IllustrationTHE LEFT FRONT SEAT BUCKLE FAILED. *YH
1996 Mazda B-SERIES Truck
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Mazda B-SERIES Truck do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 26.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all B-SERIES Truck 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: 7 of 55 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.
- Visibility. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
55 reportsFRONT SEAT BELT A (L) BUCKLE FAILED. *TT
WAS DRIVING 60MPH WHEN CRUISE CONTROL CAME ON.CRUISE CONTROL COULD NOT BE RELEASED AFTER HITTING BRAKES OR ACCELERATOR PEDAL. HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, AND THEN SHUT VEHICLE DOWN. ONCE RESTARTED, CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ACTIVATED.*AKCONSUMER STATES THIS HAS HAPPENED ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENS AT EACH FAILURE…
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WAS DRIVING 60MPH WHEN CRUISE CONTROL CAME ON.CRUISE CONTROL COULD NOT BE RELEASED AFTER HITTING BRAKES OR ACCELERATOR PEDAL. HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, AND THEN SHUT VEHICLE DOWN. ONCE RESTARTED, CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ACTIVATED.*AKCONSUMER STATES THIS HAS HAPPENED ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENS AT EACH FAILURE. *SLC
WHILE DRIVING ALONG SLOWLY, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE & VIBRATE UNCONTROLLABLY. I PULLED INTO THE MEDIAN ATTEMPTING TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC & THEN DISCOVERED STEERING WAS SLOW & LETHARGIC. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC & INTO A PARKING LOT, I HEARD A LOUD "POP." I GOT OUT OF THE CAR & DISCOVERED THE TIE ROD SE…
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WHILE DRIVING ALONG SLOWLY, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE & VIBRATE UNCONTROLLABLY. I PULLED INTO THE MEDIAN ATTEMPTING TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC & THEN DISCOVERED STEERING WAS SLOW & LETHARGIC. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC & INTO A PARKING LOT, I HEARD A LOUD "POP." I GOT OUT OF THE CAR & DISCOVERED THE TIE ROD SEPARATED ENTIRELY FROM THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL & SLASHED THE INNER TIRE WHEEL (RESULTING IN THE FLAT).*AK (TIRESIZE: P22570R14)
FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES P215/75R15 DOT W2HF1PJ016 HAVE CRACKS ALL THE WAY AROUND TIRE ON SIDEWALL, CONSUMER NOTICED CRACKS WHEN RECALL 00T005 WENT PUBLIC IN AUGUST OF 2000, DEALER WON'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL TIRES ARE ON RECALL. *SLC
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STAY ON WHEN TURNED OFF IN THE FAST MODE.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. WE'VE TAKEN IT INTO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WE'VE HAD THE SWITCH REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THAT HAS NEVER SOLVED THE PROBLEM. SINCE WE ONLY USE WIPERS WHEN IT RAINS, THE FAILURE HAS CAUSES A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I BEEN IN SEVERAL NEAR …
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WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. WE'VE TAKEN IT INTO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WE'VE HAD THE SWITCH REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THAT HAS NEVER SOLVED THE PROBLEM. SINCE WE ONLY USE WIPERS WHEN IT RAINS, THE FAILURE HAS CAUSES A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I BEEN IN SEVERAL NEAR MISSES WHEN THIS HAS OCCURRED, ONE WHEN A TRACTOR TRAILER SPRAYED MY WINDSHEILD AND I COULDN'T SEE. MAZDA HAS BEEN UNWILLING TO VOLUNTARILY INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE DETAIL. AS A RESULT, WE'VE CONTINUALLY HAD TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK INTO THE SHOP FOR REPAIR. WE CURRENTLY HAVE THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP FOR THE SAME ISSUE, BUT I'M CONCERNED THAT MAZDA WILL JUST REPLACE THE SWITCH, COLLECT THEIR MONEY, AND SEND US ON OUR WAY. FROM PAST EXPERIENCE, REPLACING THE SWITCH HAS NOT SOLVED THE PROBLEM. AS THE RAINY SEASON APPROACHES, I HOPE THIS MATTER CAN BE RESOLVE BEFORE A WIPER FAILURE CAUSES A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, INJURY, OR EVEN DEATH. *AK
CONSUMERS TIRES FAILED PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE, CONSUMER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPLACED TIRES, CONSUMER IS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT IS TAKING TO GET MONEY BACK (7 WEEKS). NLM
FRONT SUSPENSION OF TRUCK UNSTABLE, HIGHLY UNSTABLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, FRONT SHOCKS REPLACED BUT NO CHANGE WHATSOEVER
SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT AND LOCK PASSENGERS IN THE SEAT.*AK
Official recalls
109V414000 · Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control
Oct 23, 2009
MAZDA IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 1995 THROUGH 1997 AND MODEL YEAR 2001 THROUGH 2003 TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH (SCDS) AND/OR ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) AND MANUFACTURED ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 5, 2002. A COMPONENT OF THE CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY DETERIORATE OVER TIME AND DEVELOP A LEAK. THIS OCCURRENCE COULD CAUSE THE SWITCH TO OVERHEAT, SMOKE OR BURN WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN UNDER HOOD FIRE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.
Remedy: MAZDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A UNIVERSAL FUSED JUMPER HARNESS ON THE CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MAZDA AT 1-800-222-5500 OPTION #6.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.