2008 Mazda MAZDA3 engine problems

ENGINE

MY MAZDA3 DIES WHILE I AM DRIVING WITHOUT ANY INDICATION OF WHAT IS GOING ON (NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT). WHEN IT DOES, I WAIT FOR A WHILE AND IT WILL START BACK UP AGAIN! MY SHOP AND I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING WE CAN, BUT WE CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY IT IS DOING THAT! I CALLED THE MANUFACTURE AND THEY SAID IT WAS RECALLED FOR POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE AND FIXED IN 2010 BUT TO US IT SOUNDS IT IS THAT ISSUE CAUSING IT TO STOP WHILE IN MOTION! THIS CAR IS UNSAFE!! NO CAR SHOULD STOP IN MOTION FROM NOWHERE! THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT!

NHTSA complaint #11343682 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD 3 REPEATED MAJOR SERVICE REPAIR ATTEMPTS RELATED TO THE TCM, PCM AT LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE/TRANSMISSION LIGHT TRYING TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE PERMANENTLY. THIS VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND STATIONARY ON A CITY STREET WHEN EXPERIENCING ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY APPROXIMATELY 68,000 MILES. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY MAZDA OR BUY BACK THIS VEHICLE. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO BE FACED WITH THESE KINDS OF CONCERNS. THESE SYSTEMIC ISSUES HAS NOT BEEN FAVORABLE IN MY VIEW AND WILL HAVING A MAJOR DETERMING EFFECT IN FUTURE CAR PURCHASE. BRAND LOYALTY. [BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...] 4-3-2019 AT 9:27AM

NHTSA complaint #11193534 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

JULY 11, 2011. 34443 MILES. CONSTANT RUNNING OF ELECTRIC RADIATOR FAN WHEN VEHICLE IS RUNNING CAUSED BY COMPLETE FAILURE OF OEM WATER PUMP. UNIT REPLACED BY ANOTHER OEM WATER PUMP. NOVEMBER 01, 2017. 97841 MILES. COMPLETE FAILURE OF SECOND OEM WATER PUMP. UNIT REPLACED BY A THIRD OEM WATER PUMP.

NHTSA complaint #11042283 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

AT LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON. WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY HARD SHIFTS AUTOMATICALLY FROM 5TH GEAR DOWN TO A HARSH 3RD GEAR. CANNOT GET AT LIGHT TO SHUT OFF, REPLACED SOLINOIDS, TCM, PCM AND STILL CANNOT LOCATE THE ISSUE. CAR WILL NOT GO PAST 3RD GEAR. CAR IS STILL UNDER 80K MILES.

NHTSA complaint #11022380 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

AEVERAL RECALLS FOR 2008 MAZDA3..... HOWEVER MY VIN ISNT ASSOSIATED WITH ANY AND I HAVE ALL THE PROBLEMA. POWER STEERINGS UNIT STRIPPED2 OR THE 3 BOLTS HOLES ANS FELL DOWN FROM CRACKED ENGINE MOUNTS SLIGHT RATTLING..... STATIONARY AND MOVING. IDLE IS AT 500-1,000 RPMS VERY ODD FEELING. RANDOM BODY DAMAGE AND ENTIRE OF BOTTOM ENGINE RUSTY.... PAINT RUSTS AS WELL. JUST BOUGHT THE CAR ON FINANCE AND REALLY NEED SOME HELP

NHTSA complaint #10970397 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

10 MINUTES AFTER MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON MY CAR LOST POWER TO ACCELERATE. I PULLED OVER AS SOON AS THIS STARTED AND BY THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY MY CAR DIED AT THE TOP OF THE OFF RAMP. AT THIS POINT IT BEGAN BILLOWING WHITE SMOKE OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD, OUT THE TAILPIPE, AND INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR. IT WAS NOT BLUE NOR DID IT HAVE AN OIL SMELL. I WAS ORIGINALLY TRAVELLING APPROXIMATELY 70 MILES AN HOUR WHEN I STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND IN THE MINUTE OR TWO IT TOOK ME TO GET TO THE OFF RAMP AND AT THE TIME THE CAR DIED I WAS GOING LESS THAN 5MPH. WHEN TAKEN TO THE SHOP THEY SAID THAT 3 OF THE 4 CYLINDERS HAD 0 REMAINING POWER AND THE FOURTH ONLY HAD AROUND 1/8TH OF THE POWER THAT IT SHOULD HAVE HAD. THEY SAID THAT OIL AND COOLANT REMAINED IN THE CAR AT PROPER LEVELS. MY CAR HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND, AGAIN, THE FLUID LEVELS WERE APPROPRIATE. I HAD BETWEEN 10 AND 15 MINUTES BETWEEN WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FIRST WENT ON AND CATASTROPHIC, IRREPARABLE ENGINE FAILURE. THE CAR ITSELF HAD ONLY 85,000 MILES ON IT. LOOKING ONLINE I SEE MANY OTHERS, NOT JUST ONE OR TWO HUT HUNDREDS, WHO HAVE HAD NEARLY IDENTICAL EXPERIENCES WITH THIS EXACT MAKE, MODEL, AND ENGINE SIZE. YET MAZDA, WHEN CALLED, STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL AND HE HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT IT, THOUGH OTHERS HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THEY, TOO, CONTACTED MAZDA AFTER THIS TYPE OF COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. MAZDA'S RESPONSE WAS THAT IT WAS OUT OF THE POWER-TRAIN WARRANTY PERIOD AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO DO.

NHTSA complaint #10967810 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

CAR WAS VIBRATING A LOT WHEN IN GEAR AND HOLDING BRAKES REPLACED MOTOR MOUNTS AND THROTTLE BODY TO FIX ISSUE. ALSO WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND SPEEDING BACK UP THE TRANSMISSION GRINDS WHEN DOWN SHIFTING. FEELS LIKE IT IS SLIPPING AND IS NOT SAFE IF YOU ARE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OR IN THE CITY AND WANT TO SWITCH LANES AND SPEED UP I'M AFRAID ONE DAY I'M GOING TO SWITCH LANES HIT THE GAS AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL FAIL. THE CARMAX I GOT THE CAR FROM INSISTS IT IS JUST A TRANSMISSION "SHUTTER" AND IT HAPPENS WITH CERTAIN CARS. I WILL BE GETTING A SECOND OPINION FROM AN ASE CERTIFIED TRANSMISSION SHOP. DEALERSHIP MADE ME THINK IT WAS BRAKE PADS AT FIRST I PAID $300 TO HAVE PERFECTLY GOOD PADS REPLACED WITH NEW ONES TO HAVE THE PROBLEM NOT FIXED. I AM EXTREMELY IRRITATED WITH DEALERSHIP TRYING TO GET AROUND FIXING THE CAR. OTHER THAN THOSE 2 PROBLEMS THE CAR IS GREAT.

NHTSA complaint #10825734 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA MAZDA3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SPUTTER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS SEIZED INTO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE STEERING HAD EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT, WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,352.

NHTSA complaint #10822548 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ATV AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE STILL ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE JERKED WHILE DRIVING AND ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HOUSING ROD WAS CRACKED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,000.

NHTSA complaint #10722263 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

THE RIGHT FONT ENGINE MOUNT HAS BROKE. THIS WAS A RECALL ON THE 2006 MODEL MAZDA 3 BUT IT APPEARS THAT MAZDA HAS CONTINUED TO USE THE RECALLED PAT O LATE MODELS OF VARIOUS MODELS.

NHTSA complaint #10683230 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 12/13/14, CAR WOULDN'T START 12/14/14, HAD TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP 12/15/14 AND WAS TOLD ENGINE WAS FLOODED BECAUSE THE CAR COULDN'T METER AIR CORRECTLY AND OVER FUELED THE CAR. SPARK PLUGS, AIR FILTER AND THROTTLE BODY WERE ALL GUMMED UP AND DIRTY DUE TO THIS. REPAIR SHOP CHECKED THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN RELATING TO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A A KNOWN ISSUE. THEY HAD TO MODIFY A BRACKET AND SPLICE IN NEW WIRE WHERE IT WAS RUBBED THROUGH BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT. IF THIS IS TRULY A COMMON DEFECT MAZDA SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL ON IT AND REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO HAVE ALREADY HAD TO HAVE IT FIXED.

NHTSA complaint #10664617 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE ON WELL MAINTAINED MAZDA 3I AT 75000 MILES. TRAVELING ON FREEWAY IN SLOWEST LANE OF TRAFFIC, FIRST HEARD A CLICKING NOISE AND ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. CAR SEEMED TO BE LOSING POWER. CALLED AAA ROADSIDE HELP, WHO CHECKED THE CAR AND DETERMINED IT WAS OK AND COULD BE DRIVEN HOME, ABOUT 10 MILES AWAY. PROCEEDED TO DRIVE HOME, 5 MILES INTO TRIP BEGAN LOSING POWER, CLICKING NOISE RETURNED SO I PULLED OVER TO SHOULDER AS CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER, ENGINE OVERHEATED. PROGNOSIS: TIMING CHAIN BROKE, ENGINE OVERHEATED AND THIS CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. FINDING NOW THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF CONSUMERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE WITH MAZDA ENGINES. THIS COMPANY IS A FRAUD, AND PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE IN DANGER AS THE RESULT. NEVER AGAIN WILL I HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MAZDA CARS.

NHTSA complaint #10618942 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I PARKED MY CAR ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS WHERE THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO ENGAGE IN PARK. IT REQUIRED MULTIPLE TRIES TO GET THE PARK INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE DASH TO REFLECT THAT THE CAR WAS SAFELY ENGAGED IN PARK. BEFORE I REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THE TRANSMISSION. ON AT LEAST 3 OCCASIONS I WAS UNABLE TO START MY CAR AT ALL WHEN I RETURNED FROM A BRIEF STOP. THE PROBLEM WITH FAILING TO START HAPPENED WHEN THE CAR WAS ON A SLIGHT INCLINE AND I HAD ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE. AFTER JIGGLING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LEVER REPEATEDLY, MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL AND APPLYING THE BRAKE VIGOROUSLY, I WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO START. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER IT WAS ROCKING OF THE VEHICLE FROM FRUSTRATION OR JIGGLING THE GEAR SELECTOR THAT FINALLY WORKED. THE CAR HAS A NEW BATTERY AND HAS HAD ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE PERFORMED BY MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALER. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, OTHER ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT FUNCTIONS BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE FROM THE IGNITION SYSTEM.

NHTSA complaint #10561524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

OVERFLOW BOTTLE CRACKED FOR NO APPARENT REASON CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE COSTING MORE THAN 1500 WORTH OF DAMAGES. THE MECHANIC ENCOURAGE THAT I REPORT BECAUSE HE SAYS THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AND THAT MAZDA IS KNOWN FOR HAVING THIS DEFECT. IT IS A COSTLY REPAIR.

NHTSA complaint #10549921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

PASSENGER SIDE MOTOR MOUNT INOP AFTER ONLY 67,000 MILES.

NHTSA complaint #10483959 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

PASSENGER SIDE TOP MOTOR MOUNT DEFECTIVE SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE MAD ABOUT THIS THEY REPLACE IT GOES BAD 1 TO 2 LATER.

NHTSA complaint #10456759 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE MOUNTS FAILED. NOTICED VIBRATION IN THE CABIN WHEN THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. THERE WAS NO NOTICED VIBRATION WHEN THE CAR WAS IDLING. WHEN THE ENGINE WAS IN DRIVE, WITH THE HOOD POPPED, THE ENGINE WAS NOTICEABLY PITCHING FORWARD AND RETURNING TO IT'S DEFAULT POSITION WHEN THE GAS WAS RELEASED. I CHECKED RECALLS AND THERE WERE NONE SHOWN, BUT THERE WERE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ON THE INTERNET. LOCAL MECHANIC ALSO STATED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN.

NHTSA complaint #10430175 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

2008 MAZDA 3. CONSUMER STATES ENGINE BLEW *TGW THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED. AN INSPECTION REVEALED, THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT OIL IN THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA complaint #10356490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR FAILURE ON 2008 MAZDA 3.

NHTSA complaint #10350089 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

SITTING IN PARKING LOT, ENGINE AND A/C ON, THEN TRIED TO PULL OUT, POWER STEERING FAILED; HAD TO WAIT ONE HOUR FOR CAR TO COOL BEFORE THE STEERING CAME BACK ON. *TR THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED, NEEDS TO BE FLUSHED, COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MAZDA 3'S APPARENTLY. AT LEAST IT DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA complaint #10345406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING A 2008 MAZDA3 I 2.0L SEDAN, I BEGAN TO FEEL A SHAKE THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL AND CHASSIS WHILE IDLING/DRIVING. DEALER VERIFIED SHAKE AND PER TSB DUE TO AN ONGOING PROBLEM, REPLACED MOTOR MOUNTS. CAR FELT BETTER BUT NOT COMPLETELY FREE OF ENGINE SHAKE AND NOW APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE. WHEN THE ENGINE IS STARTED COLD IT SHAKES THE ENTIRE CAR AND WHEN WARM A SUTTLE BUT NOTICEABLE SHAKE IS STILL FELT THOUGH THE STEERING WHEEL AND CHASSIS. AFTER READING NUMEROUS POSTS ON MAZDA3 ENTHUSIAST WEBSITES, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON AND ONGOING PROBLEM SPANNING SEVERAL YEARS.

NHTSA complaint #10242389 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

ENGINE MAKES NOISE AND VIBRATION WHEN TRYING TO COOL.

NHTSA complaint #10224401 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

VEHICLE HAS EXCESSIVE VIBRATIONS CAUSING A DETECTABLE NOISE AT THE EXHAUST FLANGE SEAL.

NHTSA complaint #10208232 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.