As the original owner, I have now experienced (4) faulty/broken/corroded valve stem as part (attached to the TPMS-Tire Pressure Monitor System). This happened over the course of 12 years. I do believe all of them were OEM parts. All of them broke when attempting to air up the tire. It is a safety issue because once broke, you can no longer put air into the tire. The first occurrence was while still under warranty and i had to argue with the Mazda dealer to replace it. The dealership gave me some sort of unofficial receipt which I actually kept, found, and attached to this complaint form. During my second set of tires, Sams Club graciously replaced 2 more as part of their tire warranty package (I dont think they documented this on their receipts). Now, what i believe to be the final OEM stem left has broke. Unfortunately, I have a third set of tires through Costco and they wont replace without a fee. This should be a safety recall absolutely no doubt in my experience!

- House Springs, MO, USA

ABS, and traction control dash board lights are on. The ABS relay is faulty, so the ABS module needs to be replaced

- Wylie, TX, USA

Mazda3 factory-installed tire inflation valve stems are prematurely failing resulting in an immediate tire deflation with no prior warning or indication of failure. Failures have occurred when the car was parked and when moving. There was no prior indication (I.e. no warning or slow loss of pressure) of a problem with the valve. Prior to this vehicle, I have never had a tire inflation valve stem fail in the 35+ years I have owned vehicles. However, this has happened three times to this specific vehicle (which we purchased in 2014) with the most recent occurrence happening today, 16 Jan 2019. A quick internet search revealed this is a wide-spread problem with Mazda 3 tire inflation valve stems. I've attached pictures of today's failure as well as an exemplar website printout of identical complaints by other Mazda owners. Given the unwarned and rapid failure of these valve stems, this is an immediate safety hazard due to the potential loss of control should the tire inflation valve stem fail at highway speeds, especially during adverse weather.

- Lansdowne, VA, USA

Was traveling at highway speeds on the bypass when the valve stem and TPMS sensor broke off and immediately deflated the tire shaking the vehicle violently and almost causing driver to lose control. Have brought this complaint to Mazda in the past and they said they know that it is caused by using dissimilar metals on the TPMS sensor causing erosion to the stem and ultimately the stem breaking off. This TPMS sensor was already replaced on the vehicle at the tire change interval and still failed long before the vehicle was due for another set of tires. Mazda knows these are defective and refuses to do anything about it. I'd rather not have TPMS and not know what my tire pressures are than to have that system endanger myself or my family any more. It is currently more dangerous to use these defective faulty TPMS sensors than it is to not have them. That should tell you something...

- Coatesville, PA, USA

TPMS/valve stem assembly failed suddenly causing an immediate lost of air in the tire on 2-lane marked highway(posted speed limit 55mph)

- Hinton, WV, USA

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

In the last year and a half, since July 2015, I have replaced three tire monitoring valves on my 2010 Mazda 3. this morning I went to drive my car the monitor warning light came on the dash. This will be the fourth replacement. And the repair is not cheap through the dealer. It is about $200 for each valve. I read some bad experiences where people have had a tire blow out. I pray that does not happen to me.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

Twice now, when I was alerted via my TPMS that I had low tire pressure in one of my tires, I stopped at a service station to add air to my low pressure tire. As I applied the air hose to the valve stem, the valve stem (and the attached TPMS sensor, disappeared into the wheel and tire and the tire went immediately flat.. I believe this to be the result of faulty design of the TPMS assembly. The materials used in the collar and nut that secure the TPMS assembly to the wheel is not appropriate for the environment (exposed to road salt, dirt, grime, brake dust, etc.) in which the TPMS assembly must function. The collar and nut corrode and eventually fail due to that exposure. Fortunately for me, I was stopped at the time of those failures; had I been traveling at highway speeds the complete failure (no air pressure remaining in tire) could have been catastrophic. The first assembly failed at approximately 36,500 miles and this most recent one failed at 61,800 miles. Both TPMS assemblies were oem parts and were installed on the vehicle when we bought the car new from Mazda. I have seen many reports online describing similar failures. To the best of my knowledge, Mazda has not yet recognized or acknowledged this as a problem with the design and failure of their TPMS assemblies. I would like them to acknowledge the problem and take action to address their faulty design, before someone gets hurt or dies from an accident resulting from another TPMS assembly failure.

- Beavercreek, OH, USA

At 78,000 miles one of my valve stems failed while driving at 65 mph. When I inspected the other three wheels, based on a recommendation from shop, I found another stem with about 2/3 of the nut missing along the entire length of the stem shaft. See pictures. If the front wheel stem had failed rather than the back wheel stem I could have had serious control issues.

- Fairfax, VA, USA

Valve stems on tires blow out with very little warning. It has happened three times on my vehicle, twice at highway speeds with my small child in the backseat. The sensor for low tire pressure goes on and within a minute the tire is completely ruined. And the most recent incident was with a tire only six months old and less than 10000 miles. There is not enough time to even pull over. This is very unsafe and scary.

