Mazda 3 won't start
 

Hi. Ihave a 2005 mazda 3 2.0L. I have a problem with it starting. somtimes it starts other times i have to wait 2-3 hours. When I go to start it all the lights come but it crank over. The starter doest make a sound. If anybody has any ides, please let me know.

Thanks

does the engine turn over? if not you might have a bad starter.

mazda 3 won't start
 

No the engine dosent turn over. I put a new starter on it.

Get the battery checked.

if it's a manual transmission... make sure you have the clutch pressed ALL the way down.

my switch is kinda picky like that

mazda 3 wont start
 

Sorry ya, It's an automatic.

did you check all the fuses? in the florboard and under the hood

Mazda 3 Won't Start
 

I had the same problem with my 2006 Mazda 3. There is a service bulletin for it listed somewhere on this forum but I can't find it right now. It is an intermittent problem right? If you let it sit for a while then try it again it starts and runs lke there was never a problem right? I printed the bulletin, and tried to show the Mazda service guys near me (Peterborough, Ontario, Canada) and they told me that it wasn't a known problem and the bulletin wasn't Canadian. The service guys in Brampton (where I work) were very quick to recognise the problem and fix me up. Great guys!

The small wire at the the starter has corroded out, and needs to be replaced. I will have another look around here and find the service bulletin for you.

FOUND IT!!

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...7-08-1960a.pdf

I also have a 2006 Mazda 3 and I've been having the exact same problem. It's like it starts when it wants to and other times it just won't turn over. All the lights and the radio come on but it just won't start. The guys at the dealership told me that there's nothing they can do because every time I bring it in (2 times already) it starts !!!! Thank-you so much for posting the service bulletin. I'm bringing my car in tomorrow and I printed a copy of the bulletin to give to them so that they can fix it...can't believe that they weren't aware of this? Only problem, my warranty expired a few weeks ago. They should honour it since they weren't able to figure it out sooner. Thanks again :o)

I had the same problem with my '05 last summer. Corroded wire. It was replaced and no problems until this week, when the same problem reappeared. So the repair corrected the problem, but only for 8 months. Very annoying problem for an otherwise solid car.

I'm having the same starting issue with my '06 MAzda 3.
 

Hi everyone,

My car is currently in the shop for this very issue. My mechanic, being as persistent as he is, found what the Mazda service bulletin had said to be true without even seeing the bulletin.

Were any of you able to get this fixed for free by Mazda? My mechanic didn't do the same exact fix as what the bulletin said but did so something to try and deal with it and still the car failed me yesterday and today.

Thanks!

-Jim

for an automatic... it should start in neutral or park - try neutral, if that works it's the neutral safety switch.
Also, if you hold the key, see if the security light on the dash flashes - if so there's a problem with the car reading the key RFID. In which case you can try a second key for your car.

My car is a manual. My mechanic called and said the wire going to the starter is corroded for about 3 inches of the wire starting with part that connects to the starter. So they have to use the replacement/repair kit that Mazda has made available. The kicker is that it can't be delivered to my mechanic until tomorrow afternoon.

Thank goodness for telecommuting :-)

My dealer did the repair described in the service bulletin, but not for free since the warranty had expired. It was about $150.

If this fixes my problem, I'll send you a gift card for a case of your favorite beer!

Here's where I'm at. After a few days of wildly intermittent starts, I figured something was up. Next stop, local auto shop. Of course now it starts every time for the shop. I'm. sitting at home kinda annoyed. So I start JFGI. Within a few search results I find this post. And thankfully the pdf download was still active!

Status: sent email to auto shop w/ pdf attachment; awaiting assessment of where they are at with the problem.
03/17/2010, 12:50 PM.

I had this same problem and paid to get the starter wire fixed. That turned out not to be the problem. Our problem was the neutral safety switch. If we pushed the shifter hard towards the front of the car, it would start no problem. It just wasn't always catching the switch when put in park.

Just turned it back in off lease for a 2010 HB GT Liquid Silver. I "forgot" to mention the problem to them. Oops!

:)
 

Same issue on my Mazdaspeed3 !, so dealer did the repair from bulletin !!

Thank you pbuck!!!!!

