Mazda3 Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2010 and 2012 At least twice the 26.5 complaints of a typical Mazda3 year. Most described: headlight problems (2012). Most reported area: body structure (2010).
Best years: Not picked A typical Mazda3 year since 2016 drew under 25 complaints, too few to tell the better years apart.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 11, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 33 mpg combined, arrived in 2014. Includes the sedan and hatchback.

Mazda3 problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Mazda3 year drew 26.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (18.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are not picked: a typical year since 2016 drew under 25. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2010 Mazda3 Avoid Most reported: body structure	83	686	3
2012 Mazda3 Avoid Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	68	226	1
2019 Mazda3 Most described: the check engine light coming on	47	74	6
2015 Mazda3 Most described: backup camera problems	45	130	4
2014 Mazda3 Most described: a fuel smell or fuel leak	31	138	4
2021 Mazda3 Most described: excessive oil consumption	31	55	1
2016 Mazda3 Most described: backup camera problems	27	104	6
2011 Mazda3 Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	26	132	2
2013 Mazda3 Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	24	117	1
2018 Mazda3 Most described: backup camera problems	19	110	4
2017 Mazda3 Most described: backup camera problems	18	84	2
2022 Mazda3 Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	18	24	0
2020 Mazda3 Most reported: forward collision avoidance	17	32	2
2023 Mazda3	10	12	0

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Mazda3 for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Mazda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	0	1
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	1	9
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	3	12
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	0	12
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	0	24
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	1	55
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	2	32
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	6	74	Not rated
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	4	110
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	2	84
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	6	104
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	4	130
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Gas	4	138
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	1	117
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	1	226
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	2	132
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	3	686	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2010: 686 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Mazda3
Model year	Complaints
2010	686
2011	132
2012	226
2013	117
2014	138
2015	130
2016	104
2017	84
2018	110
2019	74
2020	32
2021	55
2022	24
2023	12
2024	12
2025	9
2026	1

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 28 to 33 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2014.

2026: gas 30 mpg

Show as a table

Mazda3 best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2010	28
2011	28
2012	32
2013	32
2014	33
2015	33
2016	33
2017	32
2018	32
2019	30
2020	30
2021	31
2022	31
2023	31
2024	31
2025	31
2026	30

Every Mazda3 year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Mazda3 years should you avoid?

The 2010 and 2012 Mazda3 are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 26.5 owner complaints of a typical Mazda3 year in its first three years. The area named most for the 2010: body structure. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Mazda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Mazda3 years?

No year is named: since 2016, a typical Mazda3 year drew under 25 owner complaints in its first three years, too few to tell the better years apart. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Mazda3 years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2010 (83) drew the most, then the 2012 (68). Most-reported area for the 2010: body structure.

Which Mazda3 years have the most recalls?

The 2016 and 2019 have the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (6 each). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. One recall tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 15V-621 (2015 to 2016 models).

What are the most common Mazda3 problems?

In the 1,946 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe headlight or exterior light problems (84 complaints, most of them for the 2012 and 2013); backup camera problems (79 complaints, most of them for the 2016, 2017, and 2018); and rust or corrosion (64 complaints, most of them for the 2010, 2014, and 2015). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Mazda3 year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 33 mpg combined, first reached by the 2014 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.