AutoUtility currently tracks 48 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Mazda CX-3. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 11 complaints (22.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 4 filings cite a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
11 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
7 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
5 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"It’s a safety risk with this car. The converter burns super fast, causing issues that seem like it’s related to transmission or alternator."
"While driving on the highway on a posted 65mph, the fuel remaining on the vehicle was posted at 1/4, approx. 75miles remaining. The vehicle abruptly stalled and I managed to pull over on the side of the road. The vehicle then refused to start again. Had to bring it to a fuel station and refueled..."
"The contact owns a 2016 Mazda CX-3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V487000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair...."
"The contact owns a 2016 Mazda CX-3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V487000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was distorted on several occasions,..."
"The contact owns a 2016 Mazda CX-3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V487000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2016–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Mazda CX-3 Current Page | 48 | 4 | 3 | Current |
| 2017 Mazda CX-3 | 21 | 2 | 1 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Mazda CX-3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Mazda CX-3 | 27 | 1 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Mazda CX-3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Mazda CX-3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Mazda CX-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Mazda CX-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Mazda CX-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Mazda CX-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Mazda CX-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 22 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2016 Mazda CX-3
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2016 Mazda CX-3 is Electrical System, appearing in 11 records (22.9% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (10) and Exterior Lighting (7).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 48 consumer defect complaints and 3 safety recall campaigns for the 2016 Mazda CX-3.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Mazda CX-3, 4 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 1 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.