I am having the issue with headlights flickering while braking and found out about the PCM issue through this forum. I took my 2012 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring in to get it fixed yesterday (as well as a variable valve timing recall). However, those of you who got the PCM fixed for the headlight issue said it was done for free and I was told that since my car has 79,000 miles (I bought it used) I would have to pay for the reprogramming. I was just wondering if anyone happens to remember how many miles their vehicle had when they got this fixed? Just checking to see if I'm getting screwed over.

 

Usually they will only cover theses issues ( TSB - Technical Service Bulletin) while the car is under warranty. Otherwise you will be charged for the operation. Stupid, but thems the rules.

 

My car only had 38k on it and I had it for maybe two weeks when I got it fixed. I took it to a local Mazda dealership where they did it for free. If you're being charged, I may get a second opinion first.

 

Just heard back from the dealership. They said the update they have to do for the variable valve timing will also cover the update for the PCM. And since the VVT is a recall there won't be a charge for any of it. Thank y'all for the replies though.

 

Perfect! Good stuff. Glad it worked out especially saving dollars around the holiday lol

 

The dealership didn't charge you? Because I have a 2012 Mazda 3 touring silver and my lights do the exact same thing.. The dealership said they would have have to charge me? Is this true

 

My car had done this when it was under a year old. It was still under warranty, but that hadn't occurred to me, just that it was a problem known to them and they should fix it. You have a 2012 which is nearly four years old now and not sure if they should charge you or not, but given the fact that Mazda knows/knew about this sometime ago, they should fix it for free. It isn't a big deal, to them anyway fixing it. It doesn't take long, might not involve any parts, but I would demand that they fix it or call Mazda headquarters and tell them what you had read here, that the problem has been existing for quite a while. In any case if they charge you, it shouldn't be much, given the time it took to correct. Good luck, let me know.

 

I got mine fixed recently and they told me there would be a charge at first too. But there currently a recall for the Variable Valve Timing and the update they do for that also covers the PCM update which fixes the headlight issue, so it didn't end up costing anything.

 

As a follow-up to this...


I called my local Mazda dealership and the person who answered the phone said that she did not know what could cause the lights to flicker. I was a little concerned by her response since this seems like a common problem.


I am going tonight to get it checked out, and am taking a copy of this forum with me. I am hoping that it will be no cost to me.


Something else that I found with the lights was this:
2013 Mazda MAZDA3 TSBs

86 MAZDA3 Technical Service Bulletins

Technical Service Bulletins, or TSBs for short, are notifications made directly by Mazda to help automotive technicians diagnose and repair commonly reported MAZDA3 problems. If you scroll down it has a blurb specific to the lights.


2013 Mazda MAZDA3 TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) | MazdaProblems.com

 

Hey Kmill313,

Did you ever get this looked into? I just purchased a 2013 Mazda 3 Skyactiv last week with 47k. I didn't notice it on the test drive cause it was day time. =( I went to the dealer and they said since I am out of warranty I would have to pay to have them diag the issue.