2018 Mazda Mazda3 Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the abnormal sound would increase. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who listened to the engine and ended up removing pistons from the engine. The mechanic discovered there was an abnormal sound in cylinder #3 which caused the mechanic to remove the spark plugs. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V745000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at 65 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that his girlfriend was able to safely drive the vehicle to her destination. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with rod knocks. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who determined that there was no oil in the engine. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.
I have a 2018 Mazda 3. On two occasions in the span of one month, my car has acted like it was going to stall out when I was stopping at a red light. It doesn’t stall out, but the car will idle like it’s about to stall. When starting the vehicle it is kind of sluggish at times. Battery has been tested and it is fine. I’ve had the car for five years and it has 60,000 miles on it. No issues until recently.
On March 29, 2021, I had my 2018 Mazda 3 serviced, oil and filter chance, and inspection, at my local Auto repair shop. They indicated that the belt tensioner and belt needed replacement, due to oil leaking, from the tensioner, on to the belt. I got concerned because the vehicle only had 11,523, and the warranty ran out a few weeks earlier. I emailed Mazda several times, and asked, due to the low mileage, and close to warranty expiration, for their dealer to inspect the vehicle, and if needed, replace the tensioner and belt, both free of charge to me. They declined to grant me that courtesy.
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Quick Summary
The 2018 Mazda Mazda3 has 5 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.