2004 Mazda Mazda3 Mazda Mazda3 2004

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2004 Mazda Mazda3 repairs by problem area

Engine (34%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (7%)

Brakes and Traction Control (4%)

Suspension and Steering (23%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (20%)

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

Other (2%)

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Chart based on 283 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2004 Mazda Mazda3.

2004 Mazda Mazda3 suspension repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (17%)

$500 - $999 (20%)

$100 - $499 (42%)

< $100 (20%)

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Chart based on 59 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2004 Mazda Mazda3

Engine not specified

26040 mi

C $197
 

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2004 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD

108000 mi

US $1100
Both front wheel bearings had gone bad and needed to be replaced. 
105400 mi

C $460
Driver's side front bearing had worn out and made a what sounded like loud road noise from the wheels. I was told that the hub would need replacement as well for reasons that were supposedly due to design and not damage but I'm not too clear on this. The bearing definitely needed replacement. Driver's side front bearing and hub needed replacement. It was discovered from loud road noise that the driver heard. Loud road noise took me to a mechanic who accurately diagnosed it as a worn driver's front wheel bearing. The hub and bearing comes as one unit so parts were pricey. 
115940 mi

C $389
Driver's side front wheel bearing had worn out prematurely earlier repair. Receipts were stolen so only got partial warranty. Note, the hub & bearing comes as one unit. Driver's side front wheel bearing had worn out prematurely earlier repair. Receipts were stolen so only got partial warranty. Note, the hub & bearing come as one unit. 
120900 mi

C $460
Front passenger bearing needed replacement. It's fine considering the car had almost 200,000km on it. Front passenger side bearing needed replacement. It's fine considering the car had almost 200,000km on it. 
86180 mi

C $2000
Wheel bearings + ball joints 
169880 mi

C $400
both rear struts 
52000 mi

US $258
Strut mounts replacements. 
86000 mi a tie rod needed replacement 
80000 mi

US $700
replaced both front wheel bearings. 
150400 mi

US $1500
replaced front struts and rear shocks 
104000 mi front struts replaced 
115000 mi

US $1000
wheel bearings broken rear shock, both had to be replaced 

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2004 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

160-horsepower 2.3L I4 4-speed shiftable automatic FWD

78000 mi

US $735
Loose Ball joints. Both lower control arms replaced. 
98000 mi also struts, and frontal rack 
37200 mi

C $500
Front wheel bearings (both sides) replaced. Out of warranty, but we had purchased the car less than 6 months earlier, so the dealer covered $300 of the $800 repair. 
148620 mi

C $300
replaced suspension mount. 
166040 mi

C $400
sway bar replaced 

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2004 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

148-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD

152320 mi

C $200
Ball joint boot damaged, replaced control arm assembly. 
156000 mi Both lower control arms where replaced because of worn bushings. 
156800 mi

US $45
Both sway bar end links were replaced. They were worn and making popping and clunk type noises over bumps. 
121520 mi

C $2000
Rear bushings, front wheel bearing, a stabilizer bar, an ABS sensor and rotor. 
172360 mi

C $300
passenger side control arm ball joint 

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2004 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Sedan

148-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed shiftable automatic FWD

170500 mi New shocks (old, high-mileage car so it really should count as wear) Bushing replacement (old, high-mileage car, should really count as wear) 
239840 mi

C $600
Worn rear, passenger side wheel bearing 
166000 mi

US $305
Lower control arms on both side had to be replaced because lower ball joint seal was cracked and full of dirt. 
183000 mi

US $250
Front struts replaced. Upgraded to Koni STR.T's. 
54000 mi Car has been "knocking" for some time. It sounded like a noise my Geo Metro had before - bad strut mount. It was determined by the dealership to be exactly that. However, the "knocking" has returned and I need to bring it back in... 

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2004 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch

160-horsepower 2.3L I4 5-speed manual FWD

62620 mi

C $250
Flimsy, junky, liquid-filled OE LCA control arm bushings tore and leaked oil. Replaced with solid rubber aftermarket bushings. 
79360 mi

C $150
Replaced rear trailing arm bushings. The original were falling apart. 
51000 mi

US $600
Inner right axel had a bad bearing, was making a horible sound. Entire inner axel had to be replaced. 
117000 mi

US $2000
replaced front struts 
68280 mi

C $107
Tensioner and left wheel bearing. 
38000 mi Rear end of car was unstable when going over bumps or driving on slick roads. Also experienced extreme rear tire wear. 
97800 mi

US $519
Bad wheel bearing. Horribly loud grinding noise while driving above 20mph. Had to replace entire hub, also get alignment 
109100 mi

US $600
LOUD grinding (obvious wheel bearing) noise. Took to private shop, confirmed that both front wheel bearings were bad. Replaced with OEM parts. 
124000 mi

US $1000
Leaking front struts needed to be replaced. 
127000 mi

US $625
Unusual wear on rear tires. Shop identified it as rear camber issue. Adjustable rear lower control arms were installed & car was aligned properly. 
141000 mi

US $88
Rear right upper shock mount corroded through & broke off. Shock was loosely moving around. Replaced upper shock mounts & original shocks on both sides with parts from Amazon. Very easy to do. After previous strut mount repair, noticed that both struts were blown. Replaced other side strut mount + both rear struts, purchased off Amazon. 
159000 mi Lower control arm was bad & was replaced 
119660 mi

C $550
Great car 2nd wheel bearing also controls arms changed Brakes as well 
62300 mi

US $417
Front Left Wheel Bearing replaced. 
65850 mi

US $1255
Front Left Wheel Bearing and Nuckle replaced. 
73412 mi

US $551
Front Left Wheel Bearing replaced. 
120414 mi

US $65
Retorque front suspension, lubricate bushings 
128328 mi

US $315
Rear shocks were leaking and were replaced 

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2004 Mazda Mazda3 4dr Hatch

160-horsepower 2.3L I4 4-speed shiftable automatic FWD

75000 mi

US $1000
Replaced rear shocks. 
127000 mi

US $300
Wheel bearing was destroyed by driving with a bent rim. Bent rim was fault of the car's previous owner. 
138000 mi

US $100
Replaced rear shocks. 
146500 mi

US $150
Replaced shocks. 
148100 mi

US $1500
Replaced front struts, ball joints, and lower control arm bushings 
202000 mi

US $600
Also replaced tie rod ends. 
114700 mi

C $500
Sway bar links very noisy and replaced 
126700 mi

C $220
front wheel bearing replaced 

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2004 Mazda Mazda3 4-door

4-cylinder manual 2WD

260000 mi Needed a front wheel bearing 

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

2004 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 2004 Mazda Mazda3 problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.