VehicleVerdict

2020 Mazda Mazda3 driver assistance problems

The 2020 Mazda Mazda3 has 27 driver assistance complaints filed with NHTSA — 54% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

27

Driver Assistance complaints

54%

Share of year

0

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Driver Assistance complaints by year

Mazda3 driver assistance complaints by model year27 complaints2010: 1 complaints2012: 1 complaints2014: 12 complaints2015: 14 complaints2016: 14 complaints2017: 15 complaints2018: 24 complaints2019: 12 complaints2020: 27 complaints2021: 13 complaints2022: 1 complaints2023: 2 complaints2024: 5 complaints2025: 2 complaints
Mazda3 driver assistance complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

19V907000Driver AssistanceDecember 19, 2019 · 35,390 units

Defect

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Mazda3 vehicles. The Smart Brake System (SBS) can falsely detect an obstacle while driving, activating the automatic emergency braking system and suddenly stopping the vehicle.

Consequence

Stopping the vehicle unexpectedly increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will update the SBS software. In addition, vehicles with certain production dates will receive an instrument cluster software update or replacement and a replacement owner's manual. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began February 14, 2020. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4219L.

What owners report

“I was driving 35MPH on a side street in “sport” mode. Car system beeped, car auto stopped, red circle with explanation mark and the word Break appeared on my center console. My drive shift popped out of Drive. No object was in front of my car, nothing ran out in front of it. Fortunately, there…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · May 30, 2021

Common questions

How many driver assistance complaints does the 2020 Mazda Mazda3 have?

NHTSA has 27 complaints about the 2020 Mazda Mazda3 driver assistance — 54% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2020 Mazda Mazda3 driver assistance?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the driver assistance: 19V907000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.