NHTSA — Fuel/Propulsion System Problems

2.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,218 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.

2012 Mazda MAZDA3 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2012 Mazda MAZDA3 Owner Comments

problem #16

Apr 012023

MAZDA3

  • miles

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

After topping off my fuel tank at a gas station, fuel begins to leak from the top of the tank. Prior to noticing the leak, I had noticed a strong smell of gas after topping off and driving home. Symptoms include smell of gasoline, and a gasoline puddle on the ground. The fuel appears to be leaking from the top of the fuel tank, running down the side, and dripping onto the ground. Because of other nearby components that generate heat, this is a very dangerous situation that may lead to fires. Other 2012 Mazda 3 owners have experienced the same exact situation. The following threads shows comments from various people that have experienced the issue. The component that seems to have failed is the vent hose which allows gasoline to seep to the exterior of the tank. Fuel leaks are extremely dangerous as sparks, matches, cigarettes, or other heat sources can ignite the fuel leading to a total loss. https://www.mazda3revolution.com/threads/fuel-leaking-from-gas-tank-area-after-filling-up.236569/ https://www.mazdaspeeds.org/index.php?threads/resolved-fuel-leak-by-tank.14228/ Quotes for repair seem to vary with some people claiming up to $900.

- Youngsville, NC, USA

problem #15

Aug 272020

MAZDA3

  • miles
When I drive down the road.my car speeds up and I don't press on the excilerator any harder. The cars idol goes up and down when driving and at park. This happens on all types of road ways. Sometimes it speeds up on me so fast I have to hit the brake while driving on the road.

- Deer Isle, ME, USA

problem #14

Sep 012019

MAZDA3

  • 90,000 miles
Smell of fuel is very noticeable after filling up the gas tank. Further investigation indicates there is leaking somewhere near/around the tank but not on top where the fuel pump is. It is observed that the leak happens when tank is filled up full and more so if parked uphill. If filled up full, the leak seems to stop if car is parked downhill. Research indicates several other 2012 Mazda 3 owners have experienced the same issue. This is quite dangerous. For a part that is not moving or wearing out, whether the tank or attached hose, to break for a 7-8 year old car is unacceptable. This can cause a fire or explosion leading to death.

- Daly City, CA, USA

problem #13

Dec 042019

MAZDA3

  • 78,000 miles

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

Gas leaking from back of fuel tank after filling it up. It I only fill up half way no leak

- Florence, KY, USA

problem #12

Oct 172015

MAZDA3

  • 31,740 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Mazda 3. while driving at an unspecified speed, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to jenkins Mazda of ocala (352-815-2425, located at 1740 sw college rd, ocala, fl 34471) where the fuel pump and gauge were replaced. The clutch was replaced six moths later. Five months later, the vehicle leaked fluid in the driveway. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where the technician diagnosed and replaced the driver's side transmission axle. Seven months later, while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle made a clunking sound and was towed to the same dealer where the technician diagnosed and replaced the entire transmission. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and offered to provide a discount towards the cost of a new vehicle. The offer was not acceptable. The contact's vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 31,740.

- Ocala, FL, USA

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problem #11

Nov 262018

MAZDA3

  • 81,800 miles
Fuel filler line leak. When gas tank is full fuel leaks from small whole in line that goes into gas tank. My mechanic says it is where the line is welded to gas tank has broken the Mazda service manager tells me it's not an issue that Mazda will fix, even though it is a safety issue. My mechanic says that this is an issue with the 2013 models, so if the same thing happens to a 2012 model why it not be repaired by maxda?

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #10

May 252018

MAZDA3

  • 98,000 miles

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

Each time the vehicle is fueled the check engine light come on. I have clicked the fuel cap several times. I have had the cap replaced. There is an evap code showing. The car cannot pass any state inspection

- Brockton, MA, USA

problem #9

Apr 252017

MAZDA3

  • 56,430 miles
When I fill my gas tank, gasoline gushes or spurts out when the tank is full. I know normally the gas pump shuts off automatically when tank is full. The automatic shutoff when fueling does not work. Gas always overflows (regardless of what gas station I go to or if I hold the pump when fueling). It is a major overflow. Not a little gas comes out, a lot comes out, and forcefully. I cannot fill my tank more than 10 gallons. Gas will literally shoot out around the pump. Fuel has hit my legs and feet several times. The car is always turned off with the key removed from the ignition when fueling.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #8

