This model car has a fuse box under the glove box known as a "passenger junction box" that has a faulty or defective relay soldered onto the circuit board. The relay is tied to lighting that includes the interior lights, exterior front parking lights, exterior rear tail lights, and the license plate light and is controlled by the left turn signal stalk (rotating switch). Based on my experience and many others (on the Mazda 3 forums), this relay has the tendency to fail and cause all of these lights tied to this relay to intermittently or permanently be disabled. There is no warning for this; the driver will only notice when driving at night that the interior illumination of the dashboard goes completely dark, which could cause disorientation and confusion as to whether or not the car is operable. Subsequently, the problem can be recreated by attempting to turn the lights on and off and there will be no response (and no clicking noise...it is audible when working and it switches on); the relay fails to operate and all the lights will not turn on. Driving at night without tail lights is extremely dangerous and I am surprised this has not caused serious injury from rear-ending incidents in nighttime or inclement weather situations. The serial/model number of junction box on my vehicle is BN8B-66730-C and many others on the forums have had the same issue with the same model, as well as other variations of the box. Some on the forums went as far as replacing the culprit relay (see attachment); however, at the risk of destroying the entire junction box and rendering the vehicle unusable. I finally ended up purchasing a replacement unit on eBay which corrected the issue so far and has made the lights reliable again.
Mazda MAZDA3 warning lights comes on
12 of the 2,994 owner complaints about the Mazda MAZDA3 describe multiple warning lights, most of them for the 2004 model year.
- owner complaints
- 12
- worst model year
- 2004
- typical mileage
- 28,000
By model year
- 20191
- 20181
- 20151
- 20141
- 20131
- 20122
- 20071
- 20052
- 20042
Often reported together
Won't start 3Power steering loss 3Check engine light 2Won't shift 1Loss of power 1Headlights 1ABS 1
What owners say
About a year ago, I noticed multiple warning lights on my car on, including the traction control, ABS, emergency brake, tire pressure indicator, etc. I took my car to the dealership where they diagnosed the problem as related to a faulty speed sensor. I have been reading consumer info on Mazda forums and it appears numerous people are impacted by this, which leads me to wonder if it may warrant assessment for a potential recall. My vehicle had under 35k miles on it when the issue first presented.
When trying to start the vehicle it is unable to start and the car chimes while the complete instrument cluster flashes off and on. The car will not start and the entire instrument panel blinks/flashes displaying all warning lights. I hear whirring and clicking noises. Just prior to it not starting I may experience the driver side vents pushing out hot air while the passenger side is pushing out cool air. I have the AC set to cool at 60 degrees both sides. I have 16k miles currently and the non start flashing instrument panel all started after Mazda did a recall and flashed the cars computer. The first problem was in April of 2020. The cars computer has been flashed more than 2 times. I have to jumpstart the car in order to start. Mazda has not found the problem and cannot recreate. The problem usually happens after the car is parked and in the sun.
When pushing start button all lights go on but car won't start. Stationary in drive way
Cruise quit working, traction control light came on and shortly thereafter the check engine light came on. Then all the lights on the dash started flashing and went into limp mode. Car decelerated and I pulled over to the side of the road. Turned car off and then it wouldn't start. Waited about 10 min and restarted successfully with the check engine and traction control light still on. Drove another 70 miles going in and out of limp mode with dash lights flashing on & off. Took to dealer and replaced the angle (sp?) sensor in steering wheel. Dealer reset all codes and it's done it twice since getting car back, dealer can't figure out what's wrong. Have to go in and have the codes reset every time to get it back to running again.
My battery was dead. I jump started the car and backed out of my driveway. When I started forward, the power steering had an intermittent malfunction and several warning lights activated. I replaced the battery, and everything returned to normal. In my case, there was no problem because the car was in my driveway. However, had I jump started the car elsewhere, a shopping center parking lot for example, the loss of steering may have had adverse consequences. In researching the problem, I found that this frequently occurs in mazda3s regardless of the year.
