2004 Mazda MAZDA3 Problems, complaints & recalls

This model car has a fuse box under the glove box known as a "passenger junction box" that has a faulty or defective relay soldered onto the circuit board. The relay is tied to lighting that includes the interior lights, exterior front parking lights, exterior rear tail lights, and the license plate light and is controlled by the left turn signal stalk (rotating switch). Based on my experience and many others (on the Mazda 3 forums), this relay has the tendency to fail and cause all of these lights tied to this...

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda 3 equipped with Hankook Tires, Tire Line: Ventus S1 Noble2, Tire Size: 205/50/R17, DOT Number: N/A. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, a loud explosion was heard. The contact's wife alerted him that the rear driver's side tire had blown out. The contact's vehicle was then rear-ended by another vehicle, causing his vehicle to turn 360 degrees. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was not injured, but his wife suffered from neck pain. Medical attention was...

There has been no accident- the vehicle is my mother in laws vehicle- my concern is while at work she has at times loaded our daughter into the vehicle- I inspected the vehicle one day while as an employee of Les Schwab- the driver cvc axle vibrates so bad from the boot being torn and having no lubrication- these axles power the vehicle forward and if not maintained can snap and cause damage- the wipers no longer work correctly- the tires are 2017 and old and weather cracked- potential to separate while driving or...

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle and driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 04V468000 (Air Bags). The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

The car ran great for the end of 2019. I bought it used at 145,000 miles. Then the automatic transmission started to slip. Now its stuck in limp mode.

The tail lights go out intermittently due to a defective passenger junction box (fuse box). Tapping the box with a screwdriver handle will bring the tail lights back on for a while. This has been a mazda 3 issue over the years. The should be a recall on this.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda 3. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who stated that the front passenger seat main module needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was contacted, but could not assist. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,680.

The lock release lever on the steering wheel get loose while the vehicle is in motion and does not locked in place. This can cause an accident and serious injuries. There should be a recall to get this repair.

I was rear ended while pregnant and driving my 2004 mazda 3 hatchback. The airbags never deployed but I was on my way to a doctor's appointment and was able to have an ultrasound to ensure my child was safe. No insurance claim was filed but I was concerned. I was at a stop sign.

No problems from car no warning light. Big bang then engine making very loud knocking noise...On interstate... Still cranks but needs motor...Read that lot of people have had same problems

Driver side front seat wobbles-entire assembly needs to be replaced-dangerous if weld had broken while on freeway-why isn't this a safety recall-numerous other complaints for various model years even when new-are seats removed by l0-jack techs when installing lo-jack devices?

Power steering goes out intermittently. Often starts when turning the wheel to the left. The power steering failure light , or sometimes all warning lights, come on. The steering wheel becomes extremely difficult to turn in either direction and the car is difficult and hazardous to navigate to a stop. Electronics flash on and off (headlights, radio, etc.). Car sometimes dies. If the steering wheel is not perfectly straight when the car dies, it is locked and the car cannot be restarted until someone can wrench the steering wheel straight again. This has happened off and on for a year. Since it is intermittent, mechanics are unable to find the problem.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda 3. When the vehicle was started, the steering wheel light illuminated. The steering wheel locked and was hard to turn. The contact turned the vehicle off and back on a few times and shifted the steering wheel to the left and right, but the wheel would not unlock. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,173.

Engine light came on with evap leak code. Small leak at first then included large leak code later. Also began to notice strong gas smell outside vehicle after fueling. Turned out the fuel pump ring that holds down and seals fuel pump to fuel tank had cracked. Over time the split became larger. When tank was filled, raw fuel would leak out around pump on top of tank. Which also happens to be right under the rear seat where me kids sit. Replacement was expensive because the ring could not be removed from under...

Was in accident hit ditch and tree head on and airbags did not deploy, causing injury to face from hitting steering wheel. Was on city street and in motion.

There was a strong fuel smell that was occurring on both the inside and outside of my car every time I filled my car up. I took to my the mechanic and it was found my fuel tank was leaking in 2 spots. One was part of the gas tank that vents the fumes - that seal was leaking and the other was part of the locking ring that is on the gas tank itself was cracked.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda 3. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced severe corrosion and the door frame was starting to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed that portions of the vehicle could be repaired; however, the corrosion was in areas that were beyond repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Bought 4 new tires on 3/23/12. Three of these tires developed bubbles and had to be replaced.

Clutch slipping, high rpms, not red lining. Transmission exploded causing engine fire and burning motor and electrical components.

When starting the car the air bag light comes on and stays on for weeks then it will turn off. This has been happening for over a year.

Seat belt light comes on and stay for few days then go off and back again

I started my car and my power steering light came on my dash when I was leaving work on 4/2/2015. I had no power steering at all. I've had a repair shop tell me it is my power steering pump that has failed. They stated that they cannot order the part needed to repair my vehicle, which is the electric power steering pump. I called a nearby dealership and they said I have to go through a zip dealership because it is a vin specific part. They quoted me $900 for a power steering pump and $315 to install it! I...

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda mazda3. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v468000 (air bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.

I had my mechanic working on replacing a burnt out license plate light when he discovered that the tail lights were not working. He turned the lights off and back on, and the tail lights started working again, turned the lights back off and on again, and the tail lights were back to not working again. He identified the fuse box to be the cause of this issue, as when the tail lights were out, he would hit the fuse box which would then cause the lights to come back on, and he demonstrated this for me. This is a...

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda mazda3. The contact stated that the power steering warning light illuminated and the steering wheel became inoperable. Also, the contact mentioned that the exterior and interior lights failed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.