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mazda reliability

17K views 82 replies 44 participants last post by  Shocker 
#1 ·
I'm seriously thinking about purchasing a Mazda3 (used, < 15k miles), but I was concerned primarily about reliability...

I know Toyotas are known for their long lasting quality and reliabily..how does Mazda fair? Would later mileages have lots of problems and things that, assuming the car is taken care of and things like that. I mean like anything..mechanical breakdowns, I've tried researching. bu tyou know, american cars are notorious and I know friends whos cars are already falling apart and they only have about 30-40k miles on them.

I'm deciding between a 3 or a corolla, though I like the 3 so much better
 
#52 ·
My last car being a Ford Focus has been more reliable than my 3. A 2001 to boot! Yes I said Ford Focus. With that car I only had tsbs that were done without any kind of problem or hesitation from Ford. With Mazda they want to keep your car to "verify" the concern. Being I have only one car and them wanting to keep it 2 or 3 days for them to verify the concern is insane. Every tsb I have had done with Mazda it has resulted in that situation. It isnt just the dealer either. I have been to 3 different ones. Same results. Its Mazda. On my 3 they have replaced the power junction box and brake master cylinder. This happened at 9k with both items. Once again my Focus never had any problems like this accept having to get the tsbs done. It was always reliable for me and overall a great car. With the Mazda. Im hoping this stuff is a fluke. But, im not holding my breath.
 
#55 ·
How about this news article from the UK:

Mazda claims top place in reliability survey
Posted 2 days 7 hours ago under: News, Mazda
Mazda claims top place in reliability survey
Mazda vehicles have claimed the top place in one of the world’s largest ever studies into car reliability. Almost 92 per cent of the Mazda cars surveyed, aged between three and nine years old, suffered no mechanical failure of any type – outperforming all other brands. The study, which was conducted by independent automotive warranty specialists, Warranty Direct, looked at the reliability of more than 450,000 vehicles, from 33 manufacturers, across the UK and USA. The resulting ‘Reliability League Table’ shows the number of failures reported for every 100 vehicles covered by its warranty policies.

Mazda was rated number one with a failure rate of just 8.04 per cent of all vehicles aged between three and nine years old. At the opposite extreme, famous 4x4 brands Land Rover and Jeep scored 44.21 and 46.35 per cent failure rates to fill the last two places in the survey.

“Mazda has been justifiably proud of both the build-quality and long-term reliability of its vehicles for many years,” commented Rob Lindley, managing director of Mazda Motors UK.

“This new survey clearly endorses our own views and confirms that Mazda reliability is not just very good – it’s the very best. To beat such global quality icon brands as Toyota, Honda, Porsche, BMW and Audi is a fine achievement.

“Over the last decade, loyal buyers of the Mazda MX-5 sports car have become familiar with our renowned build quality. In 2002, Mazda kick-started the change in perception of its brand with the first Zoom-Zoom product – the hugely popular Mazda6 – adding style and excitement without any loss of quality or reliability.

“Over the past five years Mazda has grown sales in the UK more than any other car brand – perhaps this has something to do with our legendary reliability. Today we market a completely renewed product line-up and passed the 50,000 sales mark for the first time in 2006. Now, one in every five sports cars sold in the UK is a Mazda, while our Mazda6 and Mazda3 ranges are immensely popular – an achievement underscored by the highest levels of reliability which ensures enjoyable and painless vehicle ownership.”

Warranty DIRECT ‘Reliability League Table’ 2007

TOP 10 RESULTS

Manufacturer / Incidence Rate %*

1 Mazda 8.04

2 Honda 8.90

3 Toyota 15.78

4 Mitsubishi 17.04

5 Kia 17.39

6 Subaru 18.46

7 Nissan 18.86

8 Lexus 20.05

9 Mini 21.90

10 Citroën 25.98

* Number of mechanical failures reported by policy holders for every 100 vehicles aged between three and nine years old.

Source: Warranty Direct
 
#56 ·

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#57 ·
whoever ranked mazda as reliable as bmw, audi, and mercedes is on crack. honda and toyota are without a doubt tier one reliability, and i would put mazda second.

"reliability" is a tricky concept. most reliability is just a peace of mind from a reputation a car company has. no company is immune from lemons, nor an overall bad design in a car. mazda overhauled their entire company a few years ago, so you cant really use previous mazda as a benchmark for reliability.

theres a lto more than just reading rankigns of reliability. the mazda3 is at most, 4 years old. its impossible to have a long term reliability test. you need to also look at the separate components that make up the 3. thankfully, this car is made up of a medley of parts sourced from other cars. take a look at how those fare, and itll help with the blurry picture we all try to decipher.

the motor is a duratec engine, fords "world" engine. the platform is C1, shared with the euro focus, and volvo s40. suspension is shared with the euro focus i hink. thats all off the top of my head. hope this helped. a car isnt just a car. its made up of many pieces, and if a particular piece is faulty somewhere else, chances are that same piece will turn up faulty in our car.
 
#58 ·
Id consider also that a bunch of the euro cars have mostly electrical type gremlins that plague them... for example, our bmw's turn signal lights would appear to burn out every 6 months... actually, they just arc and need to be sanded a bit to work again... its also had some minor fuse stuff... but i think a bunch of the surveys include these vehicles in w/ the rest that actually have something serious go wrong w/ them... possibly cuz people who buy these cars dont know how to fix them and just want them to work... or they have enough money to pay for the dealership (thats alot of money) to fix it or what... i dunno, just something to consider. Same thing applies to Mazda, are they counting the people that go in to fix their glovebox rattle in w/ the number of damaged cars per some number of total cars? That can be fixed w/ a piece of tape... not the same as having to replace a tranny.
 
G
#59 ·
[quote author=teamsc10190 link=topic=15282.msg1171351#msg1171351 date=1169876462]

Warranty DIRECT ‘Reliability League Table’ 2007

TOP 10 RESULTS

Manufacturer / Incidence Rate %*

1 Mazda 8.04

2 Honda 8.90

3 Toyota 15.78

4 Mitsubishi 17.04

5 Kia 17.39

6 Subaru 18.46

7 Nissan 18.86

8 Lexus 20.05

9 Mini 21.90

10 Citroën 25.98

* Number of mechanical failures reported by policy holders for every 100 vehicles aged between three and nine years old.

Source: Warranty Direct
[/quote]

This type of statistical result is virtually meaningless!

For example,
Who buys warranty's from Warranty Direct!
Me, for my wifes GM Minivan because I know it will need it!
Do I buy one from my Toyota Camry, no, doesnt need a extended warranty.

Will I buy one for my 06 Mazda 3i before its original Warranty expires,
YES!

Big point to make is that warranties cost good money younger car owners
who buy inexpensive cars cannot afford them.
The data sample, IE, the small percentage of more well to do car owners who buy Warranty Directs warranties is not a good sample of car owners statistically.

pete
 
#61 ·
[quote author=KoRn link=topic=15282.msg1166068#msg1166068 date=1169615297]
My last car being a Ford Focus has been more reliable than my 3. A 2001 to boot! Yes I said Ford Focus. With that car I only had tsbs that were done without any kind of problem or hesitation from Ford. With Mazda they want to keep your car to "verify" the concern. Being I have only one car and them wanting to keep it 2 or 3 days for them to verify the concern is insane. Every tsb I have had done with Mazda it has resulted in that situation. It isnt just the dealer either. I have been to 3 different ones. Same results. Its Mazda. On my 3 they have replaced the power junction box and brake master cylinder. This happened at 9k with both items. Once again my Focus never had any problems like this accept having to get the tsbs done. It was always reliable for me and overall a great car. With the Mazda. Im hoping this stuff is a fluke. But, im not holding my breath.
[/quote]

You know, I'm going to have to say I haven't experienced that problem with my Mazda dealership. Maybe you've been to more than one... but not everyone is going to be buying Mazda's from the dealerships in your area/state. The last TSB I had fixed (I've only had the one in 53,000 miles), they verified the issue - immediately - and told me I would get a call when the parts come in. 3 days later, I got a call and setup an appointment for my next day off. I went in, turned in my keys, plopped down on a leather recliner and watched the Discovery channel on the 42" LCD. After helping myself to some free cappuccinos, a tech came out to let me know I was ready to go. I signed my paperwork, picked up my keys and got my car - which was detailed at no charge to me.

That's service. Middletown Mazda!
 
#63 ·
Some UK reliability reports (for cars between 3-10 years old, so no mazda3 or mazda6 here):

UK TOP 10 reliability index by brand:

Rank Car Make Index Rating

1 SKODA 50.59
2 MAZDA 52.74
3 HONDA 61.24
4 SUZUKI 61.9
5 FORD 78.68
6 LEXUS 82.59
7 HYUNDAI 84.15
8 BMW 84.95
9 VOLKSWAGEN 85.92
10 SEAT 89.22

what does the rating mean:
The UK Reliability index takes into account all factors of a repair, the cost of the parts and the frequency of failures - The Average of all cars is 112 which means that if the figure for the car you are looking at has a higher than average index (118) it indicates that that car is less reliable than the average, if however there is a lower than average index (60) the reliability is better.

Separately to this figure you can also look at the average cost of repairs for a particular make or model, a car with a good reliability index and a high average cost would imply that the frequency of failure is low, however when it does fail the bill will be a lot more than the average. Toyota, for example, has a high average cost of repair but quite a good index rating - which means that the car fails infrequently but when it does you will be in for a larger than average bill. Overall however, Toyota is a very strong make of car to buy.


refference: http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/top10.html?apc=3128339010848601

and in per car reliability, in top 100 individual cars, mazda has: position 3 - mx5, position 12 - 626, position 18 - 323...
refference: http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/tophundred.html?apc=3128339010848601

So I think you have no reasons to worry about the car...

updated with the us cars (values meaning chances to fail):
ACURA 33.29%
AUDI 30.78%
BMW 36.79%
BUICK 26.89%
CADILLAC 40.20%
CHEVROLET 25.34%
CHRYSLER 28.28%
DAEWOO 19.18%
DODGE 26.47%
EAGLE 23.06%
FORD 26.11%
GMC 28.69%
HONDA 25.07%
HYUNDAI 14.87%
INFINITI 36.93%
ISUZU 21.73%
JAGUAR 57.84%
JEEP 27.74%
KIA 17.39%

LAND ROVER 22.89%
LEXUS 39.25%
LINCOLN 32.59%
MAZDA 21.20%
MERCEDES BENZ 36.23%
MERCURY 26.11%
MITSUBISHI 16.80%
NISSAN 29.37%
OLDSMOBILE 26.20%
PLYMOUTH 22.99%
PONTIAC 27.45%
PORSCHE 41.48%
SAAB 37.23%
SATURN 31.11%
SUBARU 21.83%
SUZUKI 22.35%
TOYOTA 24.05%
VOLKSWAGEN 24.29%
VOLVO 42.76%

refference: http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/m...8339010848601&country=usa&searchtype=relindex
 
#64 ·
[quote author=gallax link=topic=15282.msg1180903#msg1180903 date=1170352400]
So I think you have no reasons to worry about the car... [/quote]

I do...intermittent engine stalling, poor fuel mileage, intermittent rough idle, intermittent surging (movement) of the vehicle while at a stop. Just a few common complaints about the Mazda3 with no known fix that seems to plague all years including 2007's. Of course, not everyone may experience all or any of the above, but many do.
 
#65 ·
[quote author=El Cheapo link=topic=15282.msg1182092#msg1182092 date=1170384072]
[quote author=gallax link=topic=15282.msg1180903#msg1180903 date=1170352400]
So I think you have no reasons to worry about the car... [/quote]

I do...intermittent engine stalling, poor fuel mileage, intermittent rough idle, intermittent surging (movement) of the vehicle while at a stop. Just a few common complaints about the Mazda3 with no known fix that seems to plague all years including 2007's. Of course, not everyone may experience all or any of the above, but many do.
[/quote]
Hi,
I've NEVER seen an auto forum without complaints... starting from "i get water in the car when it rains" and ending with cracked windshields due to body frame twisting.
Usually all mazda's "usual problems" do not show up after year 3 or require a costly fix... and I can say that most ARE in the owner's head... Just raising the bar to high... Afterall, mazda is a really cheap japanese car. Or if you talk about the "s" series, is a very expensive version of a very cheap car...
Regards,
gallax
 
