Total Complaints
41 filings
MAZDA MAZDASPEED3 · model year
41 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2008MAZDAMAZDASPEED3 carries 41 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 3 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 MAZDASPEED3 is power train with 21 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (3) and suspension (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2008 MAZDASPEED3. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
41 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 21 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 3 |
| SUSPENSION | 2 |
| WHEELS | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| STRUCTURE | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
MAZDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 MAZDA3 AND MAZDASPEED3 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 7, 2008, THROUGH NOVEMBER 28, 2008. THE GROUND TERMINAL OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY HAVE BEEN INADVERTENTLY BENT DURING ASSEMBLY. IF THIS CONDITION EXISTS THEN OVER TIME THE ELECTRICAL R
I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY ROAD DOING 35-40MPH IN 4TH GEAR. I LET OFF THE GAS WHILE IN 4TH AND COASTED TO ABOUT 20MPH THEN SHIFTED TO N AND STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I TRIED TO SHIFT TO 1ST AN THE SHIFTER WENT HALF WAY IN BETWEEN R AND 1ST, SO I SHIFTED BACK TO N AND TRIED 1ST AGAIN. THEN THE WHOLE SHIFTER BROKE OFF AND WAS JUST LAYING THERE. NOW MY CAR IS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR.
Mileage: 99,500
I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY IN MOTION WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY SHIFTER BROKE OFF AND I WASN'T ABLE TO MOVE. I HAD TO CALL I TOW
Mileage: 86,234
I BEGAN TO ACCELERATE MY MAZDASPEED 3 SHIFTING FROM 1ST GEAR TO SECOND GEAR. I SHIFTED INTO THIRD WHERE MY SHIFT BROKE AND REMAINED IN MY HAND. MY CAR STALLED OUT IN 3RD BECAUSE I COULD NOT SHIFT OUT. I TOOK OFF THE PLASTICS COVERING THE SHIFTER AND PULLED THE PLATE BACK INTO NEAUTRAL SO I COULD PUSH MY CAR TO THE LOCAL GAS STATION. MY SHIFTER ROD SNAPPED AND THE SPRING CAME OUT.
MANUAL SHIFT LEVER CAME DETACHED WHILE DRIVING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. CAR STUCK IN 4TH GEAR. I WAS UP SHIFTING WHEN IT HAPPENED.
Mileage: 43,000
WHILE SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR AT LOW SPEED, THE SHIFTER FOR MY MANUAL TRANSMISSION BROKE OFF IN MY HAND. AFTER COASTING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND REMOVING THE CONSOLE, I DISCOVERED IT SNAPPED IN HALF AT THE LOCATION OF THE RETENTION PIN.
Mileage: 86,000
AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN I PLACED THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. AFTER MAKING THE TURN AND GOING TO PUT THE CAR BACK IN GEAR THE SHIFTER BREAKS AT THE POINT WHERE THE PIN GOES IN ABOVE THE BALL. I DO NOT TRACK MY CAR NOR SHIFT HARD EVER. *TR
Mileage: 84,332
THE SHIFT LEVER COMPLETE BROKE OFF AND NO LONGER HAD ANY AFFECT ON ENGAGING ANY OF THE GEARS. I WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND IT BROKE WHEN I TRIED TO ENGAGE 1ST GEAR OUT OF NEUTRAL. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO FEEL FOR THE SHIFT CABLE MECHANISM THROUGH THE LEATHER SHIFTER BOOT AND ENGAGE 3RD GEAR. LIMPED HOME IN 3RD. *TR
Mileage: 82,000
I HAVE A 2008 MAZDASPEED 3 WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. WHILE I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON 9/9/2014, THE STEEL ROD THAT THE SHIFTER KNOB IS ATTACHED TO SHEARED OFF SUDDENLY WHILE I WAS SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND. THIS LEFT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL AND I HAD NO POWER SINCE I COULDN'T SHIFT INTO GEAR. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE I WAS TRAVELING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. LUCKILY, I AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT AND COASTED TO A STOP. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED HOME. THE STEEL SHAFT SEPARATED COMPLETELY IN TWO WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE BREAK OCCURRED RIGHT WHERE THE SHAFT HAS A HOLE DRILLED THROUGH IT FOR THE METAL PIN THAT LOCKS IT INTO THE LOWER PART OF THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY. I HAVE SAVED THE BROKEN PART AND I ALSO TOOK PHOTOS OF IT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS PART, WHICH IS CRITICAL TO THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SERIOUS DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THERE ARE OTH
Mileage: 42,000
WHILE SHIFTING FROM 2ND GEAR TO 3RD GEAR, SHIFTER LEVER SHEARED, AND DETACHED, AT THE RETAINING PIN. *TR
Mileage: 73,000
STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT, I ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT IN TO FIRST GEAR. WHILE SHIFTING, THE TRANSMISSION SELECT LEVER SHEERED AT THE INSERTION POINT TO THE TRANSMISSION AT THE RETENTION PIN. I WAS LEFT WITH A STICK SHIFT THAT WAS COMPLETELY REMOVED FROM THE CAR AND IMMOBILE. *TR
Mileage: 58,900
DEFECTIVE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT. DRIVING HOME AT 45MPH I SUDDENLY FELT A HUGE THUNK AND THEN METAL POUNDING AGAINST METAL AS THE CAR ROLLED. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF A 2 LANE ROAD AND WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO PULL TO THE SIDE SAFELY ALL I COULD HEAR WAS A TERRIBLE THUMPING NOISE AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. I HAD TO STOP IN THE LEFT HAND TURN LANE BLOCKING A BUSY INTERSECTION. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED HOME I COULD FINALLY POP THE HOOD TO LOOK AT THE DAMAGE. THE #4 (DRIVER SIDE) ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION MOUNT HAD COMPLETELY FAILED, BREAKING THE REAR ENGINE MOUNT (#1) AND SEVERELY DAMAGING THE #3 (PASSENGER SIDE) ENGINE MOUNT. THE ONLY THING KEEPING THE ENGINE FROM FALLING TO THE GROUND WAS THE SEVERELY DAMAGED #3 MOUNT AND THE REST OF THE ENGINE HAD LANDED ON THE CHASSIS! PICTURE OF BROKEN ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT - HTTP://I.IMGUR.COM/MWTNUBD.JPG EXPLANATION OF REPAIRS AT MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP: "CUSTOMER STATES MOTOR MOUNT IS BROKEN, ENGINE HAS SHIFTED. CHECK AND ADVISE
Mileage: 41,000
DEFECTIVE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT. DRIVING HOME AT 45MPH I SUDDENLY FELT A HUGE THUNK AND THEN METAL POUNDING AGAINST METAL AS THE CAR ROLLED. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF A 2 LANE ROAD AND WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO PULL TO THE SIDE SAFELY ALL I COULD HEAR WAS A TERRIBLE THUMPING NOISE AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. I HAD TO STOP IN THE LEFT HAND TURN LANE BLOCKING A BUSY INTERSECTION. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED HOME I COULD FINALLY POP THE HOOD TO LOOK AT THE DAMAGE. THE #4 (DRIVER SIDE) ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION MOUNT HAD COMPLETELY FAILED, BREAKING THE REAR ENGINE MOUNT (#1) AND SEVERELY DAMAGING THE #3 (PASSENGER SIDE) ENGINE MOUNT. THE ONLY THING KEEPING THE ENGINE FROM FALLING TO THE GROUND WAS THE SEVERELY DAMAGED #3 MOUNT AND THE REST OF THE ENGINE HAD LANDED ON THE CHASSIS! PICTURE OF BROKEN ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT - HTTP://I.IMGUR.COM/MWTNUBD.JPG EXPLANATION OF REPAIRS AT MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP: "CUSTOMER STATES MOTOR MOUNT IS BROKEN, ENGINE HAS SHIFTED. CHECK AND ADVISE
Mileage: 41,000