Jul 112016

MAZDA3

  • 52,300 miles
Gas cap. This is a known problem. The gas cap works itself loose and causes the check engine light to illuminate since a loose gas cap introduces an oxygen leak. The dealer's fix is to tighten the cap. However, once the car is out of warranty, this causes the owner to have to either buy a code scanner to reset the code or go to the dealer and pay for a diagnosis. This problem is not affected by the type of driving or road conditions. The cap works itself loose and that triggers the warning light.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

problem #7

Jun 272016

MAZDA3

  • 95,000 miles
When decelerating, I'll push in clutch, apply brake, and shift to a lower gear. As I let out the clutch, car will sometimes lurch forward (as if I'm depressing accelerator even though I'm not). I must immediately depress clutch again and let out slowly to prevent the sudden surge in acceleration. Most often happens when I am coming out of a turn and begin to let out clutch. Also, at 3 1/2 years old, with 95,000 mostly highway miles, manual transmission has started popping out of 4th gear while driving. I'll be driving along and for no reason shifter will pop out of gear. Independent transmission shop said cause is likely bad bearings inside transmission and recommended replacement with manufactured transmission. I never had problems with my 2010 Mazda 5 with 5 speed manual transmission. I've reported problems to Mazda service and of course they can never get problem to repeat itself while they are driving.

- Mebane, NC, USA

problem #6

Sep 252015

MAZDA3

  • 28,625 miles

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

I just got off work and got in my car to leave. I turned on the car and everything seemed normal. I pulled out of the parking lot and as soon as I pulled up to the light, which was 1block away, my car shut off. I was just at the red light waiting then my car turned off and would not turn back on. All the power in the car was there but my car would just not turn back on, my vehical was being operated in the automatic position.this was dangerous because it was a Friday afternoon during the 5 O'clock traffic and I had all these vehicals lined up behind me honking and I had to push my vehicals off to the side and call a tow truck. My vehical was luckily on the city street.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #5

Jan 012015

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 16,090 miles
My wife was driving on the freeway - I was on the passenger side. This is the first time it happened. The car lost sort of reset itself - dash warning lights came on (according to my wife). Radio/cd stopped music - ABS light went on (that's all I can see from passenger side). My wife said others too but she was focused on the road because it was a construction zone. She was nervous and said the car was not responding to throttle. Luckily all went back to normal after 2 or maybe 3 seconds. The music came back on also. No check engine light or any sign of trouble. We pulled over and I checked the front to see if we hit something that could have caused it. Restarted the car - all seemed normal and reached our destination. This was our first 200 mile trip or more on this car. 1 day after arrival - I did a once over safety check (fluids, tire pressure, etc) nothing out of the ordinary. Got my obd2 code reader and it had the following U3003 U0140 U0428. So I will take this to our dealer for checkup.

- Hilliard, OH, USA

problem #4

Dec 192014

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 48,000 miles
Driving at approx 45mph, car lost acceleration, power steering, and multiple engine lights on. Car moved to site of the road and towed to dealer.

- Temple Terrace, FL, USA

problem #3

Jun 202014

MAZDA3 4-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Driving at 70mph, lost acceleration and multiple engine lights came on. Had to move over to emergency lane on interstate and driving to nearest exit at approx 40mph. Car towed to dealer for repair.

- Temple Terrace, FL, USA

problem #2

Nov 242014

MAZDA3

  • 41,500 miles
The check engine light had been on for a week; the dealer said it was no big deal and to bring it in at any time. However, the vehicle lost power one day and other warning lights came on. I was able to drive home at a very low rate of speed and had it towed to the dealer. The dealer said it was a bad fuel injector and replaced it. However, now, four months later, the car is having the same problem -- the check engine light has come back on. The car has not been getting the maximum mpg (about 10 percent less) and there is a noticeable hesitation when the car shifts gears. I will be bringing it back to the dealer. This is very similar to the same complaint of others regarding the sudden loss of power -- thank goodness I was not on a highway.

- Cohasset, MA, USA

problem #1

Jul 292014

MAZDA3

  • 30,000 miles
I was driving slowly in traffic when I noticed a large white spider about the size of my thumb come out of the dashboard (where the mpg display is located). The following morning, I noticed another spider on my dashboard near the vent at the very front. Both spiders looked exactly like the white sac spiders described in the Mazda 6 recall. I took it to the dealer today to have them look at it because I am concerned about the problems these spiders are known to cause in the fuel tank. Mazda refused to look at my car stating that my model wasn't part of the recall and therefore it was not their problem. Granted my model is not on the recall list, I am still having the same issue as the recalled vehicles. I asked them to write, sign and date a paper stating that they are declining to look into my car's problem in the off chance that something happens. I want to be sure that Mazda is held liable for refusing to even look at my fuel tank.

- Santa Ana, CA, USA

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