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2008 Mazda Mazda3 repairs by problem area
Engine (30%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (10%)
Brakes and Traction Control (5%)
Suspension and Steering (26%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (20%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (5%)
Other (5%)
Select a problem area
Chart based on 438 repairs.
2008 Mazda Mazda3 suspension repair cost distribution
$2500+ (0%)
$1000 - $2499 (10%)
$500 - $999 (15%)
$100 - $499 (35%)
< $100 (41%)
Chart based on 103 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2008 Mazda MazdaSpeed3 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 263hp 2.3L I4 6-speed manual FWD
| 19100 mi | Rear struts started leaking...... put new ones in but there was still a creak when turning. They can't find the creak and I still need to go back again :( |
| 75000 mi US $404 |
Left shock was completely shot. Had to replace. Right shock was also leaking oil so decided to replace that as well as a pro-active measure before it gave way. |
| 66000 mi US $170 |
Rear strut leaking. Replaced. |
| 78000 mi US $150 |
bushings need to be replaced lower control arm bushings need to be replaced |
| 12000 mi | Occasionally when turning left or moving straight ahead there is a humming sound that occurs for a second or two. Has occurred 10-12 times. Resolution: Dealer could not duplicate – repair invoice does not indicate effort was made to diagnose problem |
| 90000 mi US $420 |
Rear stabilizer was clunking, bushings needed to be replaced. |
| 17000 mi | Distinct "clunk" from right-rear when going over bumps. Right-rear shock was blown. Shock fluid had leaked all over the shock. Dealer confirmed blown shock, ordered replacement, and replaced shock. |
| 44000 mi US $500 |
Blown right-rear shock. This is 2nd RR shock blown, so I went ahead and swapped out to Konis on all four corners. |
| 99000 mi US $1500 |
Struts |
| 100000 mi US $1000 |
sway bar |
| 83000 mi US $320 |
Right rear shock blown and leaking. Replaced both rear shocks. |
| 17980 mi | My rear shocks blew out on a recent trip from Toronto, On to Sydney, NS. |
| 40300 mi | The rear bushing in the lower right control arm was ripped and blown out. Mazda replaced my entire control arm. |
| 44640 mi | My car makes "clunk" noises from the front end whenever I go over bumps or steer back and forth really quickly. |
| 46500 mi | Replaced my steering rack, but problem still persists. They have now ordered me new sway bar end links. |
| 78500 mi | They replaced my sway bar end bushings, the problem is solved. |
| 63000 mi C $130 |
Left rear shock was leaking oil and was blown. I bought and changed it myself. |
| 76260 mi | Power steering rubber line had dried out and cracked, which caused it to leak. |
| 87420 mi | One of my rear shocks blew out again. Leaking oil all over the place. |
| 52000 mi US $617 |
Rear shock absorbers failed (leaking fluid). Replaced all four shocks and struts with aftermarkets (Koni Sport) |
| 83000 mi | Control arms |
| 140300 mi US $111 |
Tie rod end broke.luckily I get a discount on parts for being a ford technician tie rod ends will usually run 40 more dollars total. |
| 147000 mi US $250 |
Lower control arms and front struts, and strut bushings |
2008 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan
156-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 131000 mi US $155 |
Replaced rear shocks, have cupping in back tire have to replace rear wheel bearing hub assy |
| 33300 mi | Left rear coil spring broke 2 days out of warranty. Mazda agreed to cover cost due to potential safety hazard. |
| 63200 mi US $150 |
Both left & right rear coil springs were broken at the bottom end of the spring. This seems to be an on-going problem for the 2008 Mazda 3. This is the second time the left coil spring was replaced. |
| 72000 mi US $2000 |
While the Mazda 3 was in for the transmission repair, the mechanic noticed that there was oil leaking from one of the front struts. Both struts were replaced and alignment performed. |
| 30000 mi | Multiple times when had the A/C full blast with recirculation, 95+ outside, and shut the car off for a few minutes upon restarting the steering light would come on and the power steering light would not work. Always reset before dealer could see. |
| 73000 mi US $25 |
I personally replaced front right tie rod end. |
| 37200 mi | Power steering pump and associated parts/fluid replaced per recall. Power steering pump had failed once while driving (fail safe mode with unassisted steering). Turning car off and on again reset pump. Told dealer, but no parts in stock at time. |
| 98280 mi C $460 |
Driver's side front lower control arm replaced Driver's side rear sway bar end link replaced |
