2004 Mazda MAZDA3 Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 8about this part
- Share
- 6%of 145 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 115,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the body and structure of the 2004 Mazda MAZDA3, 6% of the 145 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 115,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“On 4/17/08 my wife happened to be following me and she called me on my cell phone and said it appears you have something hanging under your car. I immediately pulled over and it was the splash shield again. Three of the front bolts were missing but four other bolts, two on each side,were still attached, so it was just the center that was bowing downward. I made an appointment immediately and the car was serviced on 4/18/08. Originally the dealer was going to charge me for the splash shield. He said it appears something struck the part. …”
NHTSA complaint #10224946, filed 2008-04, 59,151 miles“I have a 04 Mazda 3 w/ automatic trans / driving into parking lot heard a loud noise , car quit moving , driver side axle was hanging / the engine had almost drop to the floor , vehicle was towed to a shop , they found out that the bracket which holds transaxle / engine , on driver side had broken !! …”
NHTSA complaint #10332666, filed 2010-05, 137,671 miles“2004 Mazda 3. Purchased car used in march 2007. Per owner service records, motor mount #3 failed and in 11/2006, per service bulletin, and warranty, local dealer performed partial engine replacement, including rubber on mount #3. No problems with car leading up to incident, regular maintenance performed during ownership 2007 - current. Car used primarily to and from work, approx. 12k per year driven. On 8/29, car just stopped, motor and transmission fell out of casing, car crashed on hwy 9. Towed to Mazda dealership. Initial estimate of repair $990 approx. Estimate revised to $3500 approx. …”
NHTSA complaint #10422904, filed 2011-09, 100,000 miles“There has been no accident- the vehicle is my mother in laws vehicle- my concern is while at work she has at times loaded our daughter into the vehicle- I inspected the vehicle one day while as an employee of Les Schwab- the driver cvc axle vibrates so bad from the boot being torn and having no lubrication- these axles power the vehicle forward and if not maintained can snap and cause damage- the wipers no longer work correctly- the tires are 2017 and old and weather cracked- potential to separate while driving or blow out on the heated pavement. …”
NHTSA complaint #11538237, filed 2023-08“I bought a car recently, and it had some rust on both rear wheel wells in the same exact spots. I have a 2004 Mazda 3i and I took it to about 4 body shops to have it worked on. I got prices ranging from 1000.00 dollars to 2500.00 dollars to fix the rust. All of these body shops said they have had at least one other person with the same car and the same complaint as I did. Mazda needs to figure out what the problem is. I can not afford to pay 1000 dollars to get my car fixed. Mazda needs to take responsibility and fix it.”
NHTSA complaint #10407303, filed 2011-06Related service bulletins
- 11022742Aug 22, 2025Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage such (melted, separating, etc.) when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's…
- 11007022Aug 15, 2024Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage such (melted, separating, etc.) when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's…
- 10243569Sep 13, 2023Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection.
- 10240496Jul 6, 2023Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection.
- 10225724Oct 17, 2022Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection.
- 10208567Feb 10, 2022Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection.
- 10154139Dec 11, 2018If a vehicle has body vibration or steering wheel shimmy while driving and the root cause is determined to be tire balance, re-balance the tires using a Hunter GSP9700 or…
- 10148068Oct 10, 2018When encountering a vehicle with paint damage, refer to the "Mazda Pocket Paint Guide" to determine cause, prevention, remedy, and warranty coverage (if applicable). Copies of…
- 10134702Mar 22, 2018When encountering a vehicle with paint damage, refer to the "Mazda Pocket Paint Guide" to determine cause, prevention, remedy, and warranty coverage (if applicable).
- 10213399Feb 26, 2016Brake noise, judder and dragging diagnosis and servicing
Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 17% |
| 2023 | 1 | 8% |
| 2022 | 2 | 8% |
| 2021 | 2 | 4% |
| 2020 | 1 | 3% |
| 2019 | 5 | 7% |
| 2018 | 2 | 2% |
| 2017 | 4 | 5% |
| 2016 | 4 | 4% |
| 2015 | 6 | 5% |
| 2013 | 11 | 9% |
| 2012 | 17 | 8% |
| 2011 | 13 | 10% |
| 2010 | 169 | 25% |
| 2009 | 4 | 3% |
| 2008 | 8 | 3% |
| 2007 | 9 | 4% |
| 2006 | 12 | 7% |
| 2005 | 2 | 2% |
| 2004 | 8 | 6% |
Other parts of the 2004 Mazda MAZDA3
28 complaintsAir bags
25 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
24 complaintsSteering
19 complaintsEngine cooling
17 complaintsTires
9 complaintsElectrical system
8 complaintsExterior lighting
8 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsEquipment
5 complaintsEngine
4 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Mazda MAZDA3
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology