Missing sound system features lead to unlikely lawsuit
Most of the time, a class action lawsuit in the automotive arena comes about due to a safety issue that a manufacturer can’t (or fails to) resolve. That’s the case with the Mazda CX-90, which finds itself in the midst of a lawsuit over noisy and juddering brakes.
But Mazda is being sued for something else involving its 3 Hatchback and 3 Sedan range that has nothing at all to do with safety. This latest lawsuit involves sound system speakers – or rather, a lack thereof. Specifically, Mazda is being accused of inaccurate window stickers that misrepresent the audio systems equipped to these vehicles, which actually have more ordinary sound systems than advertised.
Mazda 3’s Sound System Hits All The Wrong Notes
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The lead plaintiff in this case is Kyle Johanson, who purchased a 2025 Mazda 3 S Hatchback. The Monroney label attached to the car specified that it had an eight-speaker sound system with HD Radio. After diving into the infotainment settings, Johanson discovered that his car was missing two speakers at the back and also had no HD Radio.
Upon addressing these findings with a Mazda District Sales Manager, it was confirmed that the car was missing the advertised features.
“[l am] looking into the issues . . . it appears that there are typos on the Window Label / Monroney Label for the 2025 Model Year Mazda3 Hatch 2.5 S Base Trim.”
The lawsuit notes that six of the 13 Mazda 3 variants are affected by the misleading window sticker:
- 2025 Mazda 3 2.5 S Sedan
- 2025 Mazda 3 2.5 S Hatchback
- 2025 Mazda 3 2.5 S Select Sport Sedan
- 2025 Mazda 3 2.5 S Select Sport Hatchback
- 2025 Mazda 3 2.5 S Preferred Sedan
- 2025 Mazda 3 2.5 S Preferred Hatchback
Related: Experts Dissect the 2025 Mazda3: 4 Highlights, 2 Shortcomings
Mazda’s Own Site Confirms Discrepancy
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We hopped onto Mazda’s USA website, and the information there does contradict the car’s window sticker. The cheapest three Mazda 3 Hatchbacks all have six-speaker sound systems without HD Radio; the two additional speakers and HD Radio are only standard on the S Carbon Edition and trims above that. As Mazda isn’t known for offering many optional extras, you can’t upgrade the base sound system on the cheaper Mazda 3s at all.
The lawsuit said Mazda created “deceptive and fraudulent misrepresentations” of these vehicles.
While two missing speakers and the lack of HD Radio may not sound like serious issues, we all have unique requirements and expectations of our vehicles. It’s possible that the omission of these features, if communicated, would have seen the plaintiff choose another trim, or possibly another model from a rival manufacturer.
The lawsuit seeks to award compensatory and punitive damages to the plaintiff and class members, and to get Mazda to “disgorge revenues and profits wrongfully obtained.”