2006 Mazda Mazda3
This year drew an ordinary 166 complaints for a Mazda Mazda3 — the model's median is 103. What they were about is the unusual part: 14.5% of them mention little, against 5.4% across the other years of this generation.
Generation 1 of the Mazda Mazda3, which began in 2004 and ran to 2009. Everything below compares this year against the others in that generation, not against a different car wearing the same name.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 166 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 103 |
| Involving a crash | 21 |
| Involving a fire | 3 |
| Recalls | 2 |
| EPA combined | 25.5 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- little — 14.5% of this year's complaints, against 5.4% across the other years of this generation (2.7×). Owners wrote it as: little, extended, light come, wanted.
- under warranty — 9% of this year's complaints, against 3.3% across the other years of this generation (2.7×). Owners wrote it as: under warranty, starter, service department, bracket.
- area — 7.2% of this year's complaints, against 2.6% across the other years of this generation (2.8×). Owners wrote it as: area, better, damaging.
Words owners used for the same problem are counted together, so a fault written four different ways is measured once. Grouped by which complaints they appear in, not by a list anyone wrote in advance.
What owners wrote
THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THIS CAR HAS REFUSED TO START. THE "FIX" WAS DONE BY MAZDA OVER THE PAST SUMMER DUE TO A CORROSION PROBLEM WITH THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE WHERE IT ATTACHES TO THE STARTER. THIS TIME IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. MY CONCERN IS MYSELF OR ANYONE…
WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, HE HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE AS THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FLAMES ORIGINATED FROM UNDER THE HOOD AREA. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE SUMMONED TO THE SCENE. THERE WERE NO INJ…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 21V494000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 09E011000 EQUIPMENT Fixed free of charge.
How this was worked out
Every year of the Mazda Mazda3 was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2006 Mazda Mazda3? What happened to yours?
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