- Altonna, PA, USA

2010 madza3 less than 40,000 miles. Went to have snow tires removed after winter season. All four TPMS valves corroded and broken into pieces. Tire dealer would not release car with valves in this condition. Have temporarily replaced with regular, non-monitoring valves. Six year old vehicle with this few miles should not be having this issue. No recall issued, but obviously common issue with this model. Why hasn't recall been issued. Could be catastrophic on highway.

- Edina, MN, USA

Steering wheel locking up while driving, unable to turn the car

- Manchester, NH, USA

[I bought my car used, and it came with the TPMS light on. I was told it was because the passenger rear sensor wasn't transmitting. I check my tire pressure often, and ignore the TPMS light because those sensors are expensive! more on this later.] as I was accelerating from a stop light a few weeks ago, I realized I was getting a flat tire on the driver front. I pulled over and, as I was taking the lug nuts off, noticed the valve stem had disappeared. After I got to the tire shop and they were inspecting the tire, the tech informed me the flat was because the entire valve had fallen out of the tire! they also informed me the passenger rear tire did not have a faulty sensor; the valve had been replaced (by the previous owner) with a non-sensor valve. I found it strange that now two tire valves had been replaced on my car. When I researched this online, I discovered my model year has several complaints of the valves breaking or falling out! and now my driver rear tire is losing air, so I suspect that valve needs replaced, as well. I contacted Mazda and was surprised to find their email response included no mention at all of the tire valves - the entire point of my contacting them. I found other owners online stating Mazda is aware of this problem, but refuses to issue a recall. At this point, I have one replaced valve without a sensor (courtesy of the previous owner), the $80 valve I just replaced (with a sensor), one valve I suspect is leaking and needs replacedn, and one valve that may fail at any time like the one a few weeks ago. Mazda needs to address this and rectify it. They're lucky that valve failed before my road trip on the 9th, when I would have been going 70 mph on the highway! and I don't appreciate having to spend $320 to correct Mazda's mistakes.

- Portland, OR, USA

Tire valve stem on 2010 Mazda 3 corroding and braking apart. The first valve stem broke off while I was putting air in my tires. Now two more are visibly corroded and the nut that holds the valve stem to the wheel are breaking apart (one of them half the nut fell off).

- North Ridgeville, OH, USA

Tire sensor malfunctions and punctures the tire. I had already replaced tire sensors on all the wheels and it is happening every year. I only had 44,000 miles and I had to replace all the tires and tire sensors. I had the car parked yesterday night and all the tires had good pressure and drove in the morning out the driveway. Within less than 0.5 driving my front passenger wheel got flat. After towing to dealer, I found out it was due tire sensor.

- Needham, MA, USA

Four new tires installed last summer. Since then two have failed while driving. The first time I thought my daughter hit something when the right front totally failed (replaced new tire under 5000 miles). She said it happened while driving slow thru neighborhood. Then the left front failed a few months later and she had it replaced. She was told the problem is the TPMS, and that the right rear will probably fail too.

- Springboro, OH, USA

TPMS blow out while driving in the highway. Here is an image of my third TPMS that would have blown out while driving in the highway. Good thing I noticed this because I now know to check for it. tinypic.com/R/2pt89cl/8 tinypic.com/R/2unwlr5/8 tinypic.com/R/O6A64J/8 tinypic.com/R/5Z2vc9/8

- Carteret, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2010 Mazda 3. while driving 65 mph, the rear passenger side tire exploded. The tire was replaced with a spare. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that the TPMS sensor was corroded and the nut was fractured. The tire was replaced and the sensor was replaced with regular valve stems. The contact also stated that the dashboard was melting, which caused a glare from the sun. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000. Updated 09/14/15 updated 11/01/2017

- Plymouth Meeting , PA, USA

Today as I am reporting is the 3rd incident of this type since I bought the car brand new, and my car now has only 44 K miles on it. The TPMS sensors on the Mazda 3 are connected to the air valve in the tires. TPMS sensors are very fickle and tend to corrode and break with seasonal weather. When the TPMS sensor breaks on a Mazda3, it lets all the air out of your tire and gives you a flat, stranding you wherever you are. TPMS sensors are supposed to aid drivers to let them know there is a problem, but in this case, they actually cause the problem. The air valve being connected to the TPMS is unique to the design of this car, and has never been a problem for me with other vehicles. This can lead to dangerous situations, depending on how fast the car is traveling and where. I have lost air on the highway and been stranded on the side of the road. TPMS sensors/installation are 200 bucks each approximately, and if your tire gets ripped up during the incident, you must also buy a new tire.

- Chicago, IL, USA

The valve stems on the wheels are corroding and one completely fell off while attempting to take a cap off of it to add air. These could potentially result in rapid air loss from the tires and an accident. I was lucky that it happened when I wasn't driving.

- Oakland, NJ, USA