CarComplaints.com Notes: Issues with clutch failure might be giving 2010 MAZDA3 owners headaches, but the lack of support from Mazda is giving them migraines.

2.4

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,174 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Mazda MAZDA3 lights problems

lights problem

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2010 Mazda MAZDA3 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #23

Nov 292022

MAZDA3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A substantial amount of water has made its way into the headlight housing. This has caused the driver side light to go out. There is no evidence of any damage, cracks, or failure otherwise. It seems, like thousands of other Mazda3 drivers, the seals have failed. My particular model has the auto leveling and turning headlights. Cost to repair will be well over $1,000. This is a well known problem to Mazda. Lack of lighting is a safety issue. High price of repair is a serious bar to fixing the issue and returning to safe driving. I was unaware of the failure as no warning is communicated to the driver.

- Biloxi, MS, USA

problem #22

Aug 012018

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 160,000 miles
My driver side headlight was out for an unknown amount of time until a police officer kindly pulled me over and told me. When I went to have the light replaced, the passenger side light was out, not the driver side. I assumed the officer had made a mistake. The passenger side headlight bulb was replaced. A few months later I was driving approx 40mph on an unlit road when both my headlights went completely out. I was able to pull off the road and there were no injuries. After about 30 minutes, the passenger side lightbulb mysteriously came on again but the driver side didn't. so then the driver side light was replaced at my local dealership and they inspected the passenger side one and reported it 'checked good'. it was only good for a few months because it's out again. There has always been excessive condensation in these lights but I dismissed it - Mazda or the mechanics would tell me if it could be a problem, right? I've researched now and found the issue is reported on all the Mazda3 message boards and to you at the ntsb (these are just the ones I found: 11044247,11015855,10865541,10849726,10823321,10723613, 10715457,10683926,10640462,10632527,10573945,10558974,10554823, 10548296, 10443658,10914541,10874861,10865443,10853089). There are at least nine Mazda technical service bulletins about the problem. Neither Mazda itself nor the Mazda service departments where my car was serviced many times had told me about it. This is obviously a safety issue. The next person who has both headlights fail on them might not be so lucky. I have talked to Mazda customer service and they insist this is an environmental factor and normal. Do I need to move to a certain environment, a desert maybe, to have reliable headlights?

- Sumter, SC, USA

problem #21

Jan 102019

MAZDA3

  • 80,000 miles
Takata recall, dashboard starting to meltdown really bad. I seen alot of people got same problem.the vehicle is my commuter over time it starts to get sticky fibers get stuck on it needs to recalled asap for the timing of the air bag deployment it's really unsafe please help. The headlights assembly contains alot of moister after a car wash. Moisture can cause an electrical problem and burn the computer itself

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #20

Oct 142017

MAZDA3

  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The electrical systems is not working right the lights on the in side of the car come on when you get up to 75 to 80 mph they start flashing.the air bag light light come on the steering column lock up a lot of time were I have a hard time getting the key in the ignition

- Hephzibah, GA, USA

problem #19

Oct 202017

MAZDA3

  • 68,000 miles
2010 Mazda3S grand touring, condensation accumulated in head lamp resulting in head lamp bulb failure. The cost to replace head lamp assembly is $2500 $250 just for the bulb. Thousands of noted on line complaints with photos with no damage to assembly but the sealant has failed. Mazda dealership parts department acknowledged this is a known issue with the Mazda3.

- Wimberley, TX, USA

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problem #18

Apr 012017

MAZDA3

  • 50,000 miles
The car wouldnt pass inspection because of water in headlight. Dried it out. Passed. Got wet again. Replaced the light twice and still doing it. Other light is now doing it.

- Gilmanton, NH, USA

problem #17

Jul 062017

MAZDA3

  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car will intermittently not shift out of park due to the shift lock not releasing properly, and the stop lights and horn are not functioning properly as well. This seams to be typical of the Mazda3's due to the horn shorting the fuse and the brake switch going bad, and definitely makes the car more accident prone. Others seam to report the cruise control functions stop working due to the same fuse being used for stop lights and the cruise control function.

- Westminster, CO, USA

problem #16

Jun 032017

MAZDA3

  • 107,000 miles
One of the two electricals broke loose that's connected to the battery that starts the car. My car literally stalled out on me in the middle of an intersection. I was almost hit because of that. Another issue is my right back tire. One of the lug nuts won't come off and that is a safety issue. If something happens to my tire, I'm not going to be able to get a new tire to replace the old one. Another issue is the light on the ceiling of my car broke. The wires are exposed. My dashboard in my car is also melting.

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #15

May 082016

MAZDA3

  • 65,000 miles
My 2010 Mazda has had a build up of condensation in the driver's headlight for some time and recently the driver's headlight went out. I was advised by the dealership that I would need to replace the entire headlamp which requires removal of the bumper. I would be looking at close to $1000+ to complete the repair. I declined the repair as I wanted to do more research on the safety bulletins that are posted for this same exact issue. The dealership declined to repair the issue based on the published safety bulletins. Recently, condensation has started in my passenger side headlamp and that headlight is now out as well. It should be noted I live in the dry southern California environment so my car is hardly ever exposed to water for condensation to even be building up. This poses a real danger to drivers as the headlights may go out (possibly both) while driving causing very unsafe driving conditions both for those in the vehicle but for other vehicles sharing the road.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #14

Mar 142016

MAZDA3

  • 117,000 miles
My driver sideheadlight is out again. I went to the dealer last month with no headlight and condensation inside the headlight housing. Paid $750 for them to replace the unit. Its barely a month later and the same light is out again after it rained two days before. Its again full of condensation. The headlight housing is faulty as it allows water to come inside and short out hid bulbs and unit.

