Power steering cutting out at random times. Very hard to steer. My young grand daughter almost had a crash. Power steering cut out three times before I got it to the dealer. (replaced power steering motor -see 10315633 from the same complainant).

- Slidell, LA, USA

I was driving a 2008 Mazda 3 which I purchased new. It had about 25000 miles. I was driving around a curve when the power steering suddenly went out. I crossed the double yellow line nearly causing a crash since I wasn't prepared for such a hard turn. I contacted Mazda service department and they stated they were aware of the defect and they sent a tow truck for it. I was given another Mazda 3 for a replacement while mine was being fixed. After roughly two weeks of driving it the exact same issue. I was once again driving down the road and the power steering went out. They once again sent a tow truck and gave me a different car for a replacement. While talking to the service manager where I bought my car they said they were aware of this problem. The issue was defective power steering lines. These lines corrode from the inside and then get into the power steering pump causing it to fail. It took them six weeks to get my car back to me. They said it took so long to get it repaired because they are having trouble finding that many replacement parts.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

The power steering in my 2008 Mazda 3 failed the day before my brother was supposed to take it for his road test. My car has been sitting at my dealership for 4 weeks now, and the new estimate time for the parts replacement is mid-July. According to them, they have over 40 cars in their parking lot alone waiting for the same part. And Mazda usa has yet to recall it. They provided me with me loaner car, free of charge, but I am only 20 years old so my mother had to use it and I have to use her vehicle. It has created a bit of stress seeing as she drives a Ford Expedition and the gas is twice as much as mine. And I have just received my second monthly bill in which I do not even have my car.

- Wrentham, MA, USA

After idling for about 10 minutes in a parking lot, the power steering light came on and the wheel locked. After cooling down, was able to steer and drive to dealer. Three weeks later, the car has not been repaired because parts are on back order with no estimated time of shipping.

- Garland, TX, USA

Power steering failure, when idling or driving for long periods of time the power steering light illuminates and locks up during operation. This happened to me on the highway while doing 65mph with my family in the car which almost caused a three car pile up because the driver in front of me stopped short luckily the shoulder was empty and I was able to pull to the left with all my strength.

- Sayville, NY, USA

2008 Mazda 3 has electronic variable orfice in the power steering system the fuse that controls this valve blew for the first time on May 11th, 2009. It has blown 2 additional times, including today in rush hour traffic. Unlike other manufacturers, when this fuse blows, the valve closes, cutting off all flow to the rack, disabling the power assist. When the fuse blew today, I was in the middle of an intersection, turning left. I had to struggle to turn sharp enough to avoid hitting a car waiting to go straight. The valve should have been designed to stay open when power is removed, which would cause the assist to be at is greatest amount, not losing all assist by closing.

- Angier, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mazda 3. while the contact was parking the vehicle, the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering wheel locked. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for repairs and has remained there for two weeks because the parts are on back order. The current and failure mileages were 17,000.

- Alhambra, CA, USA

During parallel parking practice with brand new (less than 500 miles on car) Mazda3 sedan (2.3) for a driver license exam, electronic power steering assist failed multiple times, rendering steering completely inoperable (cannot even steer manually since steering resistance is extreme). No dashboard lights indicating a problem. Upon turning ignition off and then immediately restarting car, steering would recover but then fail again several minutes later. Car also developed high-pitched whistling sound, source unclear. Dealership examined car and claims steering unit ok (although code indicated power steering malfunction) and is safe to drive. Dealership hypothesizes that electronic power steering assist unit overheated and suggests not turning steering wheel to extremes for more than 5 seconds--however, the steering failed at times when steering wheel was not turned to extreme (wheels straight), and if this is an "accepted" or "expected" finding in these cars it seems the safety margin for such a system failure is very low. Dealership cannot explain high-pitched whistle noise or failure of dashboard light to indicate steering system failure.

- Glen Gardner, NJ, USA