IllustrationTHE "FACTORY SPEC" NEGATIVE CAMBER SETTINGS ON THE MAZDA 3 CAUSED MY TIRES TO PREMATURELY WEAR ON THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD EVEN WITH REGULAR TIRE ROTATIONS. BY THE TIME I HAD 30,000 MILES ON THE FACTORY TOYO TIRES THE INSIDE TREAD WAS COMPLETELY BALD. *TR
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
Suspension complaints
14 reports2006 MAZDA 3 ALIGNMENT ISSUE RUINING NEW TIRES. NOW MAZDA CLAIMS I NEED A $900 FRONT ALIGNMENT REPAIR, BUT CAN'T EXPLAIN WHY????? I'VE GONE THROUGH 2 SETS OF TIRES IN 50,000 MILES??? *TR
BOUGHT A MAZDA 3 2006. AT AROUND 17,000 MILES I BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES. AFTER COMPLAINING SEVERAL TIMES TO THE DEALER, I WAS REFERRED TO THE TOYO DEALERS TO ADDRESS THE WARRANTY. I RAN INTO MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THEM IN HONORING THE WARRANTY AND ENDED UP BUYING 4 NEW FIRESTONE TIRES AT 21,000 MILES. AGAIN AT ARO…
Read full complaint
BOUGHT A MAZDA 3 2006. AT AROUND 17,000 MILES I BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES. AFTER COMPLAINING SEVERAL TIMES TO THE DEALER, I WAS REFERRED TO THE TOYO DEALERS TO ADDRESS THE WARRANTY. I RAN INTO MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THEM IN HONORING THE WARRANTY AND ENDED UP BUYING 4 NEW FIRESTONE TIRES AT 21,000 MILES. AGAIN AT AROUND 20,000 MILES, I BEGAN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. I HAD THE TIRES ALIGNED, ROTATED AND BALANCED EVERY 3,000-6,000 MILES AND NOTHING IMPROVED THE WEAR OF THE TIRES. NEITHER THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP NOR THE MAIN MAZDA OFFICES WERE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM OR FIND A SOLUTION. I FINALLY TRADED THE CAR IN 2008 AND DON?T PLAN TO EVER BUY ANOTHER MAZDA IN MY LIFE. I HAVE READ BLOGS ON BOTH THE MAZDA 3 AND MAZDA 6 WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. UNLESS ONE IS RICH AND CAN AFFORD TIRES EVERY 17,000 MILES, IT IS NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE YOU INCUR. YOU WILL BE ZOOM ZOOMING EVERY 17,000 MILES TO A TIRE STORE. *TR
2006 MAZDA 3 FRONT TIRES RUB AND WEAR UNEVEN. THE CAR CUT A DEEP GOUGE ON THE INSIDE OF EACH FRONT TIRE. *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.