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1990 Mazda Protege

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1990 Mazda Protege do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 66.

About this comparison →
37Owner complaints

Model-year median: 66

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

2Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
2
198937
199051
199163
199244
1993
Compare all Protege years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Seat Belts
21Engine And Engine Cooling
4Steering
3Visibility
3Equipment
2
All reported categories
Power Train
2Unknown Or Other
2Electrical System
1Exterior Lighting
1Seats
1Suspension
1Vehicle Speed Control
1

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: 2 of 37 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.

  • Seat Belts. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports

Steering complaints

3 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2002
Steering

THIS PART IS DESIGNED WITH NO RETAINER AS ON PREVIOUS PARTS WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS FAILURE. MOST COMPACT MAZDA AND FORD MODELS HAVE THIS TYPE TIE ROD END. I HAVE TALKED TO SEVERAL FORD ESCORT OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE. THE PARTS WERE AS NEW AS FIVE MONTHS OLD AND FAILED CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF CO…

Read full complaint

THIS PART IS DESIGNED WITH NO RETAINER AS ON PREVIOUS PARTS WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS FAILURE. MOST COMPACT MAZDA AND FORD MODELS HAVE THIS TYPE TIE ROD END. I HAVE TALKED TO SEVERAL FORD ESCORT OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE. THE PARTS WERE AS NEW AS FIVE MONTHS OLD