2012 Mazda 3

small car / 4-door sedan

2012 Mazda 3 4-door sedan
2011 Mazda 3 4-door sedan shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2010-13 models

Tested vehicle: 2010 Mazda 3 S-Sport 4-door

The Mazda 3 was redesigned for the 2010 model year. Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Mazda. The frontal ratings also apply to the hatchback version of the Mazda 3, also redesigned for the 2010 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF0819
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 5
Left (cm) 6
Center (cm) 7
Right (cm) 4
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 3
Right (cm) 1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 2
Rearward (cm) -5
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 2

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF0819
Head
HIC-15 268
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.5
Extension bending moment (Nm) 9
Maximum Nij 0.28
Chest maximum compression (mm) 22
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.5
Femur force - right (kN) 0.3
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.45
Maximum tibia index - right 0.83
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 3.1
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 59
Right 86

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2010-13 models

Tested vehicle: 2010 Mazda 3 S-Sport 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Mazda 3 was redesigned for the 2010 model year. The side ratings also apply to the hatchback version of the Mazda 3, also redesigned for the 2010 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0914
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -8.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0914
Head HIC-15 411
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 43
Lateral force (kN) 1.5
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 31
Average deflection (mm) 28
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.65
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.43
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.6
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.4
Combined force (kN) 5.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.2
L-M moment (Nm) 177
A-P moment (Nm) 69

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0914
Head HIC-15 280
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 44
Lateral force (kN) 1.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 43
Average deflection (mm) 36
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.89
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.72
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.9
Combined force (kN) 3.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 122
A-P moment (Nm) -68

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2011-13 models built after December 2010

Tested vehicle: 2011 Mazda 3 i Sport 4-door sedan

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 2,922 lbs
Peak force 15,541 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 5.32

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seats AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 48
Distance below top of head (mm) 55
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 9.9
Head contact time (ms) 68
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 14
Max neck tension (N) 375

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.