- Richton Park, IL, USA

problem #13

Jan 252016

MAZDA3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The headlights do not work at all for either low or high beams making the vehicle unsafe to drive especially during rain or at night. There is not only moisture but quite a bit of water accumulated inside both headlights. This vehicle was recently purchased on September 2015 as a certified pre own which comes with full limited warranty. I took the vehicle to the dealer to service the issue but they indicated that the repair or replacement was not covered by the warranty. Their estimate to repair it is $1,900 I strongly believe that is more a manufacturer safety issue than a warranty claim. I did research and there are no recalls on the headlights for my particular vehicle, but there are several complains calling it a condensation issue on 2010 Mazda 3S. It was also strange that the dealer rep commented that the vehicle may have been in a crash when the carfax report indicated the opposite and we have thankfully been accident free since its purchase. Please review and advise.

- Greenacres, FL, USA

problem #12

Aug 012015

MAZDA3

  • 65,000 miles
Started to notice sticky residue on the inside of the windshield. Hard to clean off making for a visibility issue. Days later after the vehicle had been parked noticed the dashboard was very sticky and appears to be melting. After some investigation online realize this is an going issue with these cars and others. I.e. Toyota/Lexus.

- Newbury Park, CA, USA

problem #11

May 272015

MAZDA3

  • 45,000 miles
Design flaw of headlight has caused condensation to form in headlight assembly causing xenon bulb to short circuit and blow on driver's side headlight.

- Gainesville, FL, USA

problem #10

Dec 012014

MAZDA3

  • miles
The housing unit of one headlight begain retaining moisture and condensation and subsequently began shorting out. The dealer informed me that the complete housing unit will need to be replaced, and it is at a substantial cost. Now, the second headlight is doing the same.

- Yeadon, PA, USA

problem #9

Feb 082015

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
There are (3) existing NHTSA reports on this that I am aware of: 10037949. 10037655 & 10052155. Purchased a 2010 Mazda 3 off a dealers lot 1.5 weeks ago. The following day while driving the left head light was out. There was condensate in the lens. The car has hid lights. To access the bulb the car bumper etc. Had to be removed. Local shop replaced both bulbs and ballast. Cost $1,200 +. three days later the same bulb went out. Shop is now replacing the lens and ballast (again). $1,898. After checking on the internet we found that it a common problem for this car's headlight lens to leak. Some people reported multiple failures with the same problem. Mazda has 3 service bulletins on this problem for this year car. 09-003-13, 09-005-11, & 09-057-10.

- Statesboro, GA, USA

problem #8

Sep 272014

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Moisture has entered both head lamps causing failure of bulbs and hid control units. Complete lighting failure while driving.

- Largo, FL, USA

problem #7

May 312013

MAZDA3

  • miles
I have noticed that my headlight assemblies fill up with water and condensation after rain showers or car washes. No modifications have been done to these assemblies.

- Schaumburg, IL, USA

problem #6

Mar 172014

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 49,000 miles
Condensation forms in headlight housing causing hid module to short circuit and headlight to fail. Safety concern regarding visibility could lead to accident. Manufacturer refuses to take blame for faulty construction leading to malfunction resulting in consumer having to pay full cost of headlight assembly and new hid module.

- Claymont, DE, USA

problem #5

Nov 062013

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 148,000 miles
Both headlights shorted out at the same time. One minute they worked and the next the did not. Had to wait to move car and take to dealership till day light since this happened in the dark. Luckily we had stopped so they did not fail while driving. Found out upon inspection this is a problem due to the moisture the headlamp case allows inside. We had complained about this moisture previously back in 2011 and 2012. We had been informed it was a defect just as we had been told with our 2004 Mazda 3. interesting enough we find out that in the 11 times our vehicle was serviced at galpin Mazda in 2012 there had been a service bulletins on this exact issue and recommended to replace the defective headlamps. Galpin did nothing. Never even mentioned anything but simply responded with " its a known defect." Service bulletin #sb-09-003-13. Another service bulletin #09-005-11, and another #sb-09-057-10. Upon speaking to other Mazda mechanics, we learned this has been an ongoing issue. We had experienced it for years with our 2004 as stated previously but never realized it was the inside condensation causing the bulb to blow. The fact that Mazda knowingly continued manufacturing these defective headlamp casings and never recalled them is unacceptable. What if we had been driving when they failed? as it was we have spent 2 months now dealing with both Mazda and galpin, who both want to wash their hands of any wrong doing. This is unacceptable. This is a safety issue. Mazda knows it. Dealers know it, yet it is allowed to continue. The cost to replace the parts now are over 3 thousand dollars. We are supposed to pay for their constant and knowing errors. That is not acceptable and they need to be stopped and made to fix this problem before somebody dies in an accident with them failing.

- Castaic, CA, USA

problem #4

Nov 012013

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
Condensation formed inside drivers headlight causing a failure of the drivers side hid (xenon) headlight and ballast. Existing tsb (NHTSA reference #10037655 tsb reference #sb-09-057-10) for this condition. This needs to be upgraded to a recall so Mazda cannot refuse repair due to out of warranty vehicles for time/mileage. This is a known defect as shown in the above referenced tsb and Mazda is refusing to fix when vehicle is out of the 3yr/36,000 mile warranty. Corporate Mazda has been in contact with local dealership which has verified that hid lamp/ballast failure was directly caused with condensation from above referenced tsb. After verification from local dealership, Mazda corporate (800-222-5500) refuses to assist with getting vehicle fixed and operating correctly and safely.

- Hebron, KY, USA

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