2012 Mazda Mazda3 Mazda Mazda3 2012

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2012 Mazda Mazda3 repairs by problem area

Engine (28%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (9%)

Brakes and Traction Control (10%)

Suspension and Steering (16%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (20%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (9%)

Other (8%)

Chart based on 170 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2012 Mazda Mazda3.

2012 Mazda Mazda3 engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (5%)

$1000 - $2499 (16%)

$500 - $999 (7%)

$100 - $499 (30%)

< $100 (43%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 44 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2012 Mazda MazdaSpeed3 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 263hp 2.3L I4 6-speed manual FWD

23300 mi Serpentine belt missing chunk. 
57900 mi

US $600
Replaced clutch,and flywaheel 
85000 mi

US $5000
Cracked piston loss compression. Rebuild engine. The car is 450 whp, probably not fair to count this particular car in with stock mazdaspeed3's in my opinion. 
20000 mi

US $1300
HPFP was no longer delivering required fuel. Had to purchase and install upgraded pump. 
102300 mi

C $9000
Blown engine replaced with a crate engine 
104780 mi

C $300
Emission problem engine light on. 

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2012 Mazda Mazda3

Engine not specified

55800 mi

C $450
Timing belt broke while driving and battery was drained due to engine trying to keep engine safe. 

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2012 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

167-horsepower 2.5L I4 6-speed manual FWD

26000 mi

US $1100
Before I bought the car with 17,xxx miles, I was aware that the 2.5 L with a 6-speed has a notoriously weak clutch, at 26K miles it was gone. No harsh driving 
34000 mi

US $1
The factory clutch wore out early, as is a known problem with this model / engine combo. I put a stage 1 aftermarket clutch in. It failed in 9000 miles. I went back to an OEM factory clutch setup 

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2012 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

57000 mi Skyactiv-equipped cars had a known issue in which the headlights/dash lights would pulse when the brakes are applied. I took it in and the dealer reprogrammed the PCM, which is the fix for this issue. 
90000 mi

US $500
Exhaust system sounds like it has a leak. I will need to have it looked at and possible replace the muffler and exhaust pipe. Exhaust had a leak where the hanger attached. A section of exhaust pipe was cut out and a new section was welded in. 
141000 mi

US $200
Oil pressure switch started leaking oil. Fairly inexpensive repair, ~$200 including oil change. 
39300 mi

US $150
Check engine light. Pulled code for small evap leak. Gas cap replaced by dealership, issue resolved. 
33000 mi The belts shredded near the dealership and I managed to get into the parking lot before the engine died completely. The belts shredded again three weeks later. The repairs took almost a week with no reason provided as to why the belts broke two separate times. 
24480 mi engine was started @ -25 C went to red line would not idle down,dealer had for 1.5 days said mat held throttle down Checked prior to tow away and mat was fine.It would seem dealer could not find the problem and had to blame it on something. 

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2012 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD

4100 mi Check engine light. Reset, no further issues. 
46040 mi Ecm problem, car running in limp mode.Dealer said cannot fix the problem. Tried a different flash onto ecm 
54020 mi

C $80
Clogged air filter. Replaced with upgrade. K&N air filter. 
97340 mi

C $1125
Spark plugs replaced (supplied) 
101060 mi

C $349
2 sections of exhaust pipe rusted out at the hanger welds were replaced 

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2012 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

148-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

6200 mi Coolant leakage 
75000 mi

US $150
Engine mounts replaced, I noticed a lack of traction so I looked online and determined this to be the cause. When I looked I could see the top one leaking fluid. This repair fixed my problem. 

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2012 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch

155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

100000 mi

US $300
Oil pressure sensor failed, and was leaking. 
34000 mi

US $100
During an inspection as part of a service, a large amount of buildup was discovered on the throttle body, and it was cleaned. Technician noted that due to the aggressive EGR system on this engine, this is not uncommon. 
96300 mi Pending misfire stored fault code, with flashing CEL on power-on. Cleared code, inspected and cleaned throttle body. 
168000 mi

US $350
Check engine light for lean condition and implausible O2 sensor readings. Replaced O2 sensor. Sensor was bent, and nobody knows how it got that way. 
168800 mi

US $1800
Replace catalytic converter. 
185 mi

US $1500
Replace all coolant hoses/lines, thermostat housing, and thermostat due to pervasive cracking 
191000 mi

US $440
Replace offside engine mount 
127000 mi

US $70
Valve cover gasket Throttle body cleaning 
44700 mi

US $296
Mass air flow sensor died. Car was stranded. Diagnosed and replaced same day. 
35800 mi Transmission slow going into reverse. Reprogrammed per TSB. 
38300 mi Oil pan gasket developed leak - fixed at no cost by repair shop 
69000 mi

US $1000
Engine mount #4 was cracked completely through and needed to be replaced. 
46000 mi

US $75
cracked front crank seal 
46240 mi

US $297
VVT actuator o-ring 
60000 mi

US $1020
#3 motor mount, brake fluid flush,  drive belt tensioner, fuel injection service 
71000 mi repair oil leak caused by dealer 

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2012 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch

155-horsepower 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD

53940 mi Replaced failed engine mount. 
165000 mi

US $440
Replaces air mass flow sensor 
114080 mi

C $580
Rear engine mount 
8900 mi Engine light was on. Computer needed firmware update. 
5000 mi Have to turn key twice to start car. 

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See TrueDelta's information for all Sedans and Hatchbacks.
See TrueDelta's information for all Mazda models.

2012 Mazda Mazda3 Engine Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2012 Mazda Mazda3 problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.