Low pressure fuel pump failure with 75,575 miles on odometer. Fuel pump completely seized. Car was parked at a retail location and would not start. Upon troubleshooting, mechanic was able to determine the low pressure pump was not delivering fuel. Pump was replaced. Faulty fuel pumps could lead to hazardous conditions as they are mounted within the fuel tank. I feel this is too early in the vehicles life for this component to have completely failed.
Mazda MAZDA3 won't start problems
38 of the 2,994 owner complaints about the Mazda MAZDA3 describe won't start, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 38
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical mileage
- 56,000
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 8Warning lights 3Fuel pump 3Stalling 2Battery drain 2Transmission failure 1Won't shift 1
What owners say
Car doesn't start if sitting more than 4 days untouched. When i went to the dealer, they informed me they know about the issue but nothing can be done about it. They even told me what the issue was, there's something in the car (they don't know what) that draws a lot of power non stop. kills the battery and some time will get stuck mid ignition. I've replaced the battery a few times as well. It's very stressful trying to deal with it after a 12-16 hour shift at work. knowing it will happened again and again, over and over.
I was parked in a downtown garage, and the vehicle would not start after many attempts, after about 45 minutes of trying (waiting 5 minutes between tries). The engine would turn normally and sounded like it was trying to start, but didn't fully engage. It finally did after 45 mins, and I drove it to the local Mazda dealer in Honolulu. I noticed the check-engine light was on at that time (but not before the incident). They ran a diagnosis, and couldn't replicate the issue, and said it may be a battery problem with low voltage, due to the engine's error codes. But I questioned that since the engine was able to turn normally and adequately at all starting attempts. And the battery was only 2 years old. So I replaced the battery at their recommendation. About 2 hours after picking up the car from the dealer, the same issue happened again. I recorded the issue on my phone this time, and gave it to the dealer. And this time I didn't want to chance it, so had the car towed back to the same dealer. They couldn't replicate the issue immediately, but after several attempts (over a day), they finally experienced it. They said the issue is the fuel pump. I am the original owner, and had purchased the car new from a Mazda dealership, and it has less than 26K miles on it. I researched previous recalls with this same issue on Mazdas, even the same year and model, and it appears to related: [XXX] [XXX] No one was physically harmed due to this issue, but it was certainly a safety risk. If the fuel pump fails while driving, the driver could lose control of the vehicle while in motion. I have attached the invoices for the repairs. I have contacted Mazda Customer Experience and they assigned a case number # [XXX]. However, I was informed that the repairs are unlikely to be covered as there is no open recall on the VIN regarding this issue. Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My Mazda3, odometer reading about 3000 miles, would not start. I have been driving normally daily, do not leave lights on or any other equipment connected when the car is off. I have not had any warning lights displayed other than startup. Monday I drove to my local CT. golf course, 20 miles from home, arrived at 9am. 5 hours later I after golf, I can’t open trunk. Fortunately I left the car unlocked. The car would not start. Road Service tried to jump battery unsuccessfully. Dragged the car onto truck-bed and transports to dealer. Service tech contacts me next day … charged battery, checked electric system and found no malfunctions. This is a scary situation when one never knows when this will happen again. Is there a solution??
Purchased the car new in April 2022. They have replaced the battery twice in the last year. They now tell me that there are no replacement batteries made for my vehicle and have acknowledged a problem with the battery made by Johnson control. The battery will not hold a proper charge after the vehicle is shut off. They have offered a loaner car but cannot tell me how long it would take to resolve the issue. In order to drive the vehicle I have to carry a jump pack in the car with me in case the battery goes dead and will not start.
Car will not start, instrument panel flashes on and off. I’ve had to jump the car to start it and then the check engine light and engine malfunction warning messages appear on the panel. I’ve had the battery tested and told it wasn’t the battery.
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.
Anti theft system activated on me after I shut off the car. Was sitting in a parking lot waiting for my daughter to get out of work. I shut the car off and it wouldn't start. My mechanic said the anti theft system activated which shouldn't of happened.
These issues been happening since the second month I owned my 2019 mazda 3 hatchback. 1- suspensions, they're very rough & harsh., they bounce so much for no reason, I damaged one tire already while I was driving on i476 normal highway where I stepped on normal pothole ended up damaging my tire, suspensions are really dangers on all roads. 2- "adaptive cruise control" this feature many times almost caused an accident, rear end specially on highways. For some reason it doesn't detect the car in front of me when I have auto cruise enabled, no rain clear weather, this been reported more than 5 times to the dealership & its hard for them to tell what happen. They even had specialist came from ca to check up the car however it was declared the car has no issues, yet I still have issues every day, s 3- emergency breaking, sometimes it enables for no reason & the cars behind me almost rear ended me, they think I did break check but I don't the brakes! 4- peruzzi mazda, where I purchased my car, said they will never work on my car again because "it wasted enough of their time". I have video of me picking up the car from peruzzi mazda, dealership & it won't start up out side the service department & I called the manager & he said leave for next day, he called me day after saying it was my iphone charger... I asked him how the tech was able to bring it outside to the front door without no issues? He refused to answer. I work at a hospital & I daily my car to work, its not safe for me or to anyone on the road to drive it at all.
When my used 2008 mazda 3 car is parked over a day of more without being plugged to a charger it will not start. Nothing will work even the remote to open the door. Note the hundreds of owners with his problem. Check the web for this problem. I spent $870.00 to have this fixed to no avail.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system
- What is wrong
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3 vehicles, equipped with an incorrect exhaust valve spring. The incorrect exhaust valve spring may fail while driving, potentially causing an engine stall.
- Risk
- An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engines and replace any incorrect exhaust valve springs, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 20, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1717K.
Recall number 17V745000 · Recall details
Questions about the Mazda MAZDA3 won't start
Which Mazda MAZDA3 years have won't start problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (6 complaints), 2010 (6 complaints) and 2019 (3 complaints).
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