IllustrationWHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 35MPH WHEN SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN. BEFORE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, HAD EASED TO SIDE OF ROAD. HAD LEFT BRAKE PADS ON ROAD. THERE WAS NO WARNING. LEFT VEHICLE & IT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. *AK
1993 Mazda 626
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most 626 years
Owner complaints for the 1993 Mazda 626 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 44.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 626 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 22 of 122 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
11 crash reports4 fire reports7 injury reports
What owners actually said
122 reportsTHE WARNING LIGHT FOR AIR BAG KEEPS COMING ON. TOOK TO DEALER & INFORMED THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS FRIED. NO OTHER WARNING WAS GIVEN EXCEPT THE BLINKING OF THE LIGHT. *AK
THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH HEADLIGHTS, AS WELL AS TURN SIGNAL SWITCH. WHILE DRIVING, HEADLIGHTS KEPT GOING OUT INTERMITTENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *ML
A MALFUNCTION OCCURS WITHIN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, CAUSING THE LIGHTS TO FLICKER AND THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. CAUSE UNKNOWN. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DISTRIBUTOR WAS REPLACED, BUT HAS NOT REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
ALTERNATOR BELT PREMATURELY BROKE AND SLIPPED ONTO THE TIMING BELT, CAUSING IT TO BREAK WHICH RESULTED IN THE BENDING OF THE VALVES. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
EXCESSIVE GRINDING NOISE OF FRONT BRAKES. REPLACED TWICE. BOTH TIMES ROTORS WERE REPORTED WARPED. ROTORS AND CALIPERS REPLACED FIRST TIME. SAME PROBLEM RECURRED 1 YEAR LATER. TRANSMISSION FAILURE STARTED WITH SUBTLE RUBBING SOUND ON DRIVER FRONT. ESCALATED TO POPPING NOISE WHILE DRIVE/REVERSE GEAR ENGAGED. SURGE/STALL WH…
Read full complaint
EXCESSIVE GRINDING NOISE OF FRONT BRAKES. REPLACED TWICE. BOTH TIMES ROTORS WERE REPORTED WARPED. ROTORS AND CALIPERS REPLACED FIRST TIME. SAME PROBLEM RECURRED 1 YEAR LATER. TRANSMISSION FAILURE STARTED WITH SUBTLE RUBBING SOUND ON DRIVER FRONT. ESCALATED TO POPPING NOISE WHILE DRIVE/REVERSE GEAR ENGAGED. SURGE/STALL WHILE AT STOP. REQUIRED COMPLETE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT (NON-WARRANTIED!)
SEAT BELT ANCHORAGE ON THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT CAME UNBOLTED FROM THE FLOORBOARD WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS BUCKLING THE SEAT BELT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP ON 9/15/98, AND ANCHORED BACK TO THE FLOORBOARD. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WILL REMAIN ON. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING AND ABOUT TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE STALLS WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. DEALER REPLACED FUEL FILTER. DEALERR CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. CAUSE UNKNOWN.
THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED, INDICATING MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE SYSTEM. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Official recalls
115V674000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Oct 19, 2015
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 1989-1998 MPV, 1990-1995 323, 1990-1998 Protege, 1992-1993 MX-3, 1993-1995 929, 1993-1997 MX-6, and 1993-1998 626 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, grease applied to the contact points inside the ignition switch may become conductive and overheat.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2015. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Experience Center at 1-800-222-5500, option#6. Mazda's number for this recall is 8715J.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1RQ99022 · Headlight Failure
Opened Dec 20, 1999 · Closed Aug 30, 2000
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
OBTAINED RECALL 99V-358