Mazda CX-3

78 complaints across 2 scored model years and 4 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Mazda CX-3 Full report

Grade 2016–2019

2016 vs model median 1.3×

Model median3× median

Lights & Visibility 6

Electrical 5

Body & Interior 3

Weakest

2016 · 2019

Best

2016 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Mazda CX-3
Year	Complaint volume	vs median	Reports	Grade
2016		1.28×	32	C
2019		0.71×	25	B

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	30
City / Highway	28 / 33
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,050

Recalls

4 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
16V644000	STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE	2016	580,455
23V487000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2016, 2019	236,100
21V875000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2019	121,038
16V203000	STEERING	2016	578

Others in Subcompact SUVs

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Alfa Romeo Stelvio	2018	C
Audi E-Tron	none flagged	C
Audi Q3	20202021	C
BMW X1	2014	C
Buick Encore	2015	C
Buick Encore GX	none flagged	B
Cadillac XT4	none flagged	B
Chevrolet Captiva	none flagged	B

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2016 CX-3

Complaints in window: 32
Severity-weighted: 53
Model median (weighted): 41
vs model median: 1.28×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 3
Open investigations: 0

Score 60.4 C