The 2021 Mazda 3 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 599 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 66 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
TIRES21V1010002021-02-22599 affected
Defect
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2021 Mazda3 and CX-30 vehicles. Air may suddenly leak from the tire air valve.
Consequence
A sudden air leak from the tire air valve may cause a loss of vehicle control while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four tire air valves with new parts, free of charge. The recall began April 6, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4721B.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“At 31,000 miles the control arm lower ball joints are torn on both lower. They must be replaced. This is a safety hazard. This should not be an issue with low mileage on this car.”
“Spontaneous loss of power while driving on highway. Check engine light came on. Speed limited by car. Continues to vibrate especially at idle from cold start. Code p0304 intermittently popping up.”
“The thermostat malfunctioned on this vehicle, resulting in the thermostat remaining open and providing excess coolant to the engine, which in turn damaged internal components of the engine (compromises safety), decreased fuel economy, increased emissions (compromised safety), and decreased the…”
“During the incident, the vehicle exhibited an uncontrollable malfunction—the steering wheel suddenly jerked sharply to the right while accelerating violently, leaving me unable to steer or brake effectively, the car was looking forward. The car ultimately came to a stop upon colliding with a…”
“During the incident, the vehicle exhibited an uncontrollable malfunction—the steering wheel suddenly jerked sharply to the right while accelerating violently, leaving me unable to steer or brake effectively, the car was looking forward. The car ultimately came to a stop upon colliding with a…”
“During the incident, the vehicle exhibited an uncontrollable malfunction—the steering wheel suddenly jerked sharply to the right while accelerating violently, leaving me unable to steer or brake effectively, the car was looking forward. The car ultimately came to a stop upon colliding with a…”
“My rear differential case cracked, anytime the four wheel drive system was engaged the entire drivetrain would lock up. Luckily we were only on side roads so going less than 30 mph if we had been on the highway when this happened we could have been in an accident or lost control. The dealer did…”
“I was driving when all the sudden there was a loud bang sound. The differential housing cracked. The when awd is demanded the rear diff was was locking up instead of engaging. Luckily we were just on city streets and not on the highway as this rear wheel locking up could cause a crash. Mazda…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Mazda 3 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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