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.
Engine & cooling
2004 Mazda MAZDA3 Engine problems
Owners have filed 33 complaints about the 2004 Mazda MAZDA3's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 19% of all its complaints, most recently on March 22, 2020. They describe 4 crashes, 2 fires and 2 injuries. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 33
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 4
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 2
- Deaths
- 0
Engine complaints
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
Clutch slipping, high rpms, not red lining. Transmission exploded causing engine fire and burning motor and electrical components.
The engine mounts have failed and the car's engine lurches approximately 2 inches in each direction and vibrates while idling. The independent mechanic indicates they have seen a number of these engine mounts fail on this model due to poor/flimsy design. *Tr
2004 Mazda 3. Purchased car used in march 2007. Per owner service records, motor mount #3 failed and in 11/2006, per service bulletin, and warranty, local dealer performed partial engine replacement, including rubber on mount #3. No problems with car leading up to incident, regular maintenance performed during ownership 2007 - current. Car used primarily to and from work, approx. 12K per year driven. On 8/29, car just stopped, motor and transmission fell out of casing, car crashed on hwy 9. Towed to mazda...
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dealership. Initial estimate of repair $990 approx. Estimate revised to $3500 approx. Transmission bracket sheared/broken at metal. Motor mount #4 & transmission mount screw completely dislodged. Recommended repair includes completely new transmission case and mounts. Not sure if any damage done to transmission itself. Failure reported to dsm and mazda corporate. Due to car out of warranty and mileage on car $100k, denied any recourse from mazda for structural failure. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda mazda3. The contact noticed that there was an oil leak. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with an oil filter housing crack. The dealer also offered to assist with the repair expenses. The engine was replaced. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 51,000.
POWER STEERING FAILURE, ENGINE MOUNT FAILURE. *TR
I own a 2004 mazda 3 hatchback that I purchased new. The car has 74,000 miles on it and has been maintained faithfully by mazda technicians. Driving home from work, the car caught fire. To reiterate, the car caught fire. Had my wife not noticed, and had we parked the car in the garage, it would have burned down the house with us in it. We managed to put the car out and took it to the mazda dealership. The technician told us the air conditioning compressor froze and the belt caught fire from the friction; this...
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then ignited plastic splash guards under the vehicle. All total - $1500 in damage. The technician stated the compressor should not have caused a fire, and in fact this was the first time he had seen anything like it. I contacted mazda and asked them to recompense the damage from the failed compressor and the fire, and they refuse to assist me (or even acknowledge that one of their products' spontaneous combustion is a problem), or compensate me. I am less concerned about compensation than I am concerned that there are thousands of these cars on the roads, being driven by families, waiting to catch fire and burn. This needs to be addressed and addressed quickly before someone loses their life. There have been no recalls or even warnings from mazda that this is a potential problem. Please, I am asking that the nhtsa assist in doing something before this potentially fatal manufacturer defect costs someone their life. [[redacted]] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6). *Tr
2004 Mazda 3 with 2.3 Liter engine and manual transmission mazda has a poor design engine oil filter housing. The end is made of plastic. These end caps tend to fatigue and crack with age. This part is exposed to high heat, vibrations, and torque. When it cracks and leaks it leads to catastrophic engine failure. *Tr
Letter from congressman van hollen on behalf of constituent re safety problems (random stalling) with his 2004 mazda3 *tgw the consumer went to sears to purchase a battery thinking that was the cause of the random stalling, but was told the battery was fine and it appeared there was an electrical problem, but they were unable to figure out what it was. The consumer then went to the dealer and was told different things were wrong with the vehicle, which was causing it to stall. The consumer paid for the repairs, but weeks later the vehicle stalled again. The consumer also stated the clutch and transmission was replaced. *Jb
I am very concerned about the safety of the car that I have had since 2004 mazda 3. On sunday, I was hit by a car at about a 20 to 30 degree angle and the impact hit my passenger door. Neither one of us was going at a speed that should have had a result in the damage that occurred. When he hit us and the car came to rest, the police and towing people discovered that the engine had snapped off its' mounting. My airbags did not deploy either. He told me that both he and the towing agent had ever seen this happen...
