then it would have worked?

Meanwhile, I have a rental car that I was under the impression it would be covered by warranty but since in this instance or two, I have gone past the mileage between oil changes they won't even cover my rental. And they seem like they are trained or have dealt with this problem many times with the way they avoided and changed the subject every time I brought up the oil sensor.

Is there going to be a recall on this sensor for the oil? If you look at the big picture of service records, I've actually had more oil changes than necessary because 7500 x 7 oil changes = 52,500 and my car is around 49,500 give or take. Not to mention I paid extra for the better oil. But still the oil sensor is irrelevant to what has happened.

This has happened to many other people, treated and dealt with in the same way every time. With Twitter, Facebook, MySpace blogs rants and raves, Yelp and every other way to get your voice heard, you would think that the people who obviously care about there cars and did not neglect their cars would help those in need. If they did, that person would for sure tell everyone looking for a car that they know a dealership with a reliable staff and helpful service department and a warranty that will cover you when you really need them.

Mazda of Everett would be a top recommendation but when treated like I just bought a $26,000 car, to be treated like ** and blow the motor, I will let everyone know how they treat the people that make their paychecks. They will just rip up your warranty and kick you while you are down and stick you with the bill for everything because nothing can be relevant if you got caught up and were a little late on you oil change. Because by doing that, nothing will have to work the way it should because this is their out.

I will never buy Mazda again. Where is the class action lawsuit? Where is the recall on the oil sensor that does not light up when the engine is 3 quarts low? Where did the three quarts of oil even go? Did Mazda accidentally not put enough in, just like I accidentally was a little late servicing my engine?

But everything is irrelevant except the fact that you were late changing your top shelf oil and that you have been screwed by your local Mazda dealer.

My car has 33,000 miles on it and is only a little over 3 years old! It's ridiculous!

I complained to Mazda USA. They also said that the car comes with the remote. A few days after, they came back and said I needed to talk to the dealership again. I did. No result. I am paying a very high price for the financing of this car and I feel cheated! If it was a car from back in the 1960's, I would understand. But a 2011 model?

Oh, by the way, I’m 46 years old, have over 30 years of licensed driving experience and about 6 years beyond that driving on a farm. Never have I burned out a transmission before. I've even been driving a car older than I am for 10 years with a V8 engine, and the transmission is still strong. Mazda has obviously built an inferior transmission (due to the number of complaints found online at any given time). Like I said, I’m a good driver, a gentle driver and I don’t "get on it" while driving.

He was transferred to Pittsburgh, PA for military school and one day noticed very bad discoloration of the paint on the hood, roof, and right hand side of the vehicle. The car is still under the original Manufacturer’s warranty. We took pictures of the paint defect which was later sent to the Mazda Corporation. My son took it to a Mazda dealership where he was living and was told it would not be covered under warranty because they felt the car had been repainted. My son told them that not only did it never get repainted, but since acquisition it had only been out of the garage for several months (while he was driving to his new assignment in the military). They promptly told him to get out and they would not do anything for him. His contact was with the dealership’s body shop manager.

We went back and contacted the dealership who we purchased it from in Minneapolis who put us in contact with the District 4 Service Manager. We sent the pictures to him via e-mail. The original dealership told us the car could not have been repainted prior to purchase since they only had the car in inventory for one day before they sold it to us. He sent me documentation on this. He then emailed the pictures to the District 4 Service Manager out of Minneapolis, MN. The Service manager (who only had the pictures) told us that this was not a paint defect and it was caused by some "external condition". We asked what he meant by an "external condition". He told us that it was most likely some kind of acid or salt corrosion. We argued that a two year old car should not have this kind of paint damage from any external weather related condition like road salt. He told us he was sorry but Mazda would refuse to do anything about this under the warranty.

We then went back and escalated this through the original Mazda dealership GM. He then referred us to the Mazda Corporate people in the Pittsburgh area. (Along with the pictures of the car) We were told that someone would actually inspect the vehicle out there, (where my son was now living) and they would contact my son to make arrangements for this. It took over 3 weeks of prodding to get them to call my son. The person finally left him a message but never left him his phone number to call back. We finally got the number and my son called him. He was also with Mazda Corporation. He told my son that he sided with the dealership in Pittsburgh who looked at the vehicle in Pittsburgh. He refused to look at the vehicle and made his decision based on only looking at the pictures that were sent to him.

He told us that it was not a paint warranty issue and also told my son that he believed the car was repainted by my son. In fact he told my son that he was 100% sure the car had been repainted. He also told my son that, according to their records, the car had been brought in before for paint issues based upon their service records. My son asked for a copy of these records, (as he has been the only owner of the car) and had never brought it in for any paint related issues prior to this. He refused. He told my son that Mazda would not fix this under warranty. He refused to give us his full name, contact number or who his superiors were.

I went back to the dealership we purchased the car from again and told them we would pursue legal action if Mazda didn't at least look at the vehicle from an impartial Mazda representative. We told him that if the car had been repainted, it could only have been repainted by either the dealership or by Mazda Corporation prior to us receiving it. He sent my email back to Mazda HQ again and we have heard from no one since then. This car has been meticulously taken care of. Either Mazda Corporation repainted this vehicle prior to delivery to the dealership, or has a serious paint defect that they refuse to stand behind the warranty.

