IllustrationLEFT FRONT MACPHERSON STRUT DETACHED AT THE TOWER CAUSING THE CAR TO BE UNDRIVEABLE.
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 reportsBATTERY FAILED TWICE.
EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILURE.
DRIVER SIDE REAR BRAKE LOCKED, CAUSING A LOUD NOISE, THEN GRINDING WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THERE WAS ALSO A STRONG ODOR OF SOMETHING OVERHEATING.
DRIVER SIDE REAR BRAKE CALIPER FROZE (SEIZED), CAUSING A LOUD THUNK, THEN GRINDSWHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED. ALSO A STRONG ODOR WAS NOTICED, LIKE A PART WAS SEVERLY OVERHEATING.
TRANSMISSION FAILURE.
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE USED TURN SIGNAL. TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS FAILED TO WORK. IN THE BEGINNING, AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. BUT NOW CONTINUOUS. TOOK TO DEALER INFORMED IT WAS ELECTRICAL, BUT THEY WILL NOT REPAIR DUE TO BEING OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK
DRIVING AT APRROX 20-30MPH ON SMOOTH PAVEMENT TURN SIGANL FAILED ,THIS ALSO CONNECTS TO HEADLIGHT/TAIL LIGHTS. ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS. ALL COMPONENTS TURNED OFF AT ONCE. IN ORDER TO RECOVER FROM THIS DEFECT, HAD TO REPOSITION STEERING WHEEL.THIS PROBLEM IS STILL REOCCURRING AND IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WHICH CAN RESULT IN AN ACC…
Read full complaint
DRIVING AT APRROX 20-30MPH ON SMOOTH PAVEMENT TURN SIGANL FAILED ,THIS ALSO CONNECTS TO HEADLIGHT/TAIL LIGHTS. ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS. ALL COMPONENTS TURNED OFF AT ONCE. IN ORDER TO RECOVER FROM THIS DEFECT, HAD TO REPOSITION STEERING WHEEL.THIS PROBLEM IS STILL REOCCURRING AND IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WHICH CAN RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. DEFECT IS IN STEERING COLUMN COMBINATION SWITCH. *AK CONSUMER STATES THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, INCLUDING FAULTY WIRING TO POWER WINDOWS. *SLC
ENGINE STOPS.
ABS BRAKE FAILURE; ALSO REPLACED LEFT REAR CALIPER. *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