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before to a car with as little damage to it. I went to the tow place where they were holding my car to take pictures and look at the car, and both of the people (different people than the original tow driver) said they had never seen anything like that. The one guy said only twice has he seen that happen and both had major damage to the car and that they were demolished up to half of the car. He also said the mounting piece of hardware looked like it was made of diecast not metal or aluminum, when we inspected it we noticed the part that was snapped and I must admit it looked like plastic. I had to have the struts replaced in 2008, but yet I had never hit the tires hard on anything. My question is this something that should be investigated and could it be dangerous to other drivers of this year. I know that they have made engines that are designed to drop in accident recently, but not for this year and not for that type of accident. I have written to mazda requesting an investigation and I await their response. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda3. She stated that the vehicle could be driven as an automatic or a manual. While driving 20 mph in manual mode she attempted to shift gears, to no avail. She had to take her foot off of the gas pedal in order for the gears to release and afterwards the gears started to shift on their own. She was able to exit the freeway when the vehicle lost all power, but continued to accelerate. She was unable to stop the vehicle or make a turn. The vehicle began moving from one lane to another...
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and accelerated through a red light to avoid a collision. The vehicle stopped accelerating within in a few minutes. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who diagnosed the failure as the intake manifold. The intake manifold melted, damaged the sensor and the catalytic converter. The mechanic replaced the catalytic converter, sensors, and the gaskets; however, she had to add oil to the engine because the engine light illuminated constantly. She took the vehicle back to the mechanic who stated that the engine also needed to be replaced. She contacted the manufacturer and filed a report; however , the manufacturer stated that they would not assist with the repairs. The engine was not replaced. The failure mileage was 25,000 and the current mileage was 75,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda 3. Since 2007, the contact heard a ticking noise in the engine. The noise intensified and the dealer stated that the intake manifold was the cause of the failure. The repair would cost $1,036. The contact attempted to call the manufacturer as well. The vin was unknown. The failure mileage was 82,200.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda 3. While attempting to merge onto the highway at 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. Prior to the failure, the vehicle began vibrating and the instrument panel lights flashed. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The failure has occurred more than three times. The current mileage was 36,000 and failure mileage was 24,000.
While driving on a residential road, at a low speed, changing gears from 2nd to 3rd, the car stalled. Upon trying to restart the car, it wouldn't turn over. After the car was pushed off of the road, there was a puddle of oil left behind. Realizing that the car wasn't going to restart, it was towed to a local repair shop. After being put up on the lift, it was discovered that the rod slammed into the engine blocking, seizing the engine. There should have been no reason for the rod to crack on a well maintained...
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engine, on a 2004 vehicle. In order to get this car back on the road, the engine will need to be completely replaced. I don't see any recalls on this make and model, and I truly feel that there was something compromised with the vehicle, in order for this to happen. The oil was changed just 5k miles before. There were no check engine lights on... We are very upset about this news and are hoping mazda has experienced other problems such as this one. *Jb
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda mazda 3. While driving 15 mph, the contact heard a thumping noise coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact noticed that the belt on the pulley for the power had failed. The dealer stated that the pulley needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 56,000.
Car stalls at lights does not respond when accelerating have gone to back up and no response then car will just take off have had 2 accidents due to no acceleration fog and bugs in taillights airbag light on/off for no reason car has been to dealership for all recalls I am told I am not driving the car fast enough and am told I need to check my oil when I get gas. Too many problems to list dealer will fix but cannot duplicate some of the problems I experience have tried to contact manufacturer only to be put on hold to listen to zoom zoom music over and over. *Jb
I am writing you to seek your assistance in reviewing a complaint that I filed with mazda, but have yet seen no resolution. On december 27, 2005 - the oil filter housing cartridge on my 2004 mazda3 basically fractured and all of the oil was run out of the car, and then the engine seized. My car had approximately 54,000 miles, and 5 oil changes, all with synthetic oil. I had the car towed to tom bush mazda, where they volunteered to do some research to see if they could determine the cause, and then perhaps...
