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So here I am March 7, aprox. 2 months later roughly I'm driving 55-60km/hr and exact same issue. Except now i'm in traffic and the car is a floating duck. Its like throwing your car into neutral at 60km/hr. Not fun. Traction light, AT light AND check engine light. I shut it off turned it back on all was good. I figured i'll just drive the 5 mins more to work, leave it and call Mazda roadside. I couldn't even do the 5 mins without it occurring once more so that was that. Called my dealer, got a tow truck dropped it off got a loaner again..and this morning I find out a valve body is in need of replacement. A file was opened with Mazda Canada and i'm without my car for at minimum a week. At least I was given another 2012 Mazda 3 Sky which doesn't seem to have an issues although its brand new with 900 kms while mine has 18 500kms. Sorry to make it so long but I really felt I needed to share this with others and I hope the rest of you have good customer service as i've been treated thus far. It's been a hassle but I have never been without a car. Good luck!
In the meantime, I filed a complaint with the DOT, and I would encourage everyone dealing with this issue to do the same by calling 1.888.327.4236 or going to https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml
As this is an AT (automatic) how do you know you're in 3rd or 4th? Are you doing the shifting?
Im talking about the display. It is a 4 speed.
In drive the display on my 2011 Mazda3 automatic displays D
except if one switches to manual M and only then is the gear shown.
The mechanic (who is trusworthy) has 30 or so years experience and took a long time to diagnose the problem because he could not believe that the transmission was in such bad shape for this car with 28k miles on it. He even had 3 other people drive the car because he was so shocked by this case. The mechanic told me to go to Mazda because this is not right. The noise is very faint but I caught it because I have incredibly good hearing (almost to the point of being a curse).
I'm going to present my problem to the local Mazda dealership (where they do oil changes/full circle inspections and have always complimented me on the great condition of my car). Only today have I read about the Mazda transmission problem that causes jolting but it seems pretty common so I'm wondering if the noise is a precursor to the jolting?
Did you hear noise before the jolting issue started? If anyone did hear the metal-on-metal hiss before their jolting happened, I'd appreciate the input. My car has not yet had a jolting issue but I am leaving on a long road trip in this car soon and am now nervous about this. Thanks!
2008 Mazda 3 automatic with 28k miles
Could you clarify the following?
- the engine size (2.3L or 2.5L) of your car
- whether you are the original owner
- whether the car was ever involved in an accident
But my problem is solved. I took it to the Mazda dealership for a second opinion and it was the new brake job I'd had done. The pads, not being Mazda factory parts, were making the noise against the rotors that my local guy had not resurfaced because apparently he didn't think they needed it. I knew I'd heard the sound before on other cars.
I think my local guy who diagnosed the transmission problem couldn't even hear it since he and his guys drove the car in a very busy area with a lot of background noise but they have Male Answer Syndrome and weren't capable of telling me they didn't know or couldn't hear it. Even the Mazda guys could barely hear it when they drove with me in a very quiet neighborhood. I happen to have exceptional hearing and it was even faint for my ears but a noise, however faint, is still a noise that shouldn't be there.
So I had Mazda do the rotors and replace the pads with factory ones just to be sure. And the noise is gone. I am back to loving my Mazda. I hadn't had any problems with it before so I was (hopefully understandably) freaked out when I thought it was the transmission.
Anybody can get a lemon, but as long as you do your research and it's what you want, I recommend the Mazda 3. I did tons of research before buying this car and found that the biggest complaints for the model I bought were road noise (which is no worse than any other car under 20k) and the crappy paint quality (which seems to be prevalent below a certain price point). Maybe things have changed with the paint. Either way, I thought it was a fair trade-off for a super reliable car whose look I really liked. I agree with the guy who posted that the majority of what you'll read on forums is from the dissatisfied people because they are the ones who take to the Internet to voice their complaints. Thanks to different sites getting the same reviews, those complaints echo as if they were many voices when they are more likely a handful. I am one happy Mazda owner who did much research and settled on the most reliable car I could find for my budget. If you are inclined toward the Mazda 3, I suggest you check it out and drive it. Good luck in your search!
My 3 has been even more reliable than my 1994 Honda Civic, which had a couple of minor issues in the first 6 years of ownership. As was mentioned any brand and any model can produce the occasional problem unit, but you can go with the a proven track record or take your chances (i.e. VW). I used to own a VW Golf and that cured me of wanting another even though it really had some nice interior touches and was fun to drive. Even though all of the manufacturers produce more reliable cars than they did 20 years ago that doesn't mean that there aren't differences between manufacturers.
Have you looked at Consumer Reports' recommended used cars and used cars to avoid? That gives you some track record unless the car you want is a new model.
Gogiboy
I bought my 2008 iTouring Manual new and now it is right at 58K.
Since then there have been:
- the driver's side mirror vibrates at highway speeds since day 1. I never bothered to bring it up and left it alone.
- a couple of squeaks and rattles developed at about 10K, including the squeaking belt buckle and rattling glove box. Both are known problems, but the dealer, of course, "could not duplicate". Both somehow went away on their own and the car has been rattle free since.
- the power steering pump quit on me once at about 20K. Fortunately, I was not in motion but stuck in traffic, so I was able to restart the car and the pump worked fine for another year or so until it was replaced under the recall.
- the driver's power window was rubbing against something when closing - the dealer acknowledged the noise, tried to fix it once and when I complained during the next service he said " they all do that". The window still does this when the weather is cold, but I am now fine with it as long as it actually works.