DEFECTIVE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT. DRIVING HOME AT 45MPH I SUDDENLY FELT A HUGE THUNK AND THEN METAL POUNDING AGAINST METAL AS THE CAR ROLLED. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF A 2 LANE ROAD AND WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO PULL TO THE SIDE SAFELY ALL I COULD HEAR WAS A TERRIBLE THUMPING NOISE AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. I HAD TO STOP IN THE LEFT HAND TURN LANE BLOCKING A BUSY INTERSECTION. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED HOME I COULD FINALLY POP THE HOOD TO LOOK AT THE DAMAGE. THE #4 (DRIVER SIDE) ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION MOUNT HAD COMPLETELY FAILED, BREAKING THE REAR ENGINE MOUNT (#1) AND SEVERELY DAMAGING THE #3 (PASSENGER SIDE) ENGINE MOUNT. THE ONLY THING KEEPING THE ENGINE FROM FALLING TO THE GROUND WAS THE SEVERELY DAMAGED #3 MOUNT AND THE REST OF THE ENGINE HAD LANDED ON THE CHASSIS! PICTURE OF BROKEN ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT - HTTP://I.IMGUR.COM/MWTNUBD.JPG EXPLANATION OF REPAIRS AT MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP: "CUSTOMER STATES MOTOR MOUNT IS BROKEN, ENGINE HAS SHIFTED. CHECK AND ADVISE
Mileage: 41,000
SHIFTED FROM 1ST TO SECOND GEAR, SHIFTER SNAPPED IN HALF. TOLD BE DEALER THAT REPLACEMENT SHIFTER IS ON "GALACTIC BACK ORDER." *TR
Mileage: 38,974
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA SPEED 3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE TPMS SENSOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TPMS SENSOR HAD FRACTURED AND CAUSED THE BLOW OUT. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THE REMAINING TPMS SENSORS WERE ALSO FRACTURED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND FILED A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.
Mileage: 42,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA, MAZDASPEED3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE, THE GEAR LEVER BECAME FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO A SAFE LOCATION WHERE A TEMPORARY REPAIR WAS PERFORMED BY THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE PART WAS ORDERED FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
Mileage: 85,000
WAS STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT. WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED, I WENT TO PUT THE CAR IN FIRST GEAR AND THE STICK SHIFT LEVER BROKE IN HALF. DISASSEMBLING THE SHIFTER CONSOLE FOR EXAMINATION, IT APPEARS THAT THE SHAFT HAS BROKEN CLEANLY IN HALF AT THE POINT WHERE IT IS DRILLED FOR THE REVERSE LOCKOUT PIN. *TR
Mileage: 94,900
AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, I HEARD A LOUD POP AND THEN A FLOPPING NOISE. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND NOTICED THERE WAS OIL LEAKING FROM THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND WHITE SMOKE. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DESTROYED. AFTER THE TRANSMISSION WAS REMOVED, THE REPAIR TECHNICIAN SHOWED ME THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH WAS LITERALLY BREAKING IN PIECES. HE SAID THAT I WOULD ALSO NEED A NEW CLUTCH ASSEMBLY AND FLYWHEEL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I DO NOT ABUSE THE CAR AND MAINTAIN IT WELL. I WASN'T EVEN SHIFTING GEARS AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. JUST DRIVING ALONG IN 6TH GEAR. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS HAPPENED LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED (OF COURSE) AND MAZDA WOULD NOT HELP COVER ANY COSTS FOR THE REPAIRS. *TR
Mileage: 50,500
COMING UP TOWARDS A STOP SIGN ON PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL LIKE ALWAYS HIT BRAKES STOP AT THE STOP SIGH THEN ATTEMPT TO SHIFT TO 1ST AND THE SHIFTER JUST FALLS OUT. LUCKY FOR ME I WAS 2 STOP SIGNS FROM MY HOUSE SO I WAS ABLE TO PUT TAKE THE SHIFT BOOT OUT AND GET THE CAR INTO 2ND AND MAKE IT HOME. *TR
Mileage: 46,800
WHILE SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR MY SHIFT STALK FELL OFF IN MY HANDS. I HAD TO TURN MY EMERGENCY BLINKERS ON AND PULL OVER WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. I WAS ABLE TO REACH BELOW THE SHIFT BOOT AND FEEL THE SHIFTING BASE MECHANISM TO MOVE THE CAR BACK IN TO GEAR ONCE OFF OF THE ROAD. I AM CURRENTLY UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR AS THE SHIFT CONTROL WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE. *TR
Mileage: 43,250
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.