2018 Mazda MAZDA3 Problems and Recalls (108 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2018 Mazda MAZDA3 is Electrical (19% of 108 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Electrical — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 108 complaints · 4 recalls

What problems show up on the 2018 Mazda MAZDA3?

20 of 108 filings named Electrical (19% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Glass / wipers / cameras (16 reports).

There are 4 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Engine, Glass / wipers / cameras, Fuel system, and Rear camera / backup safety. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2017 has 83 reports on file; this year has 108. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2018 Mazda MAZDA3

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 4 campaigns on file below.
Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
Glass / wipers / cameras. Check windshield, wipers and any camera or sensor the listing claims is there.
Rear camera / backup safety. Confirm the rear camera works and that related campaigns are closed.
Skim a few owner reports below for Electrical. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Electrical 20 complaints · 18.5% of the file

Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:

Crashes 6
Fires 0
Injuries 5
Deaths 1

All Mazda MAZDA3 years →

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table

System / Component	Complaints	Share of Reports	Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)	20	18.5%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)	16	14.8%	1 crashes · 0 fires
Rear camera / backup safety (BACK OVER PREVENTION)	13	12.0%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE)	9	8.3%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)	7	6.5%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)	5	4.6%	1 crashes · 0 fires
Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE)	3	2.8%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Lane keeping (LANE DEPARTURE)	3	2.8%	1 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)	3	2.8%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover	32	29.6%	2 crashes · 0 fires

NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

Campaign 19V272000 was reported 191 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
Campaign 21V875000 was reported 1,201 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.

View timeline records as a table

Date	Record type	Count	Record identifier
2018-Q2	Owner reports	2
2018-Q3	Owner reports	3
2019-Q1	Owner reports	4
2019-Q2	Owner reports	2
2019-Q3	Owner reports	4
2019-Q4	Owner reports	1
2020-Q2	Owner reports	2
2020-Q3	Owner reports	1
2021-Q1	Owner reports	1
2021-Q2	Owner reports	3
2021-Q3	Owner reports	2
2022-Q1	Owner reports	2
2022-Q3	Owner reports	1
2022-Q4	Owner reports	1
2023-Q1	Owner reports	4
2023-Q2	Owner reports	3
2023-Q3	Owner reports	4
2023-Q4	Owner reports	4
2024-Q1	Owner reports	9
2024-Q2	Owner reports	14
2024-Q3	Owner reports	16
2024-Q4	Owner reports	4
2025-Q1	Owner reports	8
2025-Q2	Owner reports	2
2025-Q3	Owner reports	2
2025-Q4	Owner reports	4
2026-Q1	Owner reports	3
2026-Q2	Owner reports	1
2026-Q3	Owner reports	1
Nov 2017	Recall campaign	1	17V745000
Apr 2019	Recall campaign	1	19V272000
Nov 2021	Recall campaign	1	21V875000
Jul 2023	Recall campaign	1	23V487000

NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (4)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Engine, Glass / wipers / cameras, Fuel system, and Rear camera / backup safety.

Recall campaign 17V745000

Engine

Report date

Nov 21, 2017

Component:

Engine (ENGINE)

Consequence:

An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy:

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engines and replace any incorrect exhaust valve springs, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 20, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1717K.

View authoritative NHTSA record →
Recall campaign 19V272000

Glass / wipers / cameras

Report date

Apr 4, 2019

Component:

Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)

Consequence:

Reduced visibility while driving can increase the risk of crash.

Remedy:

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front body control module with a new module which uses an improved wiper relay design, free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3219D.

View authoritative NHTSA record →
Recall campaign 21V875000

Fuel system

Report date

Nov 12, 2021

Component:

Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)

Consequence:

Fuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy:

Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.

View authoritative NHTSA record →
Recall campaign 23V487000

Rear camera / backup safety

Report date

Jul 14, 2023

Component:

Rear camera / backup safety (BACK OVER PREVENTION)

Consequence:

A rearview camera that does not display properly can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy:

Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera, as necessary. In addition, dealers will install a wiring harness fastening seal. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 13, 2023. Final owner letters for affected models and model years in the states of CT, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA and VA were mailed August 14, 2024. The remaining owner notification letters will be mailed at a future date, anticipated on or before May 1, 2025. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 6. Mazda's number for this recall is 6023G.

View authoritative NHTSA record →

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07

Showing 5 of 108 complaints · page 1 of 5

2026-08-26Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 11759848

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The sunroof spontaneously shattered while I was driving. It sounded like a small explosion. I am positive that no object struck the vehicle.

2026-06-05Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)

NHTSA ODI 11742263

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The contact called on behalf of a customer who owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that the windshield wipers had become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the contact's auto repair shop, Tire-Rama, where the windshield wiper switch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V272000 (VISIBILITY); and referred the customer to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the owner that the vehicle was not covered under the recall because the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

2026-03-24Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)

NHTSA ODI 11726590

CrashFireInjuryDeath

While I was driving on the highway, I went to use my front wipers and there was no response when trying to active them. The rear wiper, front and rear washer fluid sprayers all worked. No warning lights or other signs of failure were present. I took the car to a local repair shop and they diagnosed it as a bad Body Control Module. Once the module was replaced and reprogrammed, the wipers worked as intended. Safety Recall 3219D describes the issue I had perfecly. My VIN is out of the range of this recall but if I had the same issue as this recall, there might be other bad parts out there and that range might need to be increased.

2026-02-02Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)

NHTSA ODI 11714999

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The center dashboard information screen developed "spider cracks" and got opaque in the corners of the screen. The screen would change functions / jump around commands without being touched while driving ( from NAV to radio, change radio stations etc) - apparently called 'Ghost Touch". Mazda has been aware of the defect for some time and issued a TSB ( and settled a class action lawsuit) but we never received any notification. The dealer offered no assistance as the car was out of warranty . We paid several hundred dollars to replace the screen as the car was becoming undriveable.

2026-01-23Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 11712940

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of a strong fuel odor around the exterior of the vehicle and inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had occurred after refueling. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The dealer had to reschedule the appointment due to a scheduling issue. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a crack in the top of the fuel pump. The contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced, and the vehicle was being repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The repair coverage was denied because the vehicle was not repaired by a dealer. The failure mileage was 179,550.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2018 Mazda MAZDA3?

Owners named Electrical most often — 20 of 108 reports (19%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2018 Mazda MAZDA3?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Engine, Glass / wipers / cameras, Fuel system, and Rear camera / backup safety. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2018 Mazda MAZDA3?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21

Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources