2018 Mazda MAZDA3 Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems
- Complaints
- 16about this part
- Share
- 15%of 110 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 16,882miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 16 complaints about the visibility of the 2018 Mazda MAZDA3, 15% of the 110 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 16,882 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“On september 13th, 2018, I was driving out of the state, during a road trip on my way from cannon beach to portland in the state of oregon around 9pm, I was driving my 2018 Mazda 3 on north of highway I-5 when rain began during rush traffic. I had the automatic front wipers on and they began performing their function for about 3 minutes when all of a sudden they went off. Rain got heavier and even after trying to actuate the wiper lever to high speed, the front wipers failed to start working again. …”
NHTSA complaint #11131123, filed 2018-09, 14,580 miles“The rear wiper stopped working during a drive in heavy rain conditions, similarly like it happen to the same vehicle for the front wipers 6 months after I got the vehicle. I tried to schedule an appointment with the dealer but with the pandemic it was not possible. When I went for the actual appointment on march 2021, they told me the vehicle was out of warranty even though it is barely 3 years old, and just for a diagnostic they will charge $160 plus tax. The potential repair would be extra, ranging from a new bcm to a new motor, or both, scaling up to $450 repair bill. …”
NHTSA complaint #11413902, filed 2021-04, 29,850 miles“On 1/25/2019 in the morning I went outside to take my dog out and noticed that the sunroof on my 2018 Mazda 3 was cracked and had a fairly large hole in it. The car had been parked on my street outside my home over night. At first I thought it may have possibly been from someone trying to break into my car. However, upon further investigation I noticed that the glass was actually bubbled up and away from the inside of the car and not inwards. Based on this I was able to rule out someone striking the glass with force from the outside of the car. …”
NHTSA complaint #11172322, filed 2019-01, 2,100 miles“The window wipers stop working all of a sudden when on the interval setting. I have to turn them off and then on again for them to begin working once more. This has happened multiple times, usually after the wipers have swiped once or twice on that setting while driving.”
NHTSA complaint #11217116, filed 2019-05, 2,000 miles“My car's rear backup camera has been having issues for the last several thousand miles. I took the car in for repair, and the Mazda dealership informed me that the wiring for the backup camera has corroded. After searching various online forums, it appears that this issue is pretty common with this generation Mada3. I noticed today that Ford issued a recall for a similar problem with Mustangs.”
NHTSA complaint #11453738, filed 2022-02Related recalls
- 19V272000Apr 4, 2019Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Mazda3 vehicles. A defective windshield wiper relay may cause the windshield wipers to…Covers: Mazda MAZDA3 2016–2018
Related service bulletins
- 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.
- 10240431Jul 27, 2023Some vehicles may exhibit a distorted image or no image from the rear mount camera when shifted into reverse. Due to friction, the coating of camera socket terminals may wear…
- 10240427Jul 19, 2023Be advised that TSB "09-031/20 - REAR MOUNT CAMERA IMAGE NOT CLEAR/NO IMAGE ON SCREEN" is no longer valid and has been superseded by "RECALL 6023G - 2014-2018 MAZDA3 AND…
- 10233704Mar 1, 2023Some customers may report an odor or water in the HVAC system and upon inspection, the cabin air filter may be found to be wet.
- 10232304Feb 9, 2023Some customers may experience one or more electrical malfunctions after a vehicle body repair. The newly painted fender stay (2) may be causing a poor front harness (1) ground…
- 10198691Jun 7, 2021Some 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.
- 10198574Jun 1, 2021Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building. This may be caused by the suns reflection. If a building creates enough of a curve with…
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors): other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 17% |
| 2022 | 1 | 4% |
| 2020 | 1 | 3% |
| 2019 | 8 | 11% |
| 2018 | 16 | 15% |
| 2017 | 5 | 6% |
| 2016 | 7 | 7% |
| 2015 | 6 | 5% |
| 2014 | 5 | 4% |
| 2013 | 3 | 3% |
| 2012 | 9 | 4% |
| 2011 | 8 | 6% |
| 2010 | 109 | 16% |
| 2009 | 2 | 2% |
| 2008 | 15 | 5% |
| 2007 | 3 | 1% |
| 2006 | 1 | 1% |
| 2005 | 3 | 3% |
| 2004 | 2 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2018 Mazda MAZDA3
30 complaintsOther or unknown
26 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
16 complaintsEngine
12 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsBrakes
6 complaintsForward collision avoidance
5 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
5 complaintsLane departure
4 complaintsEngine cooling
2 complaintsSteering
2 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2018 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