#66 ·
[quote author=gallax link=topic=15282.msg1182530#msg1182530 date=1170403220]
[quote author=El Cheapo link=topic=15282.msg1182092#msg1182092 date=1170384072]
[quote author=gallax link=topic=15282.msg1180903#msg1180903 date=1170352400]
So I think you have no reasons to worry about the car... [/quote]

I do...intermittent engine stalling, poor fuel mileage, intermittent rough idle, intermittent surging (movement) of the vehicle while at a stop. Just a few common complaints about the Mazda3 with no known fix that seems to plague all years including 2007's. Of course, not everyone may experience all or any of the above, but many do.
[/quote]
Hi,
I've NEVER seen an auto forum without complaints... starting from "i get water in the car when it rains" and ending with cracked windshields due to body frame twisting.
Usually all mazda's "usual problems" do not show up after year 3 or require a costly fix... and I can say that most ARE in the owner's head... Just raising the bar to high... Afterall, mazda is a really cheap japanese car. Or if you talk about the "s" series, is a very expensive version of a very cheap car...
Regards,
gallax
[/quote]

This is a topic I've posted about ad nauseam. That being said, I assure you that the vast majority of complaints (which are mostly about poor fuel economy) are not just in "somebody's" head! Although, that phenomenon is not unique to Mazda3's. It's also a problem with the latest generation Honda Civic. Regardless of how "cheap" a car is, it's supposed to function within a set of parameters. When the car's "performance" deviates from that range of parameters, it suggests that something is wrong with the automobile. If that issue doesn't show up via a diagnostic tool, dealerships are not going to take a chance making a warranty repair that isn't necessary... because then they're out that money. ...so the problem stays a problem. Since automotive technicians are pretty much not allowed to troubleshoot past what the engine computer tells them (unless you pay them out of pocket to do so), you're shit outta luck. Of course, there's always the possibility that you have a technician that can't troubleshoot past the computer because he doesn't know how. I wonder how many dealership "mechanics" fall under that category.
 
#67 ·
[quote author=MetalCord link=topic=15282.msg1182805#msg1182805 date=1170431078]
Since automotive technicians are pretty much not allowed to troubleshoot past what the engine computer tells them (unless you pay them out of pocket to do so), you're shit outta luck. Of course, there's always the possibility that you have a technician that can't troubleshoot past the computer because he doesn't know how. I wonder how many dealership "mechanics" fall under that category
[/quote]

At one Mazda Dealership, I was at the counter waiting to pick up my car. I heard what I assumed was a new, but seasoned technciain tell the service advisor/manager that he noticed a problem with the car he was working on, but the customer did not make a complaint. The technician wanted to repair the problem under warranty. The manager said, he can't because the customer never complained.
 
#68 ·
I bought my 1996 Miata M Edition in 1999 and drive it the way it was meant to be driven; sideways around corners. I go through a set of tires about every 20,000 miles, and have no issues. The only thing I have had to change is the speakers, but that is understandable. I now have 120k+ miles on it and it still has the original clutch. Hell, the stereo still plays CD's ad tapes like it was new. My brother had his 1995 MX-6 until about 2 years ago, and he never had any problems with it. All in all, I am glad my wife picked the Mazda 3 over the other cars she was looking at (Nissan was #2), and I look forward to many years of happy motoring.
 
#69 ·
Not sure about overall Mazda reliability, but I hear Miatas run and last a long time. Although 3's reliability seems to be good, my 04 Mazda3 has had some issues, like bad motor mount, fuel pump issues, and rough idle/stalling.

It's somewhat disappointing that I have to make trips to dealer. However, I've driven almost all econo-level cars out on market as loaners. 3 is in another league in terms of overall refinement and driving feel, so this makes me appreciate my car, regardless of the issues I had so far.
 