Mazda Corporation has refused to even physically look at the vehicle or give us any kind of consideration under the warranty. Mazda has many paint related complaints posted on the internet regarding premature corrosion issues. We also sent them this documentation. We are in the process of getting some independent assessments of the paint damage from neutral party body shops. Once we know what the damages are we plan to sue Mazda Corporation and the original dealership. We would also like to look at pursuing a class action and punitive damages.

After doing a lot of research, I see this problem with Mazda's transmissions are not rare but more common. I don't think Mazda is being fair by continuing to sell their vehicles knowing they have faulty transmissions. With these many problems, Mazda needs to do something about it. I am currently without a working vehicle. My Mazda was my way of getting to school everyday and taking my little ones to school as well. Since I am currently still making payments on my car, I am not able to save up the $2300 it's going to cost me to fix it. This has caused me to put my education on hold as I have to get me and my kids to and from school.

This car was poorly constructed. I want a new car but preferably not a Mazda. I had no major problems with my previous Mazda 3. I hate paying for a 2009 squealing machine. It was so embarrassing, so loud & the dealer wasn't telling me anything! I was not a happy customer.

I would go for about a mile or so, and it would eventually go back to blowing cold air. The last time it did so, my car started making a loud noise from underneath the hood and when the air started blowing back to cold, the loud noise went away. I've taken it over to Moffitt Mazda several times for this problem. The first time, they told me there was no problem and that it was just because I had dark interior and it carried a lot of heat! The second time or third time, they changed the thermostat.

After having it back for about a week or so, it started messing up again. I just took it back over there again on 8/17/09 to get the oil changed and tires rotated. And I mentioned the problem again to them about my air conditioner and they told me that they would look at it again. When I went to leave, they told me that they ordered a harness for it. I'm at the point to where I will not ever buy another Mazda if they do not fix the problem. It's a brand new car!

It's the dead of winter with bad weather and I have to drive my other vehicle which is rear wheel drive. Scares the hell out of me every time I have to take that car out in the snow or ice. I hope I can stay safe until I get the front wheel drive car fixed. When winter is over, I will sell the unreliable piece of... Can't sell it now as it is. I am also going to have to pay to get the tranny fixed right at Christmas time, personal property tax time and real estate tax time to boot. I have always owned Japanese cars, but Mazda gives them all a bad name. I really believe a class action suit is what it will take. Even if Mazda fights, the press alone will make their sales dwindle and maybe they will start standing behind what they produce. There are plenty of pissed off Mazda owners out here that I am sure would join in, myself included. CLASS ACTION!!!

No car do drive....2500 to rebuile the transmission and I am still making payments in addition.

Car was unusable at ambient temperatures over 82F. Sat in garage all summer, except for nighttime use. Traded in when only a few months old at a financial loss.

They notice right away the car is almost completely out of oil. This seems impossible since the car is serviced with synthetic oil and is maintained regularly. After further investigation by the dealership they determined the cause of the oil leak was a crack in the canister that houses the oil filter. This was not a small leak. When they put oil in it was pretty much flowing out. We had never had an oil leak in our driveway so we must have been somewhere other than home when the crack and drainage occurred.

The dealership continued to try and work with the warranty people. They sent out their 3rd party investigator who looked at the car and took pictures. They went back and forth for awhile as to whether or not they were going to cover this. They told the dealership that the car would need a "crank kit (sp)" in order to be fixed. The dealership argued that they felt the entire motor needed to be replaced, rather than given a temporary fix.

The warranty people said that in order to prove this, the dealership would need to tear apart the rest of the motor (this was quoted to us as our expense until warranty approved payment, and this would require approx 20hrs of work at 95 pr hr). Once the motor was fully exposed, they would send out another investigator and see if they agreed that the motor was in need of full replacement. Knowing that there is not always immediate and obvious damage to a motor, and feeling like it was not our responsibility to figure out what all needed to be replaced at this point- we declined to have this done and said we would accept the crank kit as their initial fix and see if that worked. If it did not work, we would go from there.

The dealership went on to order the kit and days before it was going to be installed, the person working for the warranty group asked the service person assigned to our car at the dealership to open this top section of the engine (excuse the lack of terminology but I don't know all the technical terms) and if there were metal shavings in there then he would know that the entire engine did need to be replaced. So they went ahead and did this and that is exactly what they found. So the warranty people sent out another investigator to take more pictures. The next day they contacted the dealership and said they were fully denying the claim at this point.

Now stating that the damage to the motor was due to oil starvation and that there was service bulletin that had gone out stating that if you over torque you can crack the canister. The service person from the dealership tells this warranty person that this is not the case in this situation. The oil was changed in late December and this occurred in late March. If this crack was caused due to being over torqued it would have happened sooner. He questioned as to why were back to cause of failure, when they had already passed that process and were on to what needed to be repaired.

