2010 Mazda MAZDA3 Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 31about this part
- Share
- 5%of 686 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 51,200miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 31 complaints about the steering of the 2010 Mazda MAZDA3, 5% of the 686 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 51,200 miles. 5 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving home in a city street, at a speed of about 30mph. Suddenly, while on a curve, I lost power steering! The steering wheel became very rigid and the car almost impossible to control. I was able to avoid a collision by sheer arm strength. I never regained power steering.”
NHTSA complaint #10702482, filed 2015-03, 120,000 miles“My daughter recently purchased a used 2010 Mazda 3. In the last 3 weeks her power steering light illuminates intermittently and her power steering then does not work. The majority of the time the car is stationary and she has noticed if she turns the car off and restarts it several times her power steering starts to work again. The vehicle is very hard to control when this happens while driving and I am very concerned with this because she weights 80 lbs. …”
NHTSA complaint #10959701, filed 2017-03, 67,000 miles“We purchased a 2010 MAZDA3 in 2017. Right after purchasing this vehicle started having power steering issues. The car would loose power steering interminetly so the repair shops were not able to diagnose the problem. My daughter had moved to washinton state and after living there a couple of months the power steering pump failed. We had the car towed to a repair shop and they confirmed it was the power steering pump. This repair was very expensive with the pump alone being around $1000 totaling $1500 after being installed. …”
NHTSA complaint #11265282, filed 2019-09, 103,000 miles“My power steering suddenly gave out while driving on a city street. It is no longer working. I was told by a mechanic that the power steering hydraulic pump needed to be replaced. It was replaced but the power steering is still not functioning. It's exactly the same. There was and is no light lit up on my dashboard indicating a power steering failure; yet the power steering is not working at all. The car must be steered with manual force/muscle, especially when driving slowly or when stopped.”
NHTSA complaint #10907524, filed 2016-09, 65,000 miles“I was driving on a standard 40 MPH busy street when I turned a corner and my power steering completely failed, I narrowly missed hitting a pole. I took it into a Mazda dealership in hopes that it would be honored in the MAZDA3 2009 recall or perhaps it could be honored in a warranty, but was told no. I filed an official complaint with Mazda but was further denied, they would not help me in any way reconcile the $1200 cost of the repair nor would they issue another recall. …”
NHTSA complaint #10637562, filed 2014-09, 46,199 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10251387Feb 12, 2024Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as…
- 10208556Feb 23, 2022Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as…
- 10186693Jan 21, 2021Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as…
- 10153318Jan 23, 2019Some customers may complain that the steering wheel is off center more than 3° even when driving straight on a flat road.
- 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…
- 10142519May 8, 2018Some customers may complain that the steering wheel is off center more than 3° even when driving straight on a flat road.
- 10185904Mar 7, 2016Some customers may complain that the steering wheel is off center more than 3" even when driving straight on a flat road.
- 10101062Mar 7, 2016Some customers may complain that the steering wheel is off center more than 3° even when driving straight on a flat road.
- 10090812Mar 7, 2016Some customers may complain that the steering wheel is off center more than 3° even when driving straight on a flat road.
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 8% |
| 2021 | 1 | 2% |
| 2020 | 3 | 9% |
| 2019 | 3 | 4% |
| 2018 | 2 | 2% |
| 2017 | 2 | 2% |
| 2016 | 3 | 3% |
| 2015 | 3 | 2% |
| 2014 | 3 | 2% |
| 2013 | 9 | 8% |
| 2012 | 15 | 7% |
| 2011 | 13 | 10% |
| 2010 | 31 | 5% |
| 2009 | 35 | 30% |
| 2008 | 117 | 39% |
| 2007 | 89 | 40% |
| 2006 | 28 | 17% |
| 2005 | 15 | 15% |
| 2004 | 19 | 13% |
Other parts of the 2010 Mazda MAZDA3
169 complaintsOther or unknown
135 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
109 complaintsSeats
106 complaintsWheels
54 complaintsElectrical system
50 complaintsTires
48 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
40 complaintsBrakes
38 complaintsAir bags
26 complaintsExterior lighting
23 complaintsEngine
22 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2010 Mazda MAZDA3
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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