NHTSA — Fuel/Propulsion System Problems

5.1

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,952 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.

2014 Mazda MAZDA3 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2014 Mazda MAZDA3 Owner Comments

problem #12

Jun 012023

MAZDA3

  • miles

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

The car has a smell of fuel when filling the tank and for a long period following. My mechanic tells me the surface of the tank has decayed and that it will cost $1600 to correct. I don't have the $1600, so he told me to fill the tank only halfway, which seems to have solved the issue of the fuel smell. I can't understand how a fuel tank could decay and believe Mazda should be responsible for something that is poorly designed or improperly manufactured.

- Cochecton, NY, USA

problem #11

Jan 012021

MAZDA3

  • miles
Gas smell when tank is filled past 3/4

- Hudson, OH, USA

problem #10

Jul 262022

MAZDA3

  • miles
Accelerating on the highway passing a semi-truck when I lost acceleration power. Nearly caused a serious accident at highway speeds. Engine light then came on. After the incident the car's engine would stutter when accelerated above 2000rpm. Was able to bring it to a local mechanic who diagnosed both fuel pumps as damaged and replaced. Part was not inspected by police or insurance as it did not lead to a crash.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #9

Nov 012022

MAZDA3

  • miles

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

- After filling up the gas tank and putting the cap back on, there is a distinct smell of gasoline until some of the fuel is used up. In summary, it appears to be spilling or leaking fuel/fumes when we fill up the tank. -This is a problem when parking our car in our garage and we are concerned that it could cause a fire. - We have not yet confirmed this with a dealer or independent service center nor have we had any other entity or person confirm this. - This issue was noticed recently and within the last year or so and without any alerts and/or warning lamps. - We understand that there is a recall on the Mazda3 for model years 2014-2016 regarding the ICV Valve (deformed gas tank) and even though it appears to be the same issue, our vehicle doesn't fall within the recall group. - Please help us determine if this is the same problem as the 2014-2016 model year recalls and if your agency will need to issue a similar recall on this model year.

- Troy, NY, USA

problem #8

Sep 092021

MAZDA3

  • miles
Mazda 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 attachment of the Inlet Check Valve (ICV) may fail and allow fuel to leak. Consequence A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire. This is what i seem to be experiencing please expand recall...

- Hope Valley, RI, USA

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problem #7

Jul 162021

MAZDA3

  • miles
Had a gas smell in our garage for months, thought our riding mower or snowblower was the cause but realized it was this car. Took to our mechanic and they said it was the fuel leak issue from NHTSA campaign 16V684000 however this car was manufactured in Dec 2013 and the official recall campaign began with cars manufactured the following month aka Jan 2014. We have been unable to get assistance from the dealership or reach anyone at Mazda due to the huge hold times.

- Appleton, WI, USA

problem #6

Sep 102019

MAZDA3

  • 58,000 miles

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

My 2014 Mazda3 is leaking from a seam in the fuel tank. There is an existing campaign for other 2014 Mazda3S #16V684000 but my VIN apparently is not caught in that campaign. Seems highly suspect that some vehicles of the same year were missed when developing the campaign. My vehicle is on the lift now and my mechanic is watching fuel drip from the seam in the tank. Note this is happening with a full tank of fuel, when vehicle is stationary. After parking there is distinct fuel order emanating from the rear of the vehicle.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #5

Aug 242019

MAZDA3

  • 30,100 miles
July 2018 I noticed the rear passenger wheel getting really hot and making a popping sound after driving it on hot pavement. The brake caliper was stuck and I had to get a new rotor, rear driver's brake caliper and new brake pads. I had to wait 3 weeks for the caliper to come in. The mechanic said it was odd all the other calipers were available for immediate delivery except the rear passenger one. We looked online and noticed a recall but my VIN was not included. Fast forward 1 year - August 2019, I was smelling fuel around the driver's wheel well and inside the vehicle after fill up. I didn't notice any fuel leaking onto the ground underneath the car. I took the car to my mechanic and there is a fuel leak coming from the seem of the gas tank. The whole tank has to be replaced and possibly the fuel pump. Once again I have another wait for the parts from Mazda - at least a week. These are 2 very expensive repairs in the matter of a little over a year for a car with 30,000 miles on it. He said when he looked under the back seat he couldn't believe how much fuel leaked out. He said from looking online, my car should have been recalled for both of these incidents since other models of the same year were. I contacted Mazda corporate about each of these issues and they tell me my vehicle was not impacted by the recall and there is nothing they can do since it's no longer under warranty.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #4

Apr 172019

MAZDA3

  • 119,527 miles
Safety recall-electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator while driving on the highway, with my wife and daughter in the backseat I notice my battery light come on. After that every warning light on dashboard came on and the car began to slow down even when pressing my foot on the gas. The car even tried stoping and the steering locked up. We were successfully able to get it towed but I believed this happen because the dealers didn't fix the recall and instaed they bypassed it.

- Buena Vista, VA, USA

problem #3

Apr 302015

MAZDA3

  • 2,000 miles
Purchased as new vehicle. From the time of purchase I smelled gasoline in garage after parking overnight. After 1,000 miles/3 months the gas smell became increasingly stronger and gas mileage plummeted from 30 mpg to 18 mpg. Took the car to the dealer for repair. They said the seams of fuel tank were leaking--entire tank had to be replaced; not safe to drive.

- Stillwater, OK, USA

problem #2

Jul 312014

MAZDA3

  • 791 miles
Harsh vibration in cabin similar to an engine misfire occurs randomly near idle or immediately after ignition. The dealership and manufacturer have been made aware of this concern and were unsuccessful in reproducing or isolating source of the vibration. Video documentation of the failure during its occurrence has been provided to both parties and has been forwarded to the senior regional engineer for analysis. Current owner has an open vehicle repurchase claim under lemon law with the manufacturer pending investigation of fault.

- Midland, TX, USA

problem #1

Nov 172014

MAZDA3

  • 17,000 miles
My car is equipped with a push to start/stop (keyless) "feature". I pulled my car into the garage last night (with the radio off), pressed the start/stop button to stop the engine, and went inside. When I woke up this morning, the car was still running, all night inside my attached enclosed garage. Co meter measure non-zero ppm levels a few hours after shutting the car off. Other then the radio, there are no obvious non-audible indications that the engine is running / not running. Additional expectation would be the car should be smart enough to automatically shut itself off after idling for extended period of time. Mine was running in the garage for about 6.5 hours.

- Nowthen, MN, USA

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