#70 ·
I'm not really sure why you guys/girls are discussing this topic so thoroughly.
My opinion is this and I'm sticking to it: Reliability of the car MOSTLY depends on the user/driver. If you take the time to read the manual for the car, do regular maintenances, change oil, brake pads, rotors, add fluids and GENERALLY do what the manual tells you to do at various mileages of the car, your car SHOULD be fine for a long time. And that includes abusing the car. And I'm not talking about accelerating faster than usual one or two days a week because you're late for work. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN BY ABUSING IT. Don't play dumb, we've all done it.

With that said, my history is short, in 2001 i bought a Civic LX manual with normal 3year36Kmile warranty. Since then my power steering pump died twice, clutch squeek has been "fixed" about 12 times and its still squeeking, seat is rocking, stick shift cable replaced because it got stuck to some cylinder and I couldn't shift into 3rd or 5th, 2 new struts and both front ball bearings replaced. Computer had to be replaced because the car would randomly die when in neutral or with clutch depressed. I got 92K on it now and I'm actually happy i got this far. Conclusion? Make your own.

My wife and I recently bought her a pearl white Touring hatch auto. 500 miles on it now, and hopefully it'll last her a long time. Do i really care how reliable it will be? Not really, we've got 6year/100mile factory warranty and if anything goes, well, we'll just take it to service and get it fixed for free. JUST LIKE MY HONDA, BUT FOR 3 YEARS LONGER.
 
#71 ·
[quote author=jan3sobieski link=topic=15282.msg1300041#msg1300041 date=1175213755]
I'm not really sure why you guys/girls are discussing this topic so thoroughly.
My opinion is this and I'm sticking to it: Reliability of the car MOSTLY depends on the user/driver.
[/quote]

While true to a large degree, many are unlucky and that's why MANY states have a "Lemon Law".
 
#72 ·
I put much more stock in the "take good care of your car and it should take care of you" philosophy vs the "pay extra for a longer warranty-just in case" philosophy.

In my experience new car warranties are only as good as the dealerships who are responsible for administering them...and paying extra for an extended warranty is a poor gamble in more ways than one.

1) if nothing goes wrong during the extended warranty period what could be considered simple good luck just means your s.o.l..and out of pocket as far as the warranty was concerned.

or

2) if something does go wrong from what I've seen and heard there are always plenty of "if...then's" written in to give a dealer plenty of excuses to find a way out of having to honor the warranty.

Extended warranties are nothing more than another form of insurance and like any business, insurance companies (and dealerships/companies offering warranties) can only stay in business by consistently turning a profit. This means the rates they charge are very carefully determined so the odds will always be in their favor to make sure total payouts will be significantly less than gross income taken in. However, unlike property and casualty insurance vehicle warranties are not subject to losses caused by unpredictible acts of god-or nature....and are also far less likely to be subject incurring losses caused by the stupidity or actions of others-except of course those of the owner.

I prefer to invest my money and take my chances without spending $ on an warranties. In 32 years of driving I've yet to experience a situation with any of my vehicles where an extended warranty would have paid off in the long run.
 
#73 ·
Mazda extended warranties are, I believe the exception. The warranty is with Mazda directly. In addition, if you sell your car before or after the warranty expires, you r resale value will be more than without an extended warranty, all things being equal. Buying an extended warranty from Mazda is an individual choice. I dont think it's right or wrong if you choose to buy one .
 
#74 ·
[quote author=El Cheapo link=topic=15282.msg1301791#msg1301791 date=1175283387]
Mazda extended warranties are, I believe the exception. The warranty is with Mazda directly. In addition, if you sell your car before or after the warranty expires, you r resale value will be more than without an extended warranty, all things being equal. Buying an extended warranty from Mazda is an individual choice. I dont think it's right or wrong if you choose to buy one .
[/quote]
I stand by my position...any warranty is a gamble. As far as improving resale value, as with a lot of things this could depend on the purchaser's perspective. Owners who took excellent care of the finish, interior and mechanical aspects of their car would make a much more favorable impression on me and would have a far better chance of convincing me to buy and to pay more than would the inclusion of an extended warranty with a car that otherwise appeared to be in "average" condition for the age and miles. But that's just me...