I am Actually having a similar problem but i dont have automatic climate control, i removed the factory radio to installa line out converter, reinstalled the stereo ( mind you not touching and other wires but the rear speaker wires) and now the backlights for my climate control knobs are not working, anyone have any ideas?

well a completly seperate issu, just copied my question from another post from 6 months ago

same thing twice now
 

had the same problem over the summer with our 2006 mazda 3 not starting. i saw the post about the starter wire on this forum and printed out the service bulletin and the local mazda dealer fixed it as we were barely under our warranty period.

went to grab some burgers tonight and came out and the car wouldn't start. nothing, nada, zilch. has to be the same problem again. the mazda repair didn't even last 6 months--wonder what this is gonna cost me plus a tow.

been starting fine since the fix but it was also raining out tonight so i wonder if the moisture had something to do with it?

and to top it off, i got my first buck a few days ago with a 2000 windstar RIP.

wish mazda would fess up and find the right fix at no charge.

jj

Nhtsb
 

i just filed a complaint with the NHTSB about the Mazda 3 not starting due to a corrosion issue with the Starter wire. Please do the same if you have had this problem. If my wife or kids got stranded anywhere and any harm came to them i would be knocking on Mazda's door real quick. Their fix for this issue obviously doesn't work and they need to man up about it.

Fixed
 

Kudos to Park Mazda in Wooster, Ohio for replacing the whole starter cable at no charge after the "repair" outlined in the Mazda service bulletin lasted all of 5 months--even got a loaner car while they waited for the part and did the repair.

Hope this works--sure would hate to stall out on some railroad tracks and not be able to start the car.

jj

Long Road Trips = No Start
 

Hey guys. I've got a no start issue, but I'm not sure if the bulletin has anything to do with it. I can drive around town all day long from Point A to Point B and back. Car runs fine starts like a champ. However, when I go on a long road trip and have to stop for gas the car turns over like it should but won't start right away. After about 5 or 6 tries it will stumble to start up. Any idea on what could be causing this?

Wasn't sure about your problem (not that I am now) but when you mentioned stopping for gas something connected. BE SURE to twist your gas cap around until it clicks 10 times or so. We had the same problem with ours once and the gas cap not being tightened enough was the problem--good luck!!!!
Hope that's the problem.

Thanks for the tip will give it a shot. I usually give it at least 4 clicks and have considered just replacing the cap. Hate that I can't duplicate it until I 200 miles away from the house.

The gas cap won't cause the car not to start, but it will turn on the CEL (check engine light).
Your no start issue sounds like a sensor going bad, i've seen the crank angle sensor do this due to temperature on other vehicles. Though if it fails to start, it should also run like crap once it does start - until whatever sensor cools off again.
Don't worry though, it'll get worse as time goes on, so sometime you'll be recreating it when you're just around town. The dealer should be able to look at snap shot data for pending fault codes -just bring it in within a few ignition cycles of the next failure since some codes will clear with ignition cycles.

Another big THANK YOU to pbuck. Took a copy of the service bulletin to my local gas station mechanic. He did the repair on my 2007 Mazda 3 and only charged me $50. We had been having the problem for about 6 months. You'd never know if it was going to start or not. The dealer wanted a $98 diagnostic fee just to look at it. It's been a week and so far, so good.

I had this same issue only after gassing up. It's the Purge Valve. It's a $75 part, 10 minute fix (dealer wanted excess $100 to diagnose and install). The dealership had to order it for me and took a day or two. There is a hose on the top side of the engine that is molded. Took me under 10 minutes to replace. No issues since then. I'm only on here now because I'm having the corroded wire starter issue I think. Hope this helps.

My 2005 Mazda 3 always starts but every so often it sounds like it is not going to kick over and the car shakes a bit. Sounds a bit like the battery is going to die but it eventually kicks over. I have recently had the battery replaced to try to solve the problem but it hasn't worked. It does not always happen and it is not alway when the vehicle is cold either. My mechanic has run a diagnostic and it came out clear??

Has anyone has this problem???

same problem
 

Hello -

I had this problem in April of 2009 with my 2006 Mazda 3. I was still under warranty, so Mazda towed my car to the closest dealer. The starter was replaced. Not part of my current problem but worth mentioning: I got my car back and it was making this terrible clanking noise. Turned out they broke one of the major springs (??) in the rear axle or something when it was towed.

