IllustrationVEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON CRASH WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE BOTH VEHICLES WERE TRAVELING ABOUT 50-60. UPON IMPACT, THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S SIDE OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS. NOT SURE IF THE VAN WOULD BE TOTALLED. *AK *ML
1997 Mazda Mpv
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Mazda Mpv do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 36.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Mpv 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: 5 of 22 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports3 fire reports6 injury reports
What owners actually said
22 reportsON FOUR OCCASSIONS MY STEERING WHEN GOING FROM A COMPLETE STOP TO CHANGING LANES TO THE RIGHT LANE AND THEN CORRECTING BACK TO THE LEFT, GOT STIFF AND WOULD NOT TURN. SUBSEQUESTLY THIS LAST TIME I ENDED UP ON THE SHOULDER OF A BUSY FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR. I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN AS I HAD TWO TIMES PREVIOUSLY, TO HAVE THEM TE…
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ON FOUR OCCASSIONS MY STEERING WHEN GOING FROM A COMPLETE STOP TO CHANGING LANES TO THE RIGHT LANE AND THEN CORRECTING BACK TO THE LEFT, GOT STIFF AND WOULD NOT TURN. SUBSEQUESTLY THIS LAST TIME I ENDED UP ON THE SHOULDER OF A BUSY FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR. I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN AS I HAD TWO TIMES PREVIOUSLY, TO HAVE THEM TELL ME THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, AND FIND THAT OTHER 1997 MADZA MPV'S ALSO REACTED THE SAME. IT WAS A "NORMAL STEERING FUNCTION". I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND I CAN NOT AFFORD TO HAVE THEIR SAFETY JEOPORDIZED. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO MAZDA ON TWO OCCASSIONS AND THEY CLAIM THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO. I KNOW THAT IF I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN FOUR TIMES, SOMEONE ELSE HAS HAD TO HAVE IT HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN ON THE OTHER MPV'S THAT WERE TESTDRIVEN. *AK
HAVE COLD ENGINE KNOCK SINCE VEHICLE WAS NEW. DEALER SAYS KNOCK IS NORMAL FOR THAT ENGINE. KNOCK IS CONSISTENTLY GETTING WORSE AS ENGINE WEARS AND GETTING CLOSE TO THE THREE YEAR EXPIRATION OF WARRANTY. I DO NOT FEEL THE MANUFACTURER WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE ENGINE PROBLEM AND MAKE APPROPRIATE REPAIRS &/OR ENGINE REPLACEMENT. TH…
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HAVE COLD ENGINE KNOCK SINCE VEHICLE WAS NEW. DEALER SAYS KNOCK IS NORMAL FOR THAT ENGINE. KNOCK IS CONSISTENTLY GETTING WORSE AS ENGINE WEARS AND GETTING CLOSE TO THE THREE YEAR EXPIRATION OF WARRANTY. I DO NOT FEEL THE MANUFACTURER WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE ENGINE PROBLEM AND MAKE APPROPRIATE REPAIRS &/OR ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THEY SEEM TO BE ATTEMPTING TO ALLOW THE WARRANTY PERIOD TO EXPIRE CAUSING UNECESSARY EXPENSES TO BE PAID BY THE OWNER. *AK
CONSUMER CONCERNED WITH COLD ENGINE NOISE. NLM
WHEN DRIVING AT 55 MPH TO 60 MPH FRONT WHEELS ARE VIBRATING AND THE VEHICLE IS GOING TO THE RIGHT. CAUSING UNEVEN WEARING OF TIRES. DEALER NOTIFIED, BUT UNABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM TO CONSUMER'S SATISFACTION. *AK *ML
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A 30 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AT 25 MPH. UPON IMPACT, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSING MINOR INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANT. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH HAD A FRONTAL IMPACT WITH A TREE, AND BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THE ACCIDENT. DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED IN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE SLID ON ICY ROAD, SKIDDING 200 FEET INTO A TREE, HIT TREE AT 40 MPH. BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES.…
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WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH HAD A FRONTAL IMPACT WITH A TREE, AND BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THE ACCIDENT. DRIVER'S SEAT BELT FAILED IN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE SLID ON ICY ROAD, SKIDDING 200 FEET INTO A TREE, HIT TREE AT 40 MPH. BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A 30 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, ALSO THE DRIVER'S SEAT COLLASPED FORWARD, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO SUSTAIN INJURIES. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES AT 20 MPH THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH RESULTED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.