However, I agree it's an individual choice. Someone who tends to be very hard on a car, and/or who doesn't maintain or take good care of their cars probably has a better chance of having an the purchase of extended warranty to pay off in the long run vs someone like me who tends to take very good care and maintains their cars, had sufficient knowlege to allow them to handle all scheduled maintenance and most repairs on their own.

You don't have to spend much time on this forum before realizing there are plenty of owners who have experienced a issues ranging widey from very minor to major with their cars even while they were still covered by the new car warranty, yet have unsuccessful at getting the dealership to fix the problems. Paying more for an extended warranty certainly wouldn't have helped any of these owners.

Again, if dealers didn't make money from selling extended warranties they wouldn't be so anxious to sell one to every purchaser. Owners who realize little or no benefit from the purchase of extended warranties BY FAR outnumber those who do.

Guess I'm an optomist, but I prefer to gamble on the the odds of not having significant problems with my new car until it has high miles and long after factory warranty has run out. If I see signs that there could be problems developing with my car before the factory warranty runs out I'd choose to sell it beforehand vs pay extra for an extended warranty.
 
#75 ·
[quote author=CDTMAZDA3 link=topic=15282.msg1302100#msg1302100 date=1175293900]Guess I'm an optomist, but I prefer to gamble on the the odds of not having significant problems with my new car until it has high miles and long after factory warranty has run out. If I see signs that there could be problems developing with my car before the factory warranty runs out I'd choose to sell it beforehand vs pay extra for an extended warranty.
[/quote]

No one is asking you to change your opinion. It's your right to have one. Keep in mind one thing though: The definition of a pessimist is an optimist, with many years of experience! :p

I have had situations where an extended warranty saved me lots of money. All it takes is one tranny job to pay for itself if it fails or is problematic after the warranty expires. Unfortunately, for many people when they make one of the biggest investments in their life, next to purchasing a home, they are unable to simply sell their car and buy another [new] one and get into debt again. If one is a shadetree mechanic and is willing and able to work on their car then there probaby is no need for an extended warranty.

When considering an extended, you have to look at who is it with, is it with the manufacturer or some other company that can go out of business at any time, what are the terms and conditions? is it an extenstion of any existing warranty? is there a deductable, is it transferrable ?

Statistically, an extended warranty is better for the seller, however; each person's situation is different. An extended warranty is like auto insurance. It's there if you need to use it, if you don't that's awesome. But, if you don't have insurance, you cold be screwed.

For you, an extended warranty is a waste of money, that's your choice and your opinion.Everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone has their own perceptions and experiences that they base their experiences on. If it makes people good to be "protected" by having an extended warranty, that's their choice and IMO, quite rationale and reasonable to by a Mazda extended warranty.
 
#76 ·
El Cheapo, it's obvious we agree to disagree. I'm glad that the purchase of an extended warranty has paid off for you in the past...and am also sorry for you that it had to.

Being an accountant I'm regularly involved with the "time value of money" principle and sincerely wish I could turn back the clock so that I might have a 2nd opportunity to elect to invest most of the $$ I spent unnecessarily during my first 15-20 years after high school. If I could do this the number of working years ahead before I could consider retiring would be far less now.For most of those who elect to purchase an extended warranty, if they'd wisely invested the same amounts even a few years down the road they'd far be better off IMO. Some of course may not be, but those would make up a small minority.

If you can remember how much you've spent on warranties over the years I recommend you consider running amortization schedules as if you'd invested the same amounts based on 8-10% annual growth compounded monthly just to see what the results would be years later. I'd be surprised if after just 10 years (a reasonable lifespan for a car) based on the price to purchase just one extended warranty, including finance charges-if applicable, the investment growth would not BY FAR exceed the cost to replace both an engine AND a transmission.Then look at what the same investment could be worth after 15-35 years....

However I do agree that for those who have limited income or poor savings habits the purchase of an extended warranty could represent an insurance policy which they may feel necessary due to their tolerance for risk. However for those same people I'd also say they probably used poor judgement in electing to go deeply into debt just so they might have a NEW car. Even worse would be the decision to add the cost of an extended warranty (that would only be effective for a limited time) to the total amount financed to purchase the car...possibly for up to 6 or 7 years.:?
 
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