The warranty person then stated that he had to review it with a supervisor and that he would be in contact with the dealership again within 24 hours. KEEP IN MIND AT THIS POINT I HAVE BEEN OUT OF A CAR FOR ALMOST 5 WEEKS WITH ONLY 6 DAYS OF RENTAL COVERAGE IF THIS CLAIM IS APPROVED. The next day the call the dealership back and tell them that they will cover $2357.03 of the engine repair (approx $8,000.00) because they feel that we knew something was wrong with the car and continued to drive it which caused the damage to the engine.

I called the supervisor at the warranty department myself and of course he would not take my call until her reviewed the 500 lines of my claim. When he called me back I said to him, just to be sure, you are denying full payment of my claim because you believe that we knew something was wrong with the car and continued to drive it? He said yes because that is what the oil shavings show us is that it was driven when there was damage. I told him that we had no idea something was wrong with the car and if we had, we would have brought it in for repair right away as we have done in the past.

There would be no reason to wait since we have this extended warranty. He then asked me if we had the car towed to the dealership when it broke down. I said that no my husband pulled over and called the dealership but he was only two miles away and they told him to bring it in. He "well, if you would have had it towed it would really have helped your case." I then asked him if he was saying that the 2 miles my husband drove to the dealership cause this damage to the engine- he wouldn't give me an answer- just repeated again that if we had towed it to the dealer it would have helped our case.

Looking for help now. I either have to pay the remainder of the 6k to have the car repaired or pay for the 6 days of the rental car I had ($180) plus the fees for the dealership investigating and take my car home without a working engine. I have a loaner car from the dealership right now but I have a feeling they will call me today and ask for it back until this is resolved. I work full time, have two children and my husband works full time 12 a day and his schedule rotates every week from days to nights. It is IMPOSSIBLE for us to car pool. Suggestions? I have been without a car for 5 weeks now. I am continuing to make payments on a car I can not drive.

The only reason we knew this was one of my neighbors had their car get stuck in the snow and were in front of my house at the time, The called the fire department and rang our door violently. fortunately we had a fire extinguisher close by and put the fire out before it spread. The fire department came and said this was not vandalism, it started in the passenger rear reversing light, shorted out and blew out the drivers reversing light which caught fire. The car is still at Mazda where they are deciding who is at fault. I told My insurance adjuster if they even try to blame this on this on me I will plaster them across the 6:00 news before I sew them. Do you know of anyone else with Mazda 3 problems as I think they are going to try and make me keep the car since the damage did not total the car. I also feel for the family who lost their home and animals because if circumstances were a bit different I could also be homeless or loss of life.

I

I drive off and then a few days later notice that my brakes are making thumping sound. The thumping sound turns into a grinding sound. I take my car back to the dealer exactly one week later. They take about 2 to 3 hours to investigate and find that nothing is wrong. The service associate stated that new brakes make sounds in the beginning and they eventually go away. I drive off thinking this will eventually fade. Two weeks later, the grinding, thumping sound becomes louder. I drive back to the dealer for the 3rd time on a Saturday morning and the associate notes that this dealer only has apprentices that work the weekend and they are half-staffed. He suggested I come on Mon.-Fri. between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

I ask my husband to take the day off of work to bring my car in since I can't take time off at the time. The car is brought to the dealers at 8 a.m. on a Thursday morning. Almost 4 hours later, the servicing associate states that the brake pads were cracked, thus causing a groove in the brake discs. The technician replaced the brake pads and had to 'sand out' the groove on the disc. After waiting another hour for the paper work that never arrives, the car is ready to drive off in. However, the sound recurs. About one week later, the grinding, thumping sound is back. I am in the process of trying to ask for a full refund if they cannot fix it. The associates were not attentive at all. I have had to visit this dealer about 4 times already and my problem, which wasn't there to begin with, is still not fixed. DO NOT take your car to get serviced at Mazda of Orange.

Their service takes too long, is expensive, and the staff is unprofessional. In addition, they offer life time warranties on the brakes but cannot even replace them properly and do not care about the consumer.

I have driven the vehicle in every possible manner of driving. slow. fast. automatic only. 74.5 miles 5.1 gal=14.6 mpg manual only. 94.8 miles 5.6 gal=16.9 mpg automatic manual mixed. 136.5 miles 9.0 gal=15.1 mpg city only. 111.0 miles 7.1 gal=15.6 mpg highway only. 105.0 miles 5.5 gal=19.1 mpg in each case i completely gased up and then drove it in that manner. All total i have driven the car in every possible way.

Now Carson City Mazda wants me to let them drive my car and run one tank of gas using their driver. The problem i have with this is this. I asked them,what if the car still gets 16.0 miles to the gallon with your driver, what then? The answer was we will deal with that then.

I think that if i let them put another 300 miles on my car then i will be stuck with a car that gets 16.0 miles to the gallon but now has 300 more miles on it. I love my mazda 3. I just cannot live with 16.0 miles per gallon on a car i bought with the promise of 26 to 34 miles per gallon. What are my options? please help me. sincerely: william **