The 2006 Mazda 3 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 260,915 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 224 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS21V4940002021-07-01260,915 affected
Defect
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2004-2007 Mazda3 vehicles. During air bag deployment, the plastic emblem on the steering wheel air bag module cover may shatter, and project plastic fragments into the vehicle.
Consequence
Plastic fragments can hit occupants during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the air bag module cover, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed between August 28, 2021 and October 28, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4921G.
Complaints by component
STEERING
27
1crashes1injuries
AIR BAGS
25
10crashes9injuries
ENGINE
17
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
16
POWER TRAIN
15
TIRES
13
2crashes
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
12
1fires
SUSPENSION
10
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES
8
1crashes2injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
8
Total complaints224
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“There’s a recal in my current steering wheel of the 2006 mazda 3 sedan I recently purchased”
“The rear driver's side trailing arm broke into two pieces.”
“When I take the key out of the ignition the car doesn't recognize the key is out and won't stop beeping. I can't use the key fob to lock or unlock the car. I have to use the original door key to lock and unlock or the alarm will go off. I have replace the ignition switch cylinder 2 times and it…”
“The contact owned a 2006 mazda mazda3. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph when the driver-side airbag deployed without warning which resulted in the contact losing control of the vehicle. The contact was the only injured and sought medical treatment. The contact sustained…”
“This vehicle has one unrepaired recall. When I tried to make an appointment with the mazda dealer to correct it, no recall is found after giving my vin number. Is there any other way to have them repair it?”
“This vehicle has one unrepaired recall. When I tried to make an appointment with the mazda dealer to correct it, no recall is found after giving my vin number. Is there any other way to have them repair it?”
“Im having issues with rust the car it’s getting pretty much the car it’s falling apart the under body it’s nothing but rust i’m scared of changing a tire because there’s actually not a good grip where I can lift the car without feeling it’s going to fall apart, the rear or the disks…”
“Im having issues with rust the car it’s getting pretty much the car it’s falling apart the under body it’s nothing but rust i’m scared of changing a tire because there’s actually not a good grip where I can lift the car without feeling it’s going to fall apart, the rear or the disks…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2006 Mazda 3 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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