IllustrationWHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FROM A HIGH GEAR TO A LOW GEAR AND SHAKES VIOLENTLY
2006 Mazda MAZDA3
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2006 Mazda MAZDA3 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 108.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all MAZDA3 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
230–25K
2025–50K
2250–75K
2275–100K
26100–150K
11150K+
124 reports with mileage · 42 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
21 crash reports3 fire reports12 injury reports
Power Train complaints
21 reportsTYPICALLY BUT NOT ONLY WHEN TRAVELLING AT HIGH SPEED, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OF MY 2003 MAZDA 3 SHIFTS DOWN FROM THE 4TH TO THE 3RD GEAR. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO JERK VIOLENTLY AND THE CONTROLS TO ILLUMINATE INCLUDING CHECK ENGINE, NO TRACTION AND AT. MY MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE OF THIS, AND HE SERVICED THE TRANSMISSIO…
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TYPICALLY BUT NOT ONLY WHEN TRAVELLING AT HIGH SPEED, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OF MY 2003 MAZDA 3 SHIFTS DOWN FROM THE 4TH TO THE 3RD GEAR. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO JERK VIOLENTLY AND THE CONTROLS TO ILLUMINATE INCLUDING CHECK ENGINE, NO TRACTION AND AT. MY MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE OF THIS, AND HE SERVICED THE TRANSMISSION BY CHANGING THE FILTER AND TRANSMISSION FLUID BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. HE SUGGESTED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REBUILT. HAS ANYONE EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR ISSUE AND IF SO, DID YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT CAUSED IT AND HOW TO FIX IT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTED INTO THIRD GEAR AND THE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAI…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTED INTO THIRD GEAR AND THE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 163,000.
MY CAR IDLES REALLY ROUGH. ONCE I GET CLOSE TO FREEWAY SPEED MY CAR CONSTANTLY SHIFTS GEARS FROM 3 TO 4 TO 3, SO ON. THIS CAUSES MY CAR TO JERK, IT REVS FROM 3,000 TO 1,000 AND EVEYTHING IN BETWEEN. DURING THIS MY BRAKES BECOME PRACTICALLY USELESS, I HAVE TO COMPLETELY PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE IT DECELERATE. AND BRAKING DIS…
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MY CAR IDLES REALLY ROUGH. ONCE I GET CLOSE TO FREEWAY SPEED MY CAR CONSTANTLY SHIFTS GEARS FROM 3 TO 4 TO 3, SO ON. THIS CAUSES MY CAR TO JERK, IT REVS FROM 3,000 TO 1,000 AND EVEYTHING IN BETWEEN. DURING THIS MY BRAKES BECOME PRACTICALLY USELESS, I HAVE TO COMPLETELY PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE IT DECELERATE. AND BRAKING DISTANCES ARE DRASTICALLY INCREASED. IT FURTHER WORRIES ME THAT I DONT HAVE ANY DASH LIGHTS ON SUCH AS CHECK ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, ABS, ETC.
THE ENGINE WAS COLD. I ENTERED THE CAR, STARTED THE ENGINE, SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND THE ENGINE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY, SCREAMING. I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR WITH FULL BRAKING AND SHUT OFF ENGINE. I RESTARTED AND IT WORKED NORMALLY. THIS ALSO HAPPEN ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND THE DEALER COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. HELP!!!! *TR
DURING NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION, WITHOUT WARNING OR INDICATION, THE VEHICLE MASTER CLUTCH CYLINDER PLUNGER CONNECTING FROM THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO THE MASTER CYLINDER IN THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE BROKE AND DISCONNECTED THE LINKAGE BETWEEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL AND THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER THEREBY RENDERING THE CLUTCH SYSTEM INOPERABL…
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DURING NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION, WITHOUT WARNING OR INDICATION, THE VEHICLE MASTER CLUTCH CYLINDER PLUNGER CONNECTING FROM THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO THE MASTER CYLINDER IN THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE BROKE AND DISCONNECTED THE LINKAGE BETWEEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL AND THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER THEREBY RENDERING THE CLUTCH SYSTEM INOPERABLE. THIS CAUSED THE INABILITY TO DISENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION FROM THE DRIVE GEARS AND INTO NEUTRAL, WHICH THEREFORE CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STALL ONCE I SAFELY BRAKED TO A STOP. IN MY SITUATION I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY STOP THE VEHICLE, BUT THIS ISSUE MAY CAUSE A SAFETY ISSUE IF I WERE AT HIGH SPEEDS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT INDEPENDENTLY INTO THIRD GEAR. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.
CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING ,LOST POWER CANT TURN THE WHEEL. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND SUDDENLY A LOUD NOISE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR SHIFTED FROM 4TH TO 3RD WITHOUT LOSING SPEED (EXCEPT FROM ME TAKING MY FOOT OFF OF THE GAS WHEN HEARING THE NOISE) ALL AT THE SAME TIME. MY MECHANIC SAID THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE POINTED TO THE "TURBINE SPEED SENSOR", SO THIS WAS REPLACED WIT…
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I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND SUDDENLY A LOUD NOISE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR SHIFTED FROM 4TH TO 3RD WITHOUT LOSING SPEED (EXCEPT FROM ME TAKING MY FOOT OFF OF THE GAS WHEN HEARING THE NOISE) ALL AT THE SAME TIME. MY MECHANIC SAID THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE POINTED TO THE "TURBINE SPEED SENSOR", SO THIS WAS REPLACED WITHIN 2 DAYS. THE SAME DAY I GOT THE CAR BACK, I DROVE IT ABOUT 30 MILES AND IT DID THE SAME THING AGAIN. NOW MY MECHANIC IS CHECKING INTO THE TRANSMISSION, POSSIBLY CAUSING THE PROBLEM. *TR
CAR WAS IN PARK AND WOULD NOT START. PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. HAPPENED ONE OTHER TIME TOO. THAT TIME I REPOSITIONED THE CAR TO PARK(TOOK IT OUT OF PARK AND PUT IT BACK IN PARK) AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. UPON TALKING TO A MECHANIC I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE "NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH" THAT IS FAULTY AND SHOULD BE REPLACED…
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CAR WAS IN PARK AND WOULD NOT START. PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. HAPPENED ONE OTHER TIME TOO. THAT TIME I REPOSITIONED THE CAR TO PARK(TOOK IT OUT OF PARK AND PUT IT BACK IN PARK) AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. UPON TALKING TO A MECHANIC I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE "NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH" THAT IS FAULTY AND SHOULD BE REPLACED AS THIS PROBLEM WILL ONLY GET WORSE WITH TIME. I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED 2 YRS AGO FROM A DEALER. *TR
Official recalls
121V494000 · Air Bags:frontal
Jul 1, 2021
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2004-2007 Mazda3 vehicles. During air bag deployment, the plastic emblem on the steering wheel air bag module cover may shatter, and project plastic fragments into the vehicle.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Plastic fragments can hit occupants during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the air bag module cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed between August 28, 2021 and October 28, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4921G.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.