Mazda 3 Reliability plays a major role in determining the vehicle's price in the used market. This is because vehicle reliability represents how often a certain vehicle is expected to be brought to the dealership for unexpected repairs. The higher the reliability, the less likely the problems.
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Have you ever heard that some customers provide a good rating for their vehicle when they first purchase it, then they change their minds after a short period of ownership? This is what low reliability means. The higher the reliability, the happier the customers with their vehicles, the more likely the vehicle will not lose a lot from its price.
There are many reliability ranking systems in the automobile world. However, not all of them are trusted or widely-used. Two of the top reliability ranking are the J.D. Power dependability study and the RepairPal reliability ranking.
In this article, we will walk you through a quick overview of the Mazda 3 characteristics. Then, we will summarize Mazda3 reliability scores as reported by both the J.D. Power dependability study and the RepairPal reliability ranking. Finally, we will provide the pros, cons, and top recalls for the Mazda 3.
Mazda 3 overview
2020 marks the 14th year for the Mazda3 compact vehicle. This vehicle comes in two styles: the sedan and the hatchback.
According to cars.usnews.com, they 2020 Mazda3 was ranked as #2 in the compact cars, #3 in the hatchbacks, and #3 in their small cars. This vehicle was featured for the great engine power in addition to the sporty handling periods. Moreover, the Mazda 3 comes with a great user-friendly infotainment system.
The 2020 Mazda 3 seats up to five passengers, get from 24 to 27 miles per gallon in city roads, and 32 to 36 miles per gallon on the highways. The vehicle comes with either a front-wheel-drive or an all-wheel drive.
Mazda 3 comes with a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine that is associated with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The fuel tank capacity for this Mazda 3 ranges from 12.7 two 13.2 gallons. This vehicle gets up to 186 of horsepower.
According to Kelley Blue Book, the Mazda 3 has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $21,500. This number can get as high as $23,600 for the hatchback style.
Mazda 3 Reliability
According to the J.D. power dependability study for the year of 2020, Mazda 3 reliability is 3 out of five. This reliable score indicates that Mazda 3 is in the average category.
Vehicles' reliability indicates how often a certain vehicle will be brought to the repair shop for unexpected or unscheduled repairs. This information is very important when it comes to vehicle prices and especially for shoppers in the used market.
Automobile experts came up with a ranking that indicates how reliable a certain vehicle is. The higher the reliability, the less likely this vehicle will be brought to the dealership for unexpected repairs. On the other hand, the lower the reliability, the more likely this vehicle will be brought to the dealership for unexpected repairs.
When looking at the vehicle's reliability, it is important to understand that there are many reliability scoring systems on the web; some of them are not widely used. Therefore, you must be careful about what source of information you use when searching for certain vehicle reliability.
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J.D. Power Dependability Study
One of the top names when it comes to vehicle reliability is the J.D. Power Dependability Study. This study is performed once every year, and it analyzes vehicle reliability across three years of ownership. In other words, the 2020 J.D. Power dependability study results look into vehicles from the 2018 model year.
The J.D Power dependability Study takes into consideration three main factors: the quality and reliability, the driving experience, the resale, the dealership experience. Quality and reliability indicate the customer's satisfaction with the vehicle's structure in terms of parts like the engine, the transmission, the infotainment system, etc. The driving experience represents the customer's satisfaction with hist comfort, safety, technology, performance, and design when driving the vehicle. The resale is a matrix developed by the J.D. Power team to represent vehicles cost reduction in the coming three years. Lastly, the dealership experience represents the customer's satisfaction with their visits to the dealership, including the service, the dealership facility, and the quality of work.
Each one of these factors has a total of 100 points for vehicles to earn. Once the vehicle receives a score for each category, the scores are then averaged to provide an overall scoring out of a 100. You might also find the J.D. Power reliability results out of five instead of 100.
According to the 2020 J.D. Power dependability study results, Mazda 3 received an overall score of 78 out of 100. This vehicle earned 74 points out of a 100 in the quality and reliability category, 83 out of 100 points in the driving experience category, 80 out of 100 in the resale, and 78 out of 100 in the dealership experience.
The overall score of this study shows that the Mazda 3 is at the low end of the good vehicles. In other words, the scoring doesn't mean that Mazda 3 is the best vehicle, but it shows that it is not terrible.
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RepairPal Reliability Ranking
While the J.D. Power is a great source when it comes to vehicle's reliability, the study's biggest limitation is that it focusses on one year only. However, sometimes people would like to know the overall reliability score for a certain brand or make. Thus, the RepairPal reliability ranking might be the best place to start with.
The RepairPla reliability ranking provides a score for the entire vehicle's make despite the model year. This ranking looks into three different factors when evaluating a vehicle's reliability, including the cost, frequency, and severity.
The cost represents the average annual unexpected or unscheduled repair costs. In other words, the RepairPal excludes routine maintenance like an oil change.
