Front wheel bearing fails prematurely. My right front wheel bearing failed at 58K miles and needed to be replaced. My left front wheel bearing is failing at 68K miles and needs replacing. My mechanic stated that these parts should last much longer, and that continued driving with a bad bearing could lead to wheel lockup and an accident. Many others are complaining of similar failure on internet forums. Mazda won't repair this free of charge since vehicle is out of warranty.

- Mariposa, CA, USA

Total brake failure, towed to dealer to find out why brakes failed, it was found to be a loss of brake fluid due to a rubbing of the brake line on another part of the car, it was repaired and at the same time the other side was inspected and found to have the same problem, the technician, said it was a factory defect and took a photo for us, and we contacted Mazda about the problem we have heard back from them as of today.

- Weymouth, MA, USA

I own a 2004 Mazda 3-manual (5 speed). It only has 40,000 miles on it and each year I get it inspected. Every year large amounts of brake dust accumulates on the rear wheels from the rear brakes. As a result the brake pads on the rear are completely worn while the front brakes seem to be untouched. This, according to my service professional is an indication of a faulty braking system. I have owned several cars in the past and have only replaced the rear brakes a few times while I have replaced the front several times. When contacting 3 different Mazda dealerships I was told it is normal wear and tear and I will be responsible for replacing the back breaks and they will do nothing for the front since they do not see a problem. This car has failed to engage the ABS 2 times, luckily the other driver was able to drive around me and miss me. It is only a matter of time before I will have an accident due to my brakes failing to engage on the front! this problem needs to be addressed by Mazda immediately before someone gets hurt!

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

The rear brakes on our 2004 Mazda3 are worn to the rotors for the third time in 77,000 miles. When we first purchased the vehicle the rear brakes were squeaking, so we informed the service department. We assured that this is normal, it should go away in a few thousand miles. It never went away. I now need a third set of rear brakes, and the fronts are still in good shape. In all my years of working around vehicles, I've never seen a front wheel drive passenger car that the rear brakes wore faster than the front. It's now obvious to me after doing in depth internet research that this is a very common problem with both the Mazda3 and mazda6. Why hasn't there been a recall yet" is it going to take some getting injured or even killed due to brake malfunction before this is addressed" if one rear brake wears faster than the other, and a driver has to make a panic stop at highway speeds, one brake is applied and the other......you get the point.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

Rear brake rotor and pads experiencing excessive wear. ABS system seems to activate prematurely at the rear wheels under heavy braking in dry conditions. Rear brakes will need complete replacement at 32K miles while the fronts look to last 100K. Dealer says wear is normal, independent repair shops say not. This may be evidence of improper brake balance between front and rear which could cause safety issues either due to premature wear and parts failure or under certain braking conditions. Apparent pemature activation of ABS system during sudden braking startled a young driver of this car who released pressure on the brake mistaking ABS pulsation for a brake failure and struck another car as a result.

- Rohnert Park, CA, USA

I took my car to the dealership couple times past couple yrs for excessive break dust & squeaking noise rear of the car. They told me its normal & they couldn't locate or heard any squeaking noise. Recently I went back to get an oil change & they notified me that I need my breaks replaced. I decided to take my car to two national tire retailers for price quotes & both retailers told me its very rare to have front wheel drive car that has little wear down on front break wheels but yet the back rear breaks & rotors needed replaced, just under 40K miles. After being notified of the server deep lips of the rotors I went back to Mazda dealership & it seems they know about the issue but they are trying to cover it up & saying its normal wear & tear. After talking to several other cars experts. I believe their is faulty breaking issue.

- Akron, OH, USA

There is brake noise in my 2004 model year Mazda 3. I have just bought my car 3 days ago. I noticed the noise in the first day, I called the dealer and I was told that it is normal because the car is new and it will disappear in a few days. But it is not disappearing on the contrary it is now more noticeable. It does not matter whether the brakes are cold or hot. It always makes that noise. VIN number of my car is: [xxx] thanks, [xxx]. updated 07/30/2012 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA