2018 Mazda MAZDA3 other reported problems

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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.

NHTSA complaint #11714999 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The Infotainment system is cracking uncontrollably and will make the rear view camera unusable and a safety issue. It keeps resetting every minute. Mazda corporation wont pay for the repair that they are charging about 1,000 to fix it.

NHTSA complaint #11699812 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

No incidents

NHTSA complaint #11695885 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The touch screen in my car has developed a malfunction known as “ghost touch,” where the screen glitches and registers inputs I am not making. This failure involves the infotainment system, and the component is still available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk because the screen can suddenly change settings, including navigation, phone, and climate controls, while I am driving, which is distracting and dangerous. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, nor has the vehicle been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms before the failure—it began suddenly and recently without prior indication.

NHTSA complaint #11684878 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My screen ghost taps (goes into apps without me touching it) plus there is screen damage. I got into my car one day and it looked like the screen was cracked. But it’s on the inside. I never been into the car crash or had any accidents happen to my car or the display. It affects my driving when I am using my back camera

NHTSA complaint #11653054 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Touchscreen has the "ghost screen" problem. It has gotten progressively worse over the last year. The Mazda dealership did a firmware update about 2 years ago and that didn't help. Now the screen thinks it's being pressed constantly in the same spot so it just beeps over and over again. If I'm not on my radio, it will hit things like safety settings, emergency contacts, etc. so I have to leave my radio on all the time. I've researched this issue and it's well-known. A recall was issued for 2014-2016 models but not for anything after that.

NHTSA complaint #11647478 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Mazda infotainment system center display screen with spider cracking. Cracking makes part of display unreadable.

NHTSA complaint #11645006 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Mazda had previously issued a Special Service Plan (SSP) to remediate issues with their Mazda Connect Center Display (infotainment system), specifically "ghost touches" and "spider cracking" of the screen: [XXX] This Special Service Plan only applied to 2014-2016 models of the Mazda3. I own a 2018 Mazda3 which has the exact same issue described in the above service plan. Searching online, I am far from the only person who is affected by this issue that continues to be present in newer models of the Mazda3. Mazda should replace my (and others) infotainment system, as it is unusable and distracting in it's current condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11641573 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The entertainment/navigation screen randomly started developing spidering cracks on the inside of the screen and has grown exponentially. It is getting close to the point where the screen is not readable and becoming useless. I have done research and have seen that many other Mazda owners have experienced the same issue where their screens cracked from the inside rendering it useless but Mazda refuses to cover the cost of an issue that is not caused by any Mazda owner. Without this screen, I would need to hold my phone in order to use a navigation app to get around or attempt to find a phone holder so I can still get around successfully.

NHTSA complaint #11638019 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have a letter for an important safety recall, re: the backup camera. The letter is dated September 2023, and I called today, after experiencing worsening deterioration of my camera, and I was told that there is currently no fix. So, after 1.5 years, I have no fix for my camera? This is a safety issue

NHTSA complaint #11637155 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Mazda has a warranty extension for the 2014-2016 Mazda 3 infotainment touch screen as it may malfunction and glitch. This glitch can be a distraction as the system believes that it is being touched and may cause many things to change in the car such as radio station, navigation setting, and even some vehicle setting accessible from the infotainment screen, causing distractions. However, this issue is also possible on newer 2017 and 2018 models, and there is currently no program to fix the issue. While Mazda may seem like this is not a safety as the touch screen is disabled above 5 MPH, it can still cause distractions when coming to a stop and while stopped which may result in an accident. I think this needs to be resolved and Mazda needs to acknowledge that this touch issue "Ghost Touch" can affect all Mazdas with Mazda Connect 1. Taking this to the dealership to fix is expensive as they want to replace the entire system at a cost of $1000, which I could see many people not doing leading to more dangerous vehicles on the road.

NHTSA complaint #11633634 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The driver side if the door handle metallic wrap has begun peeling, I reached for my door handle and was cut by the wrap as it had torn away from the glued seems. It is small enough to cut my hand but barely visible to the naked eye. I had to put tape over the door handle to prevent further cuts from happening on my fingers. I took 2 photos as soon as the injuries happened and I realized what it was that was causing me to bleed from my scrape. The vehicle currently has a class action suit for the gas fuel pump and i contacted mazda to fix the pump and replace the door handle.

NHTSA complaint #11629883 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was officially notified of a known defect in my vehicle "which relates to motor vehicle safey". The defect is the "rearview camera wiring harness" which displays a "distorted or flickering image". My vehicle is experiencing this defect. The letter was sent to me in September 2023. The letter stated that repair parts are not currently available. I have checked and repair parts are STILL not available, even though it is now August 2024, almost a full year later. This is unacceptable as this is a safety concern.

NHTSA complaint #11610037 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The infotainment screen in this vehicle has internally delaminated causing a well-known "ghosting" problem that causes random buttons to be pressed (without touching the screen) while driving, including volume changes. This results in the system randomly choosing radio stations and turning the volume up to high levels suddenly, distracting the driver and making the screen unusable. Mazda repairs 2014-2016 model year vehicles with this issue under an extended warranty but refuses to do so for 2017+ models.

NHTSA complaint #11605677 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The radio has a ghost touch that continues to beep and change noise levels without being able to control the radio. This is distracting and is a danger to have this occur while trying to focus on driving.

NHTSA complaint #11603040 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Over a year later and Mazda is not fulfilling an existing recall despite continuing to pump out new cars: Manufacturer Recall Number6023G NHTSA Recall Number23V-487

NHTSA complaint #11600115 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The car just didn't want to turn on with the key and completely stopped

NHTSA complaint #11593289 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The infotainment system randomly mutes and unmutes Bluetooth calls; it switches radio stations, skips, and repeats on Spotify and through the settings. It's like the daily turns itself, even though no one touches it. It's startling to have it happen while you're driving, and suddenly, the display starts doing all sorts of crazy changes on its own.

NHTSA complaint #11589009 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I’m getting water in my trunk. Dealership replaced left tail light and both lights on the right. The left is dry and the right is soaked again. At least a gallon of water sitting where spare tire is. I’m seeing many other Mazda owners are having the same issue online. This should be a recall. If the water issue doesn’t get fixed it will lead to rusting and mold. My spare tire already is showing rusting.

NHTSA complaint #11579147 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The review camera for my vehicle has been unreliable since 2022, if not longer, despite being fully replaced at no cost by the dealer once while still under warrantee. I received a recall notification regarding this issue via mail in September 2023 (recall no. 60232G, NHTSA campaign no. 23V-487), but later learned the recall was initiated two months prior, in mid-July 2023. Since then, my review camera has continued to malfunction with increasing frequency and severity. Some days it doesn't work at all (screen completely black), some days it works for a few seconds at a time but otherwise does not, and some days it works but only poorly (grainy or scrolling video feed with poor visibility). It has now been more than 7 months since this recall was issued, and the status is still "recall incomplete, remedy not yet available." This is an essential safety feature, and the continued lack of action on Mazda's part is unacceptable.

NHTSA complaint #11573895 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Rear view camera started having distorted image causing issues reversing the car, there is an open recall for which Mazda has not been able to identify a fix

NHTSA complaint #11571186 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

About a year ago, I noticed multiple warning lights on my car on, including the traction control, ABS, emergency brake, tire pressure indicator, etc. I took my car to the dealership where they diagnosed the problem as related to a faulty speed sensor. I have been reading consumer info on Mazda forums and it appears numerous people are impacted by this, which leads me to wonder if it may warrant assessment for a potential recall. My vehicle had under 35k miles on it when the issue first presented.

NHTSA complaint #11570191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Sunroof shattered by itself

NHTSA complaint #11434306 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I WAS DRIVING ON A VERY QUIET BOULEVARD IN NIAGARA FALLS, NY. I WAS THERE ON A FAMILY TRIP WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN WE HEARD MULTIPLE VERY LOUD NOISES COMING FROM THE TOP OF OUR CAR, ESPECIALLY THE LAST ONE WHICH SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION. THE SUNROOF OR OUR 6-MONTH OLD 2018 MAZDA 3 HAD JUST EXPLODED! WE PARKED TO CHECK WHETHER AN OBJECT HAD FALLEN INTO THE CAR BUT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING, THANKFULLY THE INSIDE SUNROOF BLIND WAS SHUT BECAUSE MANY OF US COULD HAVE GOTTEN INJURED FROM GLASS PIECES FLYING EVERYWHERE INSIDE THE CAR OTHERWISE. NOW, TWO DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT, OUR MAZDA DEALERSHIP IS CLAIMING THAT AN OBJECT MUST HAVE HIT THE CAR AND SAY THAT WE NEED TO SPEAK TO OUR INSURANCE. THEY DO NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT WHEN IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT IT IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM THAT COULD GET OTHER PEOPLE INJURED IN THE FUTURE. ONE OF THE REASONS I AM ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE IS BECAUSE WE HEARD ANOTHER VERY LOUD NOISE AND THE HOLE GOT SUBSTANTIALLY BIGGER WHILE PASSING BY THE SAME BOULEVARD LATER THAT NIGHT, MY WIFE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR FOR A MOMENT AS IT HAPPENED. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS AND SCARY SITUATION, WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH MAZDA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY EVEN WHEN THERE IS A CONSUMER REPORTS ARTICLE ON THIS AND 9 DIFFERENT REPORTS ON THIS ISSUE FOR MAZDA3 VEHICLES.

NHTSA complaint #11093764 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.