| 102800 mi C $80 |
Both front sway bar end links replaced, original parts worn |
| 105400 mi C $80 |
Replaced driver's side rear damper due to leaking (Koni Sport, part replaced under Koni warranty) |
| 114080 mi C $440 |
Left and right front wheel bearings replaced due to wear |
| 118730 mi C $925 |
Replaced front passenger side lower control arm due to wear, replaced both rear lower control arms due to seized toe adjust bolts (could not perform alignment) |
| 125860 mi C $80 |
Both bushings replaced on aftermarket rear sway bar |
| 128960 mi C $250 |
Partially broken driver side rear shock mount Both front Koni Sport struts leaking, replaced both struts and rear shocks with Bilstein B8 |
| 135780 mi C $1300 |
Passenger side rear wheel bearing replaced |
| 177320 mi C $110 |
Front passenger side stabilizer bar end link replaced (worn/noisy) |
2008 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan
156-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 95800 mi US $260 |
Clunking noise in the rear right on rough roads. Dealer initially misdiagnosed as a rear right shock, but noise persisted and rear right sway bar link was found to be the culprit. |
| 100500 mi US $130 |
After front strut replacement the steering wheel was shaking violently above 45 mph. Internet search revealed that front rotors may have shifted during strut install and rust got between rotors and hub. Rotors removed, rust cleaned. Solved. |
| 107000 mi US $35 |
The second rear sway bar link went bad and was replaced with OEM link off Ebay. |
| 94000 mi US $408 |
Passenger side rear shock leaking fluid. Rear shocks replaced |
| 94000 mi US $250 |
The rear spring cracked. Had family member do the repair. |
2008 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan
148-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 79360 mi C $280 |
Replaced noisy wheel bearing. |
| 93620 mi C $435 |
Left front bearing |
| 75000 mi US $1100 |
Front and rear suspension components (shocks and struts) were replaced. |
| 167000 mi US $45 |
Left rear shock was shot. |
| 196000 mi US $120 |
Possible wheel bearing noise from rear, so replaced both sides. |
| 31000 mi | Power steering pump, hoses & associated parts replaced under Mazda recall campaign. The car did experience power steering failure once right about the time the recall was announced but was working at the time of the repair. |
| 95000 mi US $200 |
Left rear shock absorber was starting to leak fluid and was causing the wheel to hop. Replaced both rear shocks as well as travel bumpers and protective boots. |
| 112000 mi US $280 |
Replaced front strut assemblies due to leakage from piston rod seals. |
| 59520 mi | Front passenger wheel bearing. |
2008 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan
148-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 63000 mi US $20 |
Replaced right rear sway end link bushing due to rattle. Rattle got louder. Took to garage and mechanic tightened both nuts and rattle is 90% gone. |
| 104000 mi US $1100 |
leaky RF shock; replaced front struts and rear shocks |
| 94800 mi US $250 |
During oil change, car diagnosed with 2 leaking front struts. Complete strut kits purchased online and installed by self. |
| 81000 mi | Terrible noise. Rear shock was broken at top. Repaired free because shock was replaced before and warranty on it. |
| 25420 mi C $50 |
Control arms were squeaking while driving over bumps. Needed to be replaced. |
| 28520 mi | Wheel bearings worn out on front driver side. Humming noise is noticeable at speed. |
| 32240 mi | Another worn wheel bearing replaced. |
| 41540 mi | Squeeking sound from front suspension. Replaced sway bar bushings. |
| 67580 mi C $400 |
Trailing arm bushing was worn, needed replacement. |
| 111600 mi C $800 |
Replaced OEM struts. Was blown and leaking oil. |
| 114700 mi C $75 |
Worn stabilizer link. Replaced with new. |
| 87000 mi US $700 |
Front right strut leaking. Replaced front struts. |
| 99100 mi US $850 |
front strut needed replacement since both had obvious fluid loss; dealer said the expected lifespan of the part was ~70k and mine lasted longer than expected |
| 4960 mi | Front suspension noise while going over speed bumps in cold (0 C) weather. Swaybar bushings needed lubrication. |
| 4960 mi |
| 78000 mi | Left front strut leak, replacement required. |
| 100000 mi US $857 |
Right front strut leaking oil. Replaced both front struts. |
| 105000 mi US $165 |
Left rear shock leaking oil. Replaced both rear shocks |
| 166000 mi US $900 |
Lower controls arms worn out. Replaced both lower control arms |
| 175000 mi US $400 |
Ball joint clunking sound from front end. Found front lower control arm ball joints worn. Replaced lower left and right lower control arms. |
| 88000 mi US $500 |
(4) back shocks & struts / alignment |
| 39000 mi | Power steering light came on and malfunctioned causing the car hard to steer. 2nd time it happened and a part of the recall. |
| 93000 mi US $200 |
Replaced front struts and rear shocks, and both front and read stabilizer links. Rear suspension creaking, cannot identify the culprit. Taking into account prior warranty repairs (tire rods and something else in front suspension) it looks like suspension is the weakest part of this car. Other than that is is fantastic. |
2008 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch
156-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 90818 mi US $350 |
Driver side original rear shock was leaking and not functioning. |
| 94198 mi US $1617 |
Replaced front axle wheel bearing, replaced both front lower control arms, replaced both sides stabilized links, |
| 82000 mi US $65 |
Performed alignment after car pulled to the right. Also had tires balanced and rotated. |
| 12600 mi | failed left front strut which I brought to their attention |
| 45000 mi | warranty replacement of power steering assist. |
| 65000 mi US $400 |
Rear upper control arms. |
| 18200 mi | NHTSA Action Number: PE10021 NHTSA investigating sttering pump issues for some Mazdas. Car lost power steering when hot. Very hard to turn wheel once power steering lost. Dealer knew about issue and fixed. |
| 14880 mi | Noise when turning and going over bumps. Replaced steering shaft. Ordered power steering pump. Backordered. |
| 19220 mi | Installed new power steering pump. |
| 20460 mi | Mechanic noticed right rear shock leaking, replaced it. |
| 79980 mi C $300 |
Had the left front wheel bearing replaced, which neccessitated a wheel alignment which is a wear item. |
| 48900 mi C $700 |
Rear shock mounts disintegrated and needed replacing. New shocks were installed at the same time ! |
| 73860 mi C $143 |
stabilizer link (driver side) replaced due to knocking. |
2008 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch
156-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 142000 mi US $100 |
Replaced lower right control arm ball joint |
| 149000 mi US $608 |
New front struts & rear shocks - both sides. Front wheel alignment |
| 82500 mi | coil spring broke |
| 34720 mi | While driving steering light on dash board came om, power steering failed, hard to steer. Safely parked to the side, 15 min. of the car being turned off, a restart fixed it. Called dealer and parts back ordered. Steering pump problem. |
| 50220 mi | Power Steering recall. It had started to fail in my car. |
| 77500 mi C $900 |
Front shocks replaced |
| 75000 mi US $1600 |
Both rear shocks repaired Pump to rack power steering hose replaced |
| 96500 mi US $75 |
Right rear lower control arm bushing replaced. |
| 60000 mi | recall power steering. had gone out twice while idling in 100+ temps with AC on. turning car off and letting it sit for 15 minutes fixed it. |
| 32000 mi | lost power steering. Electical connection to power steering pump was reseated, which seems to have corrected the problem. |
| 94000 mi US $650 |
Vehicle felt "loose" when hitting bumps. Shocks/Struts were losing rebound control. All Shocks, Struts, and associated mounts where replaced with Koni brand "FSD" shocks/struts. Original Springs where still in normal condition. |
| 133900 mi US $850 |
Drivers side rear tire regularly has irregular wear on inside tread blocks. -Replaced rear suspension longitudinal control arms with genuine Mazda parts for worn bushings and corroded arms. -Installed Aftemarket camber and toe adjust arms |
| 155400 mi US $93 |
Popping/clunking noise observed from rear suspension at low speeds over bumps. Replaced rear sway bar end links with new mazdaspeed 3 units. Larger holes drilled to accommodate stronger endlinks. |
| 178000 mi US $140 |
Rear suspension camber control arms had severly worn outer bushings causing poor tire wear ("scalloping" tires) and rattling noise. Replaced control arms, everything functions normal again. |
| 186200 mi US $1100 |
Rear shock leaking fluid and made an intermittant rattling noise. Replaced shocks with new Koni units. Struts, endlinks, front control arms for preventative maintenance. |
| 51700 mi US $200 |
suspension, not sure what. |
| 62000 mi US $1800 |
tie in to stabilizer rear sway bar. rear shocks. front struts. tensioner on belts. belts. |
| 98000 mi US $311 |
Vibration and alignment issue diagnosed as issue with right side inner/outer tied rod ends being rusted together, preventing proper adjustment - both replaced. |
| 114000 mi US $750 |
New Shocks/ Struts/Lower control arms |
See TrueDelta's information for all Sedans and Hatchbacks.
See TrueDelta's information for all Mazda models.
