2010 Mazda Mazda3 Mazda Mazda3 2010

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 repairs by problem area

Engine (14%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (6%)

Brakes and Traction Control (9%)

Suspension and Steering (20%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (23%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (17%)

Other (11%)

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Chart based on 312 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2010 Mazda Mazda3.

2010 Mazda Mazda3 suspension repair cost distribution

$2500+ (5%)

$1000 - $2499 (12%)

$500 - $999 (14%)

$100 - $499 (33%)

< $100 (36%)

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Chart based on 58 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2010 Mazda MazdaSpeed3 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 263hp 2.3L I4 6-speed manual FWD

75400 mi

C $600
A stabilizer bar had become loose, it was replaced. 
90520 mi

C $500
Rear shock was leaking. Replaced and repaired. 
65200 mi

US $250
Squeaking suspension when turning the wheel at low speeds. 
62000 mi

US $1500
Left rear strut failed and was leaking fluid. Sway bar end links were also shot. I replaced all four struts as well as the bearings and mounts on all 4 corners. Rear Sway bar end links were replaced. 
90000 mi

US $8000
One of the rear shocks was leaking, so both were replaced. 
82000 mi

US $492
Replaced worn out shocks and struts. 
94000 mi Stock rear sway bar end links were clunking and worn out. Replaced with upgraded versions. 
113000 mi Alignment 
74000 mi

US $218
Failed left rear shock absorber replaced. Also replaced right rear shock as an upgrade. 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3

Engine not specified

86400 mi

US $175
shocks 
52700 mi

$355
car lower arm bushing started leaking oil after 85 000 km, replaced, everything fine now 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

167-horsepower 2.5L I4 6-speed manual FWD

102000 mi

US $485
Front passenger strut was leaking. Replaced both front struts and both rear shocks. 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

167-horsepower 2.5L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

48000 mi one of the front tie rods was worn. 
100000 mi

US $35
Broken/worn out link arm for stabilizer bar on passenger front side. Replaced both. 
45000 mi

US $450
Had to replace both front tie-rods 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

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

24800 mi Knocking noise from rear of car. Replaced sway bar linkages. 
95000 mi

US $525
replaced rear shocks, diagnosed through uneven rear tire wear, excessive road noise, and vibration 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

148-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD

26000 mi Intermittent popping noise from the front end. Sway bar bushings replaced 
138000 mi

US $200
Replaced original front struts. 
24888 mi Under original warranty: Repair not attempted. Dealer service department ordered rear shock absorber/bushing and damper to correct noise, vibration and harshness reported by the owner. Under warranty: The rear shock absorber/bushing and damper were replaced on one side to correct noise, vibration and harshness reported by the owner. Under warranty: The rear shock absorber/bushing and damper were replaced on one side to correct noise, vibration and harshness reported by the owner. 
82000 mi

US $6
Found ripped lower ball join boot. Replaced ball Joint boot and re-lubricated ball joint 
94000 mi

US $40
The rear upper shock mount at the left broke. The car was driven on smooth but salty roads in the NE. I installed the Dorman shock mount available in the nearby store. If somebody had the fitting rear shocks, I'd have replaced both shocks. 
93500 mi

US $500
Rear shock absorber at the right wheel leaked. Both rear shock absorbers were replaced. 
97000 mi

US $35
The upper shock absorber mount at the passenger side rear wheel broke (one at the driver side broke around 13 months earlier). The local Advance Auto had it in stock, the same as the first time. I wonder whether this piece is used on other brands of cars. Is this perhaps a common Mazda 3 problem The original pieces fell apart under little stress, but on salty Northern NY roads, near the Canadian border. They should be replaced every five years with shock absorbers, regardless of mileage - being made of such brittle metal. 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch

167-horsepower 2.5L I4 6-speed manual FWD

42160 mi

C $1000
Rear left tie rod broke in half. Apparently, a known issue with Mazdas 
91760 mi

C $600
noisy, noisy, noisy... hard to miss. The driver's side front wheel bearing was replaced. They toasted the ABS sensor getting the wheel off, so that had to be replaced as well. 
86000 mi

