NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Mazda Mazda3 Recalls
The 2012 Mazda Mazda3 has 1 NHTSA safety recall on file, the newest reported on September 6, 2016.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 Mazda Mazda3. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 1
- Owner complaints
- 226
- Crashes reported
- 9
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
1 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 Mazda Mazda3, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
1 recall on the 2012 Mazda Mazda3
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate
- Campaign
- 16V644000
- Reported
- September 6, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 580,455
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2011, 2013 Mazda3, 4 other models
2012 Mazda Mazda3 complaints by year
NHTSA has received 226 owner complaints about the 2012 Mazda Mazda3, the newest on December 10, 2025. Of these, 9 describe a crash (4%) and 1 a fire; owners reported 5 injuries.
In complaints about the 2012 Mazda Mazda3, the component group named most often is the power train (18%), followed by the engine (14%) and the exterior lighting (14%).
The 2012 Mazda Mazda3's only recall does not concern the power train.
Where 2012 Mazda Mazda3 owners gave the mileage (171 complaints), the median was 40,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Power Train40
- Engine32
- Exterior Lighting31
- Electrical System25
- Vehicle Speed Control20
- Fuel/Propulsion System18
Complaints received, by year
| 2011 | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 16 | |
| 2013 | 20 | |
| 2014 | 30 | |
| 2015 | 15 | |
| 2016 | 11 | |
| 2017 | 30 | |
| 2018 | 18 | |
| 2019 | 22 | |
| 2020 | 13 | |
| 2021 | 17 | |
| 2022 | 9 | |
| 2023 | 10 | |
| 2024 | 6 | |
| 2025 | 7 |
Complaints about the 2012 Mazda Mazda3 peaked in 2014, when NHTSA received 30. 37% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Mazda Mazda3 drew 2.1× the complaints of the median Mazda Mazda3 year in the same window: 4th highest of the 19 ranked years.
That makes 2012 one of the Mazda Mazda3 years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★☆
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 3/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 226 complaints about the 2012 Mazda Mazda3 are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Mazda Mazda3 by model year
Other 2012 Mazda models
Newest record on this page: December 10, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted