There are 5 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2021 Mazda Mazda3in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The latches inside the driver's seatbelt receptacle feel like they wear out over time. The only reason I can tell is because there is a really noticeable creaking that develops from inside the receptacle while the seatbelt is connected. This is worse for drivers with bigger waists and as the driver's waist continues to tug on the seatbelt during operation, the creaking gets worse over time. There are no electronic warnings. The seatbelt still properly connects and there are no electronic messages saying that anything is wrong with the seatbelt. My driver's original seatbelt receptacle has already been replaced once under warranty at a Mazda dealership. Now the second seatbelt receptacle is starting to do the same thing again after about 6 months of use. I fear that even if I get it replaced a second time, this will just continue to happen. Perhaps there is a manufacturing defect. As this issue continues to get worse, I fear that this creaking will develop into a major failure with the seatbelt connection itself.
Air bag malfunction light comes on a and goes off multiple times while driving
The vehicle was badly rear ended and the airbags didn't deploy. The dashboard indicated an "airbag malfunction" after the collision happened. The failure of the airbags put myself and my passengers at serious risk; if we weren't wearing our seatbelts, which we were, we would have been gravely injured. The vehicle is less than a year old and still under warranty.
Instrument panel display shows a warrning message: Air Bag System Malfunction. Have the Vehicle inspected.
My car started to show a warning on the dashboard that the airbag system is malfunctioning. The alarm would come on for a few seconds, then turn off, then repeat like that multiple times every drive. At the time it started, my car had less than 500 miles on it, and it continued after that until I got it fixed. I took it to the Mazda dealership where I bought it, and they said it was a short circuit to the driver's side airbags. They told me that could have caused the airbags to deploy prematurely or not at all in an accident. I am also a part of a Mazda 3 community and am active on the forums, and in the last month I have seen at least 30-40 other 2021 Mazda 3 owners also report the same exact error code, with the same short circuit issue being cited as the problem by the dealership. Parts are on backorder for weeks for most of these owners, and some of them were told by the dealership to keep their car while they waited for the part, whereas my own dealership told me it was unsafe to drive the car and to have it towed to the dealership instead.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026