US $95
Aluminum alloy shock mount failed causing rattling in left rear of car ( driver's side). Very subject to corrosion due to galvanic effect Aluminum on steel and road salt. Mounts replaced on both sided with upgraded steel mounts from Rock Auto. At the same time one of the heat shields was totally loose near the left rear shock so initially I thought that was the problem. Haven't reinstalled that small heat shield yet ( the small one after the cat heat shield before it reaches the muffler). 
119500 mi

US $975
& 1 rear struts 
132900 mi

C $3000
Normal wear; new shocks all around, 
19000 mi Wheel bearing failure, slight grinding on coasting, engine braking, turning right. Replaced front passenger wheel hub bearing. Problem not resolved. Driver side front wheel hub bearing replaced, problem resolved fully. 
68000 mi

US $600
Both struts, strut bearings, lower control arms replaced due to excessive wear on bushings and subsequent vibration. 
60760 mi

C $450
replaced struts and shocks. oem ones are craps. do replace them after 80,000. 
117180 mi

C $171
rear passenger side shocks bottomed out. 3rd pair kyb installed. 
122800 mi

C $475
lower control arm x2 replaced front struts, front driver side endlink, front passenger side abs sensor(cracked housing). passenger side strut was bottoming out. 
132860 mi

C $200
inner tire wear due to rear camber sagged, installed adjustabke camber arm. further adjustment needed. 
143200 mi

C $850
front struts 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch

167-horsepower 2.5L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

115000 mi

US $1000
Replaced lower control arms and ball joints. Replaced worn sway bar end links. 
10000 mi Loose bolt on rear sway bar caused rattling, bolt tightened and inspected under warranty 
5000 mi Started hearing a clunk in the front end, particularly in cold weather. Happened mostly when wheel was turned to the left, going over a bump. 
7000 mi Started hearing a clunk in the front end, particularly in cold weather. Happened mostly when wheel was turned to the left, going over a bump. Dealer was finally able to diagnose noise as a loose bushing in front crossmember. 
99000 mi

US $1500
Wheel alignment + new tires and 2 new rear control arms. Wheels were not aligned properly and caused premature wear of old tires. Control arms were too rusted to work on without replacement. 
162000 mi

US $1000
and both front control arm replacements. 
208000 mi

US $500
Rear shock absorber broke. Decided it was time to replace suspension and tie rods. 
79980 mi

C $100
I took the car in to have a knocking sound in the front end diagnosed. The mechanic couldn't recreate the noise and couldn't find anything in the steering or suspension that would cause such a noise. 
69000 mi

US $246
While at mechanic found that power steering hose was leaking. Scheduled fix but have not followed up due to more AT problems. 
70100 mi

US $298
Power steering hose was leaking. 
88851 mi

US $1100
Broken strut replaced. 
62000 mi After I had new brakes put on I started hearing a humming noise driving home front the right front. I had never heard this noise before (I'm the type of person who pays attention to their car). Turns out they had to use a sledge hammer to break the brake front discs free due to corrosion. The dealer didn't admit that this caused the bearings to go bad, but replaced them for free.  After they replaced the front bearings, I started noticing a clunk from the left front suspension backing out of my garage. Once again, I had never noticed this in the 7 years I've had my Mazda, but it started the day I got back from the dealer. They then replaced the whole left front control arm due to a loose ball joint.  
123000 mi

US $200
Fixed broken sway bar link and leaking struts. 
64480 mi

C $136
Replaced both front lower control arms due to worn bushings. 
68696 mi

C $230
Severe knocking in front. Replacing strut bearings didn't resolve. Ended up disassembling front struts and replacing front shocks only, kept original springs and new wheel bearings. Problem solved. 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch

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

75640 mi

C $350
Wheel alignment and balancing was done to address odd steering concern causing car to lose traction occasionally while turning. 
166306 mi

C $2813
Rear passenger wheel bearing was making an odd noise, says the mechanic. Needed to be replaced (safety issue). rear shock towers needed to be replaced as they were causing wear on tires. Mechanic says this is a known flaw in Mazda 3 cars, their rear shock units are crap. Said it needed to be replaced as a safety measure. 

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2010 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch

148-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD

82160 mi

C $340
damper rt boot 

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

2010 Mazda Mazda3 Suspension 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 2010 Mazda Mazda3 problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.