Skip to content
BrakesPart report

2013 Mazda MAZDA3 Brakes Problems

Complaints
15about this part
Share
13%of 117 total for the year
Median mileage
49,500miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 15 complaints about the brakes of the 2013 Mazda MAZDA3, 13% of the 117 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 49,500 miles. 2 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.

“Headlights flicker while applying brakes. Problem occurs only when the car is in motion. Sometimes cars think I am flashing my lights at them so they will turn their bright lights on. Once I almost drove off the side of a winding road because when the flickering lights bounced off of the guard rail reflectors, it was disorienting”

NHTSA complaint #11020491, filed 2017-08, 50,000 miles

“Driving down the street at 15 MPH, the car in front of myself had slowed down and stopped at a light. When I seen she was stopping, I pressed down my brakes so I would stop but the brake peddle pushed all the way to the floor. My car didn't stop. From this I had rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. After the accident, the brakes were tested again and resulted in the peddle still being pushed down to the floor.”

NHTSA complaint #10577885, filed 2014-04, 26,081 miles

“When braking or decelerating, the headlights pulse. It looks like we're signaling other drivers at night (although who knows what we're supposedly saying) and it is a serious hazard. This was particularly a problem heading down a mountain at night during a winter storm to have our visibility go in and out. There is already a notice out according to our mechanic, but we received nothing from Mazda and are being charged to reprogram the computer that is supposedly causing the problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10926540, filed 2016-11, 73,000 miles

“7/26/15 6:15 pm I went to a family friend's house. I pulled up into his main driveway, turned to the left to a dirt drive way it had about a 3% grade incline. I pulled my e break, put into 1st gear and turned off my car and got out, got my daughter out of the car and walked up to the house with my wife and daughter. With the intent to only stay at our friends house for about 15 mins. We were outside chatting at our friends house about 15 mins and looking to head out when my wife yells for my attention! …”

NHTSA complaint #10743946, filed 2015-07, 54,000 miles

“While driving the vehicle the pressure on the break pedal got very low. I had to push the pedal all the way down to slow down the vehicle. I took the vehicle to a nearby Mazda dealership. After a couple of days they told me that there was nothing wrong with the breaks per say (pads, rotors, etc,), but that the ABS hydraulic and the master cylinder had both failed causing the lack of pressure on the break pedal. The technician told me this was quite unusual and that had never seen that before on a Mazda particularly with only 52,000 miles. He told me the car was dangerous to drive. …”

NHTSA complaint #11140696, filed 2018-10, 52,700 miles

Related service bulletins

Brakes: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202418%
2023217%
202159%
202039%
20191520%
201865%
201778%
20161817%
20152822%
20142619%
20131513%
2012146%
201143%
2010386%
200987%
2008227%
2007178%
2006148%
200566%
20042819%

Other parts of the 2013 Mazda MAZDA3

Exterior lighting
36 complaintsElectrical system
32 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
18 complaintsEngine
11 complaintsBody and structure
11 complaintsOther or unknown
10 complaintsSeats
9 complaintsSteering
9 complaintsAir bags
7 complaintsSeat belts
6 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaintsElectronic stability control
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 Mazda MAZDA3

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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