Frequency represents how many times per year, a certain vehicle is expected to be brought to the dealership for unexpected or unscheduled repairs. This number is calculated based on millions of customer reviews across all model years for a certain vehicle.
Lastly, severity represents how bad the repairs were when the vehicle was brought to the dealership. Repair pal considers a repair to be severe if it required costs three times higher than the average annual repair cost for this vehicle.
According to the 2020 results for the RepairPal reliability ranking, the Mazda 3 reliability is four out of five, which is considered above average. Mazda 3 is expected to cost $433 on average per year for unexpected repairs. This number is much lower than the average annual expected repairs for all vehicles, which are $652.
Mazda 3 is expected to be brought to the dealership for unexpected repairs about 0.33 times per year on average. This number is also lower than the expected number for all vehicles, which is 0.4.
Lastly, about 10% of Mazda's three repairs are expected to be major. This percentage is also lower than the percentage for all other vehicles, which is 12%
Mazda 3 Pros
As we mentioned earlier, Mazda 3 received an overall good reliability score according to both the J.D. Power Dependability study and the RepairPal reliability ranking. In this section, we focus on the most reported pros for the Mazda 3 that helped this vehicle receive a good reliability score.
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Great fuel economy
The 2020 Mazda 3 comes with a great fuel economy, thanks to the powerful engine! As we stated earlier, Mazda 3 gets 26/35 (city/highway) miles per gallon. This fuel economy might drop a little when using the All-wheel-drive to 25/33 miles per gallon.
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Best sporty handling experience
One of the greatest features about the 2020 Mazda 3 is the SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMIC. This feature allows smooth riding on the highways, around the corners, and in city roads. The vehicle would adjust the weight shifting and the power supply to provide the driver with the best driving experience.
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High-tech looking exterior
The 2020 Mazda 3 is equipped with great looking LED lights on the headlights that provide a future-looking vehicle exterior. These LED lights also improve visibility, especially when driving at night or during cloudy days.
Mazda 3 Pros
While the Mazda 3 received a good reliability score, this doesn't mean that all customers are happy with it. In this section, we cover the most Mazda 3 cons as reported by current and previous Mazda 3 owners.
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Tight cargo space
One of the biggest limitations for the Mazda 3 is the super-tight cargo space. The 2020 Mazda 3 comes with about 13.2 cubic feet of cargo space, which might be OK for some drivers; it can be challenging for those preferring long road trips.
The cargo space is a little larger in the Hatchback body style. However, it is still considered smaller than most competitors in the same class.
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Very small back seats
The second limitation for the 2020 Mazda 3 is the tight back seats. According to most owners, the back seats are mostly designed for small teens or even children.
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One engine option only
Despite all the great features of the Mazda 3, the vehicle doesn't have engine variety for shoppers to choose from. All shoppers are forced to accept the 2.5 L four-cylinder engine. While this might not be a big problem for many owners, some owners still think it is a limitation.
Mazda 3 Recalls
Vehicles recall directly connected to their reliability. The more recalls, the lower the vehicle's reliability as these recalls indicate ongoing problems with this vehicle.
According to Repairpal.com, Mazda 3 received a lot of recalls. In this section, we provide you a quick overview of the top reported Mazda 3 recalls.
Mazda recalled certain vehicles from 2016, 2017, and 2018 model years due to issues with the windshield wipers. These wipers were reported to have issues preventing them from operating. To resolve the problem, Mazda requested dealerships to inspect and replace the wipers without charging the customers.
Mazda also recalled certain vehicles from 2014, 2015, and 2016 model years due to issues with water making its way to the brake calipers. This water could easily cause parts corrosion that might result in issues with vehicle safety. To get the problem resolved, Mazda requested dealerships to inspect and replace the corroded parts free of charge.
Certain vehicles from the 2016 model year were also recalled due to issues with the fuel tank. This issue causes a fuel leak that poses a fire hazard risk. To resolve the problem, Mazda requested dealerships to replace the fuel tanks without charging the customers.
The last recall we would like to highlight here has to do with the fuel inlet check valve. This valve was not welded properly in some vehicles from 2014, 2015, and 2016 model years. To get the problem resolved, Mazda requested dealerships to replace the fuel tank without charging the customers.
Conclusion
2020 marks the 14th model year for the Mazda 3. This year helped improve the overall reliability score for the Mazda 3 brand.
According to the 2020 results of the J.D. Power dependability study, Mazda 3 reliability is three out of five, which is considered above average. RepairPal showed a little higher reliability rank for the Mazda 3 of four out of five, which is also above average.
These results of the reliability score for Mazda 3 indicate that this vehicle is not expected to lose a lot from its value, which might be unfortunate for shoppers in the used market who cannot afford to pay around $21,000.
In general, current Mazda 3 owners are not expected to suffer severe mechanical issues that require high repair costs, according to the reliability score of this vehicle.