AutoUtility currently tracks 10 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Mazda CX-3. Driver Assistance & Safety Tech issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 5 complaints (50% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 filing cites a crash.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
5 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
1 owner complaint submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
1 owner complaint submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Fuel injector failed without warning. A lot of fuel leaked into the engine destroying a spark plug in one cylinder and ultimately ruining the catalytic converter when fuel got into it. Independent mechanic and Mazda dealership diagnosed. Car cannot be driven."
"The contact owns a 2018 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. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount..."
"Heavy condensation is occurring inside the driver side headlamp. A quick google search shows this is a common problem among Mazda owners and Mazda will not cover the repair. I am unable to get a Massachusetts state inspection sticker due to this."
"The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V487000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The..."
"The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-3. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle was moving from left to right. The contact stated that the brakes were making an abnormal scraping sound. There was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The local dealer was not contacted. There were no..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2016–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Mazda CX-3 | 48 | 4 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Mazda CX-3 | 21 | 2 | 1 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Mazda CX-3 Current Page | 10 | 1 | 1 | Current |
| 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 9 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ENGINE,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 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 2018 Mazda CX-3
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2018 Mazda CX-3 is Driver Assistance & Safety Tech, appearing in 5 records (50% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Electrical System (2) and Fuel & Propulsion System (1).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 10 consumer defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign for the 2018 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 2018 Mazda CX-3, 1 filing cites a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 0 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.