2012 Mazda MAZDA3 - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2012 Mazda Mazda3 has an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 according to the NHTSA. It received a top score of 5 for overall front crash rating and front crash driver side rating, indicating strong protection in case of a frontal collision. The car also scored 3 out of 5 for overall side crash rating, with slightly lower scores for the side crash driver and passenger sides.

One notable safety feature of the Mazda3 is the standard electronic stability control, which helps the driver maintain control of the vehicle in challenging driving conditions. However, it does not come equipped with forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the car has received 213 complaints and has had 1 recall. It's essential for Mazda to address these complaints and perform necessary recalls to ensure the safety and reliability of the Mazda3 on the road. Overall, while the Mazda3 has solid safety ratings and features stability control, potential buyers may want to consider additional safety options depending on their preferences and priorities.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

213

Recall Count

1

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2012 Mazda Mazda3 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2012 Mazda Mazda3 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2012 Mazda Mazda3 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2012 Mazda Mazda3 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 3 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 3 4 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 3 2 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 4 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 2 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 3 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 3 5

Complaints for the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the car started to stall, hesitate and even stop completely for no apparent reason. the mechanic first recommended a new ecu/tcu which did not help the problem and in the course of duplicating the problem check engine light has come on for the transmission with problems shifting/sticking in a gear and not returning to first gear. my mechanic has stated that there is a known problem with mazda3 transmission, and i should reach out to mazda. they indicate there is no recall, but mechanic provided me tsb reference number 0500814 from a service bulletin. the car is a death trap and i have stalled while driving on the streets and freeway so obviously i can't drive the car. the car is still at the mechanics since parts cannot be found. please help any way possible. thank you."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-10-07
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 mazda mazda3. the contact stated while driving 70 mph, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted from 5th gear to 3rd gear with several unknown warning lights illuminated. the vehicle started to slide and the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle came to a stop. the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 19v072000 (power train) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 160,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-02-06
Complaint:
"a hot and humid night waiting in line at a drive through with a slight up hill slope, the transmission did not engage from neutral to drive. after shifting from park to drive it went into 3rd gear with and engine light, haz road and at light. po751 01/02, po780 02/02 codes. transmission shop stated: transmission solenoids bad and smell of burnt fluid. fluid was brown, car was one owner 233k ..possible flood damaged from 4 mo earlier."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-02-11
Complaint:
"at 41k miles had to have the shifter assembly replaced because the tiptronic failed to change gears when using the "manual" mode. at 64k miles, experiencing the same issue (approx 3 years after initial repair)."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2017-03-08
Complaint:
"the shifter assembly (tiptronic) fails to change gears when using the "manual" mode. vehicle has 64k miles. vehicle was serviced for same issue 3 years prior."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2019-02-07
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 mazda 3. while driving various speeds, the transmission skipped gears and the rpms accelerated without warning. in addition, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the failures occurred intermittently. the dealer was not contacted. an independent mechanic changed the oil and diagnosed that the transmission needed to be repaired. the transmission had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 95,000. the vin was unavailable."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2019-01-01
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 mazda 3. the contact stated that the gears slipped intermittently while driving in any gear. the manufacturer indicated that the vehicle was excluded from warranty campaign bulletin number: o5-oo8/16 due to being under mileage; however, the statute for the date to receive service was also expired. the vehicle was taken to byers mazda (2455 billingsley rd, columbus, oh 43235, (614) 792-2455) where it was determined that the transmission assembly needed to be replaced by the vehicle owner. the manufacturer was notified and did not assist. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 58,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2018-01-02
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 mazda 3. while driving 55 mph, the clutch failed on the highway. the contact stated that the revolutions per minutes dial fluctuated rapidly. the contact was able to control the vehicle and park. the contact stated that the clutch was replaced four times for the same failure. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was towed each time the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to john hine mazda (45 camino del rio s, san diego, ca 92108 (888) 714-7925) where it was diagnosed that the clutch failed due to driver abuse. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would not assist. the failure mileage was 10,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2017-08-12
Complaint:
"i was driving to work and as i was shifting through the gear i came up to a speed zone so i took my foot off the gas and as soon as i pressed my foot on the gas the shifter popped out of 4th gear and into neutral i had to quickly put it back into 4th gear so i wouldn`t get hit from behind after it happened a few more time i told my husband and he called the dealer where we bought the car the dealer checked it out and said they couldn`t find anything that would cause it so i took it back as a safe car. the car now has about 60000 miles on it and continues to pop out of gear while driving on major highways we have told the dealer on several occasions but when they have the car it doesn`t do it but then again they d. ..rive it on a twp road not a highway. i purchased the car brand new from weisleider ford in brick nj"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2014-03-03
Complaint:
"vehicle was purchased brand new from classic mazda or orlando, florida in december of 2012. all vehicle maintenance has been performed according to dealership recommendations at classic mazda of orlando, florida. vehicle was in for service within the previous two days and had been driving normally with no problems noted after inspection. on saturday morning, may 17, 2014, vehicle was driven and noted no problems. after being parked for a few hours, vehicle was started, and it rolled down the driveway, only to be stuck and unable to move when in gear and releasing the clutch. i called mazda roadside assistance who towed it to classic mazda on 5/18/14. on 5/19/14, mazda found that the clutch had been totally destroyed, and with only 17000 miles on vehicle. mazda is only willing to pay for parts and leave the bigger expense of labor to the owner of approximately $600. this clutch should last longer than 17000 miles and i believe it to be defective as there are many other complaints similar to mine everywhere. i believe mazda has designed a less than acceptable clutch to be in use on these vehicles, and should be 100% liable for repair costs. i request a formal investigation into this concern as it could cause serious injury if at highway speeds when fault occurs. *js"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2015-05-05

Recalls for the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"mazda north american operations (mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 mazda3 and mazdaspeed3 vehicles manufactured november 18, 2008, to june 8, 2013, 2012-2015 mazda5 vehicles manufactured october 26, 2010, to june 22, 2015, 2016 cx-3 vehicles manufactured june 1, 2015, to december 26, 2015, and 2013-2016 cx-5 vehicles manufactured december 15, 2011, to december 26, 2015. on the affected vehicles, the lift gate support struts may corrode, possibly causing the struts to break and/or the lift gate to drop unexpectedly."
Consequence:
If the lift gate falls unexpectedly, it may hit the user, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy:

Mazda dealers will replace the both lift gate supports, free of charge, however parts are not currently available. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9916H.

Component(s) Involved: STRUCTURE > BODY > HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE
Date of incident: 2016-09-06

MAZDA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

MAZDA ranks 16 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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