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ask mazda for "goodwill" on the car itself. On tuesday, january 3rd, I went into the mazda dealer, and was told that the "oil filter housing cartridge" had been cracked by faulty workmanship at one of the oil change locations that had changed the oil. Upon doing further research, I found that mazda changed the design of the engine to no longer use the plastic cartridge housing, but went to a canister filter, and issued a service bulletin to all of their locations that severe damage could result if the proper tool was not used to remove the cartridge. They no longer use this design. There are several complaints via web search of similar failures occurring to this faulty design feature. It is further complicated by the fact that I had the oil changed at tom bush mazda prior to the release of their service bulletin - it adds more confusion to who may be culpable for the problem. I am trying to be rational about the issue, and am finding that mazda will not describe the change in design or accept responsibility in the defect of the product/design. The oil loss in question was catastrophic - not a minor leak, the entire contents of the engine emptied in 30 or less seconds. I have contacted the regional director of customer service, michael von balsom, at 904-731-4010, and have not received any return phone calls, have requested an estimate of repairs from tom bush mazda from pam busby, and have not received an estimate. *Nm
On october 2004 I bought a new 2004 mazda 3 . After the 1st week I noticed a rotten egg smell . The dealer denies that the catalytic converter is bad and will not replace it. This smell is sickening. How can you help.*Jb
Vehicle will not start or idle falls vehicle, mazda3 manual, would not start in driveway on cool spring sunday evening. Towing service was dispatched and vehicle was taken to the closest mazda dealership. After several dealers calls to mazda's corporate headquarters, the service professional was told to replace the ignition key and microchips. After four days I went to pick up the vehicle. Upon starting the vehicle in the dealers lot the idle began to fall once again; however, it did start this time. A few...
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miles from the dealership the idle became so hard to deal with that the vehicle was towed back to the original service dealership once again. Several more calls were placed to the headquarters and finally the decision was made to replace the o2 sensor. The car has started and run ever since the repair, but the idle is much lower than it was on original receipt of the vehicle, and the engine at idle speeds is much louder and sounds labored. Once winter comes I fear the problem will reappear. The future of the vehicle's performance is unknown. Possible safety compromise. *Jb
Since february 2005 I have had my mazda rx8 serviced for engine noises, deceleration problems, stalling problems and restart problems. The vehicle begins to idle rough and just stalls out (twice in the middle of busy intersections with oncoming traffic-life threatening situation) and cannot be restarted. The vehicle has to be towed in to the dealership for restart. The pcm has been reflashed several times, plugs have been changed and the problem still persists. I am afraid for my life and will not let anyone...
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else ride in the car with me. The service department at the dealership is aware of the life threatening situation and I want to know if I have any recourse in getting mazda to buy back a car I cannot drive. My luck will run out in this vehicle and not only will I be injured or killed, but so will other drivers (oncoming traffic or traffic behind me). I have called mazda headquarters twice about this recurring problem and am awaiting a call back from the second phone call into mazda. Apparently they don't feel it is as bad as it is. *Nm
Dt: this mazda had a vibration problem . Recently, had a stalling problem. The dealer tried to get consumer to trade I in vehicle. After stopping at a stop sign would have to push the gas pedal to the floor to get it to move. The service manager found out the were having the same problems in high heat areas.. This started happening on june 30, 2005.*Ak
While pulling into my driveway, I was braking to park while the automatic transmission was still in drive. Suddenly, the engine started to rev on its own, while my foot was on the brake. The tachometer started reading in the danger zone, and the engine was revving out of control. White smoke started to come out from under the hood. I was able to put the car into park and turn off the engine. It was quite a frightening experience.
2 Occurances in 3000 miles of engine loosing power, then starts to buck above 3500-4000 rpm. This first happened on the freeway and it was difficult staying out of the way of traffic until I could exit. The second occurance was after I had exited the freeway onto a 2 lane. I then drove 30 miles to home. Both times it was ok the next morning. Dealer cannot replicate the problem. Several owners of this model car (2004 mazdaspeed miata )have had this problem as reported on www.Mazda-speed.Com forum.
Sirr or miss, I live in holland and I have an question about an mazda 3 1.6V executive sedan(european model). After the first oil change the engine begins to make a loud noise. In the third gear it begins about 70 km/h. Allso in the fourth gear the same problem that begins about 100km/h. The engine is a bit shaking in neutral (free) gear. When I drive about 80km/h in the fourht shift (than normal noise) and let the feet of the gaspedal than the same loud noise I hear. I have drive in two other mazdas...
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withe the exact same engine with no trouble at all!! The garage(dealers) can,t find anything. And I think that maby de mazda importeur wont help us any fearther. I am complain now evrywhere on more and more websites of all countrys in europe ,what is bad for the mazda company. Please help me for an solution ophuis
Mazda MAZDA3 engine complaints by year
MAZDA3 engine problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data