Centrally expressed 5-HT₃ receptors (5-HTR₃) are well-known for their role in wakefulness, cognition and nociception. However, clear evidence of their participation in motor control is still lacking despite specific 5-HTR₃ expression in hindlimb motor areas of the spinal cord (i.e. lumbar laminae VII-IX). Here, we studied the acute effects of 4-amino-(6-chloro-2-pyridyl)-1-piperidine hydrochloride (SR 57227A), a potent and selective 5-HTR₃ agonist, on hindlimb movement generation in complete paraplegic mice. The induced movements were assessed in open-field, air-stepping, and treadmill conditions using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The results revealed that SR 57227A (1-4 mg/kg, i.p.) produced hindlimb movements corresponding to scores ranging from 1-5 on the motor scales of Basso, Beattie & Bresnahan and of Antri, Orsal & Barthe. Additional analyses revealed that one-third of the movements displayed on a treadmill were locomotor-like (i.e. bilateral alternation) whereas only non-locomotor movements were observed in the other testing conditions suggesting a task-dependent contribution of peripheral afferent inputs to these effects. Locomotor-like movements could also be induced in open-field and air-stepping if SR 57227A were combined with subthreshold doses of 5-carboxytryptamine (5-HT_1A/7 receptor agonist) suggesting synergistic actions of these drugs on central neurons. These results demonstrate that 5-HTR₃ activation can induce motor activity and, under some conditions, rhythmic locomotor-like movements in the hindlimbs of paraplegic mice providing evidence of an unsuspected role for this receptor subtype in hindlimb motor control.