- OEM brake rotors were horrible and started shaking after about 8K miles and were "resurfaced" by the dealer 3 times at a cost of $100 each time (not covered by warranty). The last time I had to actually yell at the dealer and they relented and replaced the rear rotors under warranty. For the front rotors, I went to an independent shop and those have been trouble free since. That was my last visit to that dealer.
- at about 40K, the passenger door lock actuator started working intermittently. Replaced by (another) dealer at a cost of $400.
- at about 50K, the drivers door lock actuator started working intermittently. Replaced by the dealer at a cost of $400.
-at 58K, radiator leaked. I noticed because the AC stopped blowing cold air all of a sudden and the temp gauge needle shot up 3/4 of the way. Managed to pull over safely and there was a puddle of coolant under the car. Fortunately, a repair shop was only two blocks away and I was able to drive it there after adding a gallon of 50/50 bought at a nearby gas station, so technically I was not stranded. The independent mechanic shop replaced the radiator.
Otherwise, the car drives great and I enjoy driving it. However, once the time comes to replace it I will be looking at another brand.
Oh, and this is our third Mazda as we recently bought a 12 CX-9 new. It is now at 7K miles.
- Driver' side mirror vibrates since day 1. Knowing that my 3 does this, I half-expected that and probably will not bother with it either.
- at about 3K miles found condensation in the left taillight. Never bothered to bring it up.
- 5K Manual lift gate handle broke apart. Probably helped by -18F weather outside. Replaced under warranty.
The car drives great, especially on long trips, and there are no rattles or squeaks.
And so it goes...
First, these transmissions are garbage. My normal auto service in a vehicle that doesn't tow or get abuse is fluid and filter at 75K. My wife drives the car and is what I'd call a non-abusive driver. Almost never does full throttle pulls, drives within speed limits, a lot of highway driving etc... @ 75K the Trans is apparently shot. It began with her complaining of the trans jerking on up and down shifts. I drove the car and it felt like the converter was locked, even though at slower speeds there and at idle, it was fine. At that time, I checked the fluid and it was fine. I put a fluid change on my list of things to do and told her to baby it. A few weeks later the trans appeared to be failing and the fluid was burnt. 2nd gear slow to engage (dash says it has shifted but the RPM drops very slowly (just like a slipping manual clutch). I flushed using the approved special global ATF and R&R'd the shift solenoids (since I saw several posts on this correcting the jerking and slow shifts and they were cheaper than a trans rebuild) but to no avail. The trans continues to slip in 2nd gear, both going into and when held in manual mode. At this point, a rebuild or salvage yard appear to be the only options. Nice car but no way the trans should go completely belly up at 75K! My Chevy Astro vans have 168K and 225K respectively and I drive the snot out of those, replacing fluid @ ~75K (and not very religious about it). These Mazda FWD transmissions are poorly designed and fragile from my POV. Love the car otherwise but way turned off Mazdas by this. If your Mazda 3 is doing similar things, figure on a big bill in your immediate future. Used transmissions are a grand (you install and this is a complete crap shoot since the used unit will probably have problems sooner than later) and rebuilds appear to be 3 grand or so installed. If you haven't had problems, get a competent trans shop to "flush" the fluid every 30K and hope for the best.
( though I know many manufactures are going for the supposed " life time" fluid)
For some reason when I engage reverse it takes about 5 seconds to engage. Other than that trans is fine. I do use manual mode quite a bit.
Only has 16K on the odometer.
Ideas?
Thanks.
btw...I get decent mileage but the adv. 5.9l/100km is a fairy tale...more like 9 or 10k/100km. I got an extra 100km past 'E' hwy driving (which put my tank at 61L to fill up and close to 700km). Still much improved over my '07 Mazda 3/ 2.5L eng (miss that extra power tho':)).
Check the rear motor mount first; if that isn't it check the other two mounts.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
My 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 just rolled over 136,000 miles. I''m running a Mazdaspeed cold air intake as well as a Hypertech tune, so the motor is cranking out @300 hp and 320 ft-lbs of torque. I'm still on the original clutch. No transmission issues either, but note that I use Motorcraft XT-M5-QS Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid and change it every 30,000 miles.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Manual or auto transmission? And sometimes car sounds are hard to pinpoint. Could it be some kind of suspension noise?
Im looking to purchase an older model mazda 3. Its a 2004 mazda 3. engine sounds smooth and the car is a nice color. few minor things need to be taken care of. the back bumper needs replacing, as well as the passenger side mirror. The fog light would also need to be replaced. I drove it in automatic mode and when it got to 4th gear it seemed as if it was holding back or something wasn't changing. My mechanic advised mazdas usually have transmission problems. Anything you guys can recommend? its an 04 with 182k miles. the seller was asking $2500. Brought them down to about $2100. Is there anything else I should be looking for?
"My mechanic advised mazdas usually have transmission problems. Anything you guys can recommend? its an 04 with 182k miles. the seller was asking $2500. Brought them down to about $2100. Is there anything else I should be looking for?"
Well, I'd say any automatic transmission with 182k miles is suspect. With that kind of miles, I'd want a rebuilt transmission, or expect to have to rebuild it, which costs more than the car is worth. 182k with a manual transmission is normally not a problem.
I know that it can seem like everything is negative about transmissions when reading forums like this, but then again, not many folks are going to come to a forum to post "my transmission is going along just fine".
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
However, ever since I bought it, when the car is coasting, the rpm will rev down below 1000 and stay there until I press the gas pedal. Not sure if that's related or not to my gear issue. Is my transmission shot? Any advice?