2012 Mazda Mazda3 Lighting Problems

[XXX] covers a safety oriented problem with my car. Jim Ellis Mazda in Marietta refuses to work on my car because it is more than 10 years old. This is a proprietary issue since it deals with the computer system in the car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MASSIVE VOLTAGE DROP WHEN SLOWING DOWN OR LOWERING SPEED. HAPPENS CONSISTENTLY IN ALL DRIVING CONDITIONS, HIGHWAY/CITY, NIGHTTIME/DAYTIME. THIS LEADS TO ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, HEADLIGHTS DIMMING AND FLASHING WHENEVER THE ENGINE SPEED DROPS. THIS OFTEN MEANS AT NIGHTTIME WHEN GOING AROUND CORNERS VISIBILITY IS NEARLY ZERO UNTIL THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON AFTER A FEW SECONDS. ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ARE ALL FINE WITH INSPECTION. UPON GOOGLING IT, APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND SOFTWARE RELATED.

HIGH BEAM LIGHTS BLINK/FLASH WHEN BREAKING LOW BEAM LIGHTS DIM WHEN BREAKING INSTRUMENT LIGHTS DIM SLIGHTLY WHEN BREAKING WITH BOTH CONDITIONS MENTIONED

HEADLAMPS PULSE DURING BRAKING WHILE DECELERATION

HEADLIGHTS FLICKER WHEN BRAKING CAUSING DIMINISHED VISIBILITY AT NIGHT. THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM AND SAFETY HAZARD. KNOWN ENOUGH TO HAVE A SERVICE BULLITEN. THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT CAUSING SAFETY ISSUES THAT MAZDA WANTS CUSTOMERS TO PAY FOR IN ORDER TO BE FIXED. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AS IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WHEN YOU BRAKE THE HEADLIGHTS DIM SIGNIFICANTLY AND FLICKER UNTIL YOU GO BACK TO THE GAS OR STOP. I NOTICED THIS WHEN I DROVE THE CAR I BOUGHT FOR MY DAUGHTER ONE NIGHT IN OCTOBER 2019.

HIGH BEAM LIGHTS BLINK/FLASH WHEN BREAKING LOW BEAM LIGHTS DIM WHEN BREAKING INSTRUMENT LIGHTS DIM SLIGHTLY WHEN BREAKING WITH BOTH CONDITIONS MENTIONED. ALSO I HAD THE ALTEERNATOR CHECKED AND IT IS WORKING LIKE IT SHOULD. I FOUND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD SAME PROBLEM WITH SAME YEAR MAKE AND MODEL. I AM 2ND OWNER THE PERSON WHO BOUGHT IT NEW DIDNT DRIVE IT MUCH AND DIDNT DRIVE IT AT NIGHT SO THEY NEVER KNEW IT HAD ISSUES. THE PEOPLE WITH THE ISSUES WAS ABLE TO GET IT FIXED FREE SINCE THEY BOUGHT IT NEW AND HAD THE ISSUE HAPPEN TO THEM. SEAMS THERE WOULD OF BEEN A RECALL OUT TO HAVE THIS FIXED AND MOST DEALERS KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. BUT NOT THE ONE I TOOK MY CAR TO SINCE IT IS A NEWER DEALER.

HIGH BEAM LIGHTS BLINK/FLASH WHEN BREAKING LOW BEAM LIGHTS DIM WHEN BREAKING INSTRUMENT LIGHTS DIM SLIGHTLY WHEN BREAKING WITH BOTH CONDITIONS MENTIONED

UPON DOWNSHIFTING OR BRAKING FROM NORMAL DRIVING SPEED THE 2012 MAZDA3 I HEADLIGHTS FLICKER LIKE A STROBE LIGHT CREATING DISTRACTION FOR BOTH THE DRIVER AND OTHER DRIVERS. MAZDA HAS NO RECALLS ON A SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR PDM TO EASILY CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THIS IS ONLY OCCURRING ON SKYACTIVE MODELS

WHEN DRIVING THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS WILL FLICKER/DIM WHEN I TOUCH THE BRAKES. I AM DRIVING BACK ROADS AND HIGHWAY. NIGHT TIME WITH HEADLIGHTS ON. HAPPENS PRETTY CONSISTENTLY AND IS DISTRACTING AND GREATLY REDUCES MY VIEW OF THE ROAD!! HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR AT LEAST 4 MONTHS. REPLACED THE BATTERY AND STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM.

HEADLIGHTS FLICKER WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED APPLICABLE MODEL(S)/VINS 2012-2013 MAZDA3 VEHICLES (WITH SKYACTIV-G 2.0L AND HALOGEN TYPE HEADLIGHTS)

WHEN DRIVING WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON, THE HEADLIGHTS APPEAR TO PULSATE, DIMMING AND BRIGHTENING VERY NOTICEABLY. THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. MAZDA HAS IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM, ISSUED A TSB REFERENCE SB-01-019-13. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE IT'S DISTRACTING AND DANGEROUS TO THE DRIVER AND OTHER MOTORISTS ON THE ROAD. NHTSA HAS AN ID NUMBER 10053740 ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.

