Scratch that last post.
All modern cars from roughly 1982 on, have sealed fuel systems. No vents. A cheap AM cap will probably not work and cause CELs.
I believe the problem lies in the design or quality of the fuel cap itself.Especially the 08's seem to be having this problem a lot, but only the 08's? Mazda needs to look into this problem as it's been cropping up more and more on the forums.

 

Hi folks

Ran into the same problem this morning with my 08 Mazda 3. The guy at the gas station brought out a wrench and after trying to loosen it for a few minutes, Ilost my patience and whacked the cap. This lodged it back into place and I was able to unscrew it - but the cap is now cracked, which means I have to go and argue with the dealer to give me a new one under the warranty.

This problem seems to be caused by the cap being screwed in at an angle.

 

The gas cap on our 2008 Mazda 3 has got stuck twice and its taken a good 10 minutes to get it off both times. We're going to the dealer ASAP to get it replaced but wonder if this will actually fix the problem for good. Are the replacement caps a different design? Has anyone had a problem with their replacement cap sticking?

 

Mazdamom, I'm experiencing the same problem. I have a 08 Mazda 3 and have had the gas cap stuck 4 times since 7/29/08 when I bought it.Of the 4 incidents only once have I succeeded in removing the cap myself. I have spoken with theservice dept.about my "technique" and I have verified that I am using it properly. I was stranded last night (saturday) at a gig and had to have the car towed to the dealer w/ whom I already had an appointment on monday to fix the paint damage from gas cap replacement #3. Amazing! Other than this the car has been great, but 4x in 2 months is quite excessive.

 

I just had the same problem tonight with my Mazda I bought 8/4. I called road side assistance and they said they couldn't do anything but tow the car to the dealer, so don't bother. I ended up sweating bullets as drove down to the dealer 15 miles away with the needle on E. I called the Mazda dealer and they said there is a recall on the part. Unfortunately too late for me to fix it.

 

There's a recall? I went to the dealer Monday and bought a new gas cap to replace the one that gets stuck. Dealer said he'd never heard of any gas caps getting stuck, only breaking. No mention of a recall. I'm expecting problems with this one too, since bosleychris (post 13) is on his 4th replacement.

 

I'm glad I happened across this forum - you guys just made me feel a lot less stupid! On the FIRST DAY that I had my new Mazdaspeed3 I broke off the ratcheting portion of the gas cap. I've had a lot of cars over the years and I've never had a cap stick like this one did. I could NOT get it out. As with many of you, I broke off the ratcheting top part of the cap, leaving the business end in the filler neck. Guess I'll make the 20-mile trip to the dealer for a new one, hopefully covered under warranty (maybe I'll print out this thread of messages as backup!)

 

There seems to have been a bad run of these... annoying for sure. I have heard that Mazda has finally issued a TSBand replacement cap concerning the issue.I would be just as frustrated as everyone else on this thread. Since not having the cap on tight can cause a CEL issue, and not being able to remove it can cause a lack of fuel in the tank, it"s an annoyance that must be fixed.
No, you're not foolish, nor alone, rgroom.And, Welcome to the Family!!

 

Add me to the list. My gas cap broke while I tried to take it off on Friday. I estimate that I have filled up the car 14 times since I bought it, so that means the part or design failed after about 15 uses (once in the factory). This is my first Mazda after owning a bunch of Honda's so how the dealership deals with this problem will be a good indication of what I can expect from Mazda.

Give it to them hard at the dealership; these things should not fail so quickly.

VC

 

starting to see that alot- cap is cross threaded, way i remove it is with a big pair of channel locks, it will be covered under warrantee