Anywho, go to leave work today and nada. Won't even turn over. Lights, radio, windows work, but the dang thing won't start. Of course I'm no longer under warranty.

It was too late in the evening to get it towed (by AAA) to a repair shop that was open, so I got a ride home so I could deal with this tomorrow.

I actually didn't remember what they fixed in '09, so I had to dig out the paperwork. As I said, it was the starter. But I just noticed on the receipt that I got a remanufactured starter. Does that sound right? I was within warranty and got a used part?

If it turns out to be a problem with the starter again, I wonder if Mazda will fix it for free, considering their last replacement didn't even last 2 years. This can't be normal. I wonder if I have any repercussions with the dealership that fixed it last time.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I know the chances of someone answering before I get it checked out tomorrow are slim, but I have to try!

Most remanufactured parts don't offer lifetime warranties. Some will do 1 year, but most are probably 90 days.

My old truck had starters go out pretty frequently. Picked up a reman. at Advance Auto for $50 (they were dirt cheap on that truck), and took me 10 minutes to swap it out. Each one would generally last about 10 months before crapping out, but that was within the 1 year warranty AA provides so I just kept getting them for free. :)

thanks for the response.

the thing is, it's an OLD truck. this is a still fairly new car - under 5 years old. this can't be normal. i had a 1997 chevy cavalier for 8 years. then my sister drove it for 3. now some random dude uses it as a beater and it NEVER needed a new starter. a chevy! a cavalier, no less! if this is normal, then i look forward to the day when i can rid myself of this mazda ;-(

Thank you for pointing out apples aren't oranges. I wasn't implying that because they crapped out on my '88 ranger that it was normal for it to happen on a brand new car. I was trying to point out that re-manufactured starters don't always last, and that they generally won't have warranties over one year long. You may have a leg to stand on by arguing that you should have received a new part vs. a reman. but I doubt you'll get anywhere with the argument.

If nothing else you could take a look at how difficult it is to replace the starter on the 3 yourself and then you'd only be out the cost of the starter, not labor too.

Mazda 3 won't start
 

Hello, I'm posting this for others who might have a similar problem. It was a dark and rainy night (not kidding)... and I was out in the country when much to may surprise, for the first time, my wonderful Mazda 3 sport (2005) simply did nothing when I turned the ignition key. I was at a friend's house, checked the internet for ideas..nothing worked. Fortunately I have CAA, the fellow came and turned the ignition just enough to shift into neutral (automatic transmission)...and it started like a charm. The problem? It's happened a few times since - when I park and think I've put the gear into P, sometimes it doesn't actually 'sit' in P. So when I go to start it, nothing happens. Now I know what to do... I start it in neutral....but will have to find out why it doesn't always go into P. Hope this helps someone.

Car not starting?
 

I'm having the same problem! I have a 2006 Mazda 3s and i have never had any issues with my car till now 5 years later! I turn the ignition on and car doesn't start...lights, radio, A/C etc all working properly so i have no clue what to do...i see in the past posts that there was a TSB out but everytime i click the link it states URL NOT FOUND, SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!

problem starting
 

my car will not start either but i think its something different cause my alarm system come on when i try to start it and i have put the key in the door to shut it off but it still wont start. i have changed the battery and checked all fuses witch they are all good any ideas?

Starts only on neutral.
 

Does anyone have that pdf . I have the same problem i am trying to clean that contact or if someone can tell me what to do in details.
The link does not work anymore .

Thank you all.

Link to PDF & Thanks
 

Thanks to everyone for their help - same problems - going to work on it today to see if I can get it fixed. Died at the gas station right after I filled up - would crank, but not catch. Hoping one of the ideas in the post will work.

Also, I attached the bulletin that was first linked back on page 1.

Thanks to all! Hopefully I'll get it working... I'll let everyone know.

EDIT: Also found the bulletin that addresses the problem of being able to start in neutral and not in park - I love ChiltonLibrary.com

That did it - purge value replace, check engine light gone and starting like a champ.

Darn beat me to it, was going to say Purge Valve! Common problem on first gen 3's we replace alot of them.

To test get a vacuum gauge, attach at throttle body location (see proper diagrams) then pressure test to 14psi and let sit for 10 minutes, if gauge shows lose of pressure Purge Valve is faulty.