MY HEADLIGHT HOUSING HAS CONDENSATION AND THAT IN TURN HAS CAUSED MY HID LIGHTS TO FAIL. I HAVE READ OVER AN OVER THAT MAZDA'S FROM 2010-2011 HAVE THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM. WHY DO THEY NOT TAKE THIS ISSUE SERIOUSLY. I WAS TOLD BY A MAZDA IN LEXINGTON, KY THAT THIS WOULD COST ME IN EXCESS OF $600.00 TO REPLACE. WHY DOES THIS STILL CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM. ANYTIME IT RAINS THERE IS MORE CONDENSATION BUILD UP. THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS AFFECTED FIRST NOW IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE DRIVER SIDE IS STARTING TO HAVE BUILD UP OF CONDENSATION, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY CAUSE A FAILURE WITH THE HID. SO INSTEAD DRIVING WITH ONE HEADLIGHT AND FOG LIGHTS (WHICH THE FOG LIGHTS HELP) I WILL HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS.

THE RIGHT FRONT HEADLAMP ASSY. GET'S MOISTURE IN IT THAT MADE THE HEADLAMP BULB BLOW OUT. *JS

PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ON AUG 27TH 2014 AS A USED VEHICLE AND DID THE INITIAL TEST DRIVE DURING THE DAY. A FEW DAYS LATER WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT I DECELERATED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY (SPEED IS 55MPH) TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT A 4 WAY INTERSECTION. THE MOMENT BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS FLICKER AND CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL FULLY STOPPED. I'VE TESTED THIS AT MULTIPLE SPEEDS AND ROAD TYPES AND IT HAPPENS EACH TIME. WE LIVE IN A HEAVILY POPULATED AREA WITH PLENTY OF CHILDREN AS WELL AS WILD LIFE AND THIS DECREASES MY CHANCES OF SEEING THEM IF THEY RUN OUT (EVEN WHILE BRAKING, SAY IF I WAS DOING SO SLOWLY A CHILD RUN OUT I CAN E-BRAKE OR APPLY MORE PRESSURE TO BRAKES TO STOP QUICKER...CAN'T DO THAT IF I DON'T SEE THEM IN TIME). IT ALSO IS EXTREMELY DISTRACTING AND ANNOYING. I'M SURE OTHER DRIVERS DON'T APPRECIATE IT WHEN IT'S IN THEIR REAR VIEW MIRRORS NOR WHEN THEY ARE DRIVING TOWARDS ME ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HONESTLY I'M SURPRISED I HAVEN'T BEEN PULLED OVER AND TICKETED FOR "ILLEGAL MODIFICATION TO HEADLIGHTS" ETC. I'M NOT SEEING A RECALL ON THIS, HOWEVER THERE IS SERVICE BULLETINS FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM. WHY HASN'T THE PCM OR THE ALTERNATOR BEEN RECALLED? THIS PROBLEM AMONG OTHERS I'VE DEALT WITH SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE AND THE FACT THAT PROBLEMS ARE BEING FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURE MAKE IT TO WHERE I'LL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER MAZDA IN THE FUTURE.

Using my headlamps at night when I break my headlamps begin to flash, as to dim and brighten I took it into the dealership because it was a recall that my Vin number was not part of. They refused to take care of it without a fee. I reported it to Mazda of North America but because the cars older it falls outside of what they would normally do to take care of it. In short, The braking system causes the headlamps to brighten and dim down. I use country Roads, this could become a hazard. Im concerned it could completely go out at some point and leave me in the dark and create an accident

CAR HIT COYOTE AT 75MPH. CAR NEVER WAVERED FROM WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. IT SAVED OUR LIVES THAT NIGHT. HEADLIGHT NOT HIT BY COYOTE BUT BARES A LARGE "BLIND SPOT" ON DRIVERS SIDE MAKING CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE AFTER DARK. CAR TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP, DEALERSHIP SAYS HEAD LIGHT IS WITHIN SPECS AND WAS COMPARED TO ANOTHER CAR OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL YEAR AND THE "BLIND SPOT" IS NORMAL. THIS PARTICULAR MAZDA 3 "DOESN'T LIKE TIRES". THAT IS WHAT THE GUY WHO PUT ON THE 3RD FULL SET OF TIRES TOLD ME. MILEAGE 46,000 THE CAR KEEPS BREAKING MOTOR MOUNTS AND MAZDA CLAIMS THIS IS ALL FROM THE ACCIDENT NOW 15 MONTHS AGO. THEY REFUSE TO FIX HEADLIGHT AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR AFTER DARK AS MY INSURANCE COMPANY MAY FIGHT IF I SHOULD HAVE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE FAULTY HEAD LIGHT. I HAVE NEVER KNOW A CAR MANUFACTURER TO OFFER HEADLIGHTS WITH BLIND SPOTS BUT I HAVE AN INVOICE FROM THE DEALERSHIP SAYING THIS IS NORMAL ON THE MAZDA 3. THESE CARS ARE NOT MADE TO TAKE THE IMPACT OF A COYOTE SO I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE MAZDA 3 SHOULD IT HIT SOMETHING LARGER THAN A DOG. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MAZDA MAZDA3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WERE AIMED TOO HIGH, CAUSING DIFFICULTY WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.