Parts for your 2022 Mazda 3-Centre bearing

2022 Mazda 3 centre-bearing — is it fitted?

For Australian and New Zealand market cars, a centre-bearing is not used on the 2022 Mazda 3. Technical sources that support this: the Mazda 3 (BP) Workshop Manual Driveline/Axle sections specify front-wheel-drive hardware only and show no propeller shaft or centre support bearing, Mazda’s 2022 model specification sheets for Australia and New Zealand list all Mazda 3 variants as front-wheel drive, and Mazda’s Electronic Parts Catalogue for BP-series FWD vehicles contains no centre support bearing listing. Put simply, there’s no long prop shaft running down the car, so there’s nothing for a centre-bearing to support.

A centre-bearing (often called a centre support bearing) is typically found on vehicles with a two-piece propeller shaft — common in rear-wheel drive utes, sedans, or AWD platforms that need to run a shaft to the rear differential. The 2022 Mazda 3 sold in AU/NZ is a transverse-engine, FWD layout using left and right CV half-shafts from the transaxle, so a centre-bearing doesn’t enter the picture. Some FWD cars use an intermediate (right-hand) driveshaft with a bracket and bearing, but that’s a different component to a prop-shaft centre-bearing and isn’t described or serviced as such in Mazda’s documentation.

Why it isn’t used here comes down to packaging and drivetrain design. The BP-series Mazda 3’s FWD setup keeps the driveline short and self-supported by the gearbox and hubs, which avoids the need for a multi-piece propeller shaft and its centre support. While some overseas Mazda 3 variants feature AWD, those configurations were not supplied to Australia or New Zealand for MY22. If a grey-import AWD Mazda 3 is involved, note that any centre support bearing is typically integrated into the prop shaft assembly and may not be serviced separately.

• Chasing a vibration on a 2022 Mazda 3? Think tyres, wheel balance, worn engine/trans mounts, or CV joints — not a centre-bearing.
• Driveline hums or drones often trace back to tyre pattern noise or front hub bearings on these cars.

Technical references: Mazda 3 (BP) Workshop Manual — Driveline/Axle (FWD), Mazda Australia and Mazda New Zealand 2022 Mazda 3 specification sheets (FWD only), Mazda Genuine EPC for BP FWD models (no centre support bearing listing).

Popular questions

Does a 2022 Mazda 3 have a centre support bearing?
No — not for Australian and New Zealand models. They’re front-wheel drive, so there’s no rear propeller shaft to support. Any driveline bearing you’ll encounter is related to the front CV assemblies or hub bearings, not a prop-shaft centre support.

I can hear a rumble under load — could it be the centre-bearing on my Mazda 3?
On a 2022 Mazda 3 sold in AU/NZ, it won’t be a centre-bearing because the car doesn’t have one. Check the usual suspects first: tyre condition and pressures, wheel balance, front hub bearings, CV joints, and engine/trans mounts.

Are any Mazda 3 models fitted with a centre-bearing?
Some overseas AWD Mazda 3 variants use a propeller shaft to the rear, which can involve a centre support bearing. Those AWD versions weren’t offered locally for MY22. If you’ve got a grey import, consult the VIN-specific parts catalogue and workshop manual to confirm what’s fitted.