Power steering goes out intermittently. Often starts when turning the wheel to the left. The power steering failure light , or sometimes all warning lights, come on. The steering wheel becomes extremely difficult to turn in either direction and the car is difficult and hazardous to navigate to a stop. Electronics flash on and off (headlights, radio, etc.). Car sometimes dies. If the steering wheel is not perfectly straight when the car dies, it is locked and the car cannot be restarted until someone can wrench the steering wheel straight again. This has happened off and on for a year. Since it is intermittent, mechanics are unable to find the problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 mazda 3. While driving at approximately 50 MPH, the speedometer decreased to zero and the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle did not accelerate. All of the warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred four times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,700.
Driving 60mph on major freeway during rush hour, light rain. Check engine light came on and stayed on. A few minutes later, every warning light came on and I lost the power steering. I pulled to the side of the highway and turned the car of, waited 10 minutes and started the car. Check engine light remained on and all other warning lights were off. Started driving and 10 minutes later all the warning lights came on again and lost power steering again. Left vehicle in garage over night with hood up thinking it was due to rain/moisture/computer problem. Car started fine in morning, no warning lights. Took it to dealership and they said it was a lose battery cable. I am thinking it was more than that. I have noted my concern and will await the next heavy rain.
Vehicle was traveling along on 30 MPH road with 'stop' sign ahead. As vehicle slowed down to about 15 MPH, transmission started to shake, several warning lights came on and off, including oil and power steering, RPM fell very close to 0 (zero) and car died. Vehicle was able to stop at the 'stop' sign. Even though the vehicle was still on, any pressure on the gas pedal did not provide power or input to the transmission, now in 1st gear, to move the car. Car needed to be completely turned off and then turned on before it could move again. This issue has been ongoing for 4 years regardless of speed. The car has also decided to stop providing power while in motion while in moving traffic or on the highway, which could have resulted in multiple car crashes or worse. Mazda refuses to acknowledge that anything is wrong with the car since they "cannot replicate the problem". This issue is sporadic and occurs regardless of speed (usually around 30 mpg or less), weather, distance traveled, amount of time car has been in consistent use, etc. Mazda has even hooked this car up to their computer system and no error code has been found. This issue has been extensively documented with our local mazda dealer and paperwork is available for review. This car has been a true lemon since we bought it. It only has roughly 55k miles on it.
Related recalls
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. Due to incorrect programing, the passenger air bag deactivation indicator light may erroneously turn off although the passenger air bag is deactivated. In addition, the seat belt status indicators for both the front passenger seat and/or rear seats may erroneously turn off although the front passenger and/or rear seat belts are unfastened.
- Risk
- Incorrect indicator warning lights may lead the driver and/or passengers to be unaware of deactivated air bags or unfastened seat belts, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag/seat belt status indicator assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 9, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3319E.
Recall number 19V363000 · Recall details
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Mazda3 vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through December 18, 2013, and model year 2014-2015 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured May 20, 2013, through December 4, 2013, and both equipped with a 2.5L engine and a regenerative engine braking system. When driving the affected vehicles in heavy rain or in deep puddles, the alternator belt may slip causing the Power Control module (PCM) to incorrectly assume failure of the charging system.
- Risk
- Once the PCM assumes that the charging system has failed, the vehicle will stop charging and could result in poor acceleration, loss of steering assist and windshield wiper operation, and a possible engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on May 19, 2014. Owners may contact Mazda at 1‑800‑222‑5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 7314D.
Recall number 14V173000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Mazda is recalling 25,400 my 2010 mazda3 vehicles. A clearance between the engine harness and the housing of starter motor may be insufficient. Due to this, the covering of the harness may be damaged through vibration during operation possibly causing a short-circuit between certain harness wires and the starter housing. A short-circuit can result in engine control malfunction and/or poor shift quality.
- Risk
- The main fuse may blow out causing the engine to stall and inability of restart, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will have the engine harness inspect and add a protector clip on the affected section of the harness. If necessary, the harness will be repaired. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on may 6, 2009. Owners may contact mazda at 1‑800‑222‑5500.
Recall number 09V126000 · Recall details
Questions about the Mazda MAZDA3 warning lights
Why does the warning lights come on in the Mazda MAZDA3?
Owners who report it most often also describe won't start, loss of power steering and check engine light.
Which Mazda MAZDA3 years have multiple warning lights problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2004 (2 complaints), 2005 (2 complaints) and 2012 (2 complaints).
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