NHTSA — Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

CarComplaints.com Seal Of This Might Hurt

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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,975 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2010 Mazda MAZDA3 Owner Comments

problem #8

May 142010

MAZDA3

  • miles

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

During the summer there was a toxic smell that was making myself and others who rode in the vehicle ill. Dealership said the smell was probably the purge valve which was normal and that based on the smell my vehicle seemed to be purging more than others but there was nothing that could be done. Summer of 2014 the smell became extremely unbearable while in the vehicle I was suffering severe neurological symptoms, and burning sensations in my eyes and airways. People could smell the toxins just by opening the door. I noticed the heat damage to the dashboard and came across another Mazda owner who became ill because of the off-gassing from the plastic inside the vehicle so I ran the same test before trading in the vehicle. There is a toxic level of chemicals including formaldehyde. My apologies to the owner that this vehicle was resold to by the dealership, I hope you don't become as sick as I did.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #7

Jul 102010

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • miles
Heat is always hot. There is no temperature contol on the heater.

- Eatonton, GA, USA

problem #6

Feb 012012

MAZDA3

  • 26,000 miles
I have had my 2010 Mazda 3S since June of 2010 when I bought it new. I drive to and from work every day. I have 26,000 miles on it, 75% of which are highway miles. I was driving to work last week, and noticed something with the car felt off. Every day of the week it got worse and worse, so I finally brought it to my mechanic who told me, as I suspected, that the clutch was slipping and nearing the end of its life. I have yet to replace the brake pads on this car, and to get told that the clutch is gone before I even replace normal maintenance items is just flat out unacceptable. I have had two previous cars with manual transmissions, and never replaced a clutch, even when they had close to 100,000 miles on them. My mechanic suggested before I do anything, to look on forums and see if anyone else has been having similar problems with premature clutch wear. I have spent my whole weekend on Mazda and edmunds forums reading about countless people with my model year, 2010, who have had clutches go before 35,000 miles. This is not a one-off case, and it is certainly not a "wear and tear" issue as the dealership says it is. That's their blanket cover-their-[xxx]statement because they know they put out a poor product and don't want to deal with the costs incurred with replacing them. I have no faith anymore in my local dealership, or Mazda as a brand at this point. With the significant number of similar issues to mine, the fact that they are still unwilling to admit that they chose an inferior supplier to cut costs for one of the most crucial parts of the car, that isn't covered under warranty, is just piss poor business practice. I don't know what writing this will do, if anything, but I decided that I am done being [xxx] around by the dealer and hopefully this is followed by other Mazda owners who share the distaste for their product and service as I do. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Garden City , NY, USA

problem #5

Dec 242011

MAZDA3

  • 24,000 miles

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

At less than 24,000 miles, my clutch has begun to slip terribly and creates a terrible burning smell. I know there are hundreds of other Mazda owners who have also had to replace their clutches before they've had to replace brake pads. This is a drain on consumers, and a safety issue to boot.

- South River, NJ, USA

problem #4

Dec 222010

MAZDA3

  • 6,200 miles
On December 21, 2010 car stalled and lost steering and brake control on 12/22 happened again resulting in accident and $9,000 in damage.

- Lemont, PA, USA

problem #3

Dec 222010

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,100 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda 3. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph when the vehicle suddenly stalled causing him to loose control of his steering wheel and was also unable to apply the brakes. He then crashed into a mailbox and the side of a mountain. A police was filed. The driver was not injured after the crash. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was also contacted and informed him that they were aware of the failure in prior years, but not of the 2010 models. The failure mileage was approximately 6100. Updated 03/03/11

- Lemont, PA, USA

problem #2

Dec 012010

MAZDA3

  • 14,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda Mazda3. The vehicle was parked and turned on when it shut off for approximately five minutes. When the contact attempted to restart the vehicle it would not start. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnosed the failure. The failure recurred four times. An authorized dealer was unable to diagnose the failure because the vehicle successfully started after being turned off for an extended period of time. The failure mileage was 14,000 and the current mileage was 14,700.

- Interlachen, FL, USA

problem #1

Apr 152010

MAZDA3

  • 3,500 miles
Smoke came threw the vents of the 2010 Mazda3 hatchback and then from under the hood. Then flames came out from hood. It burned until the fire department put it out. It was not able to be repaired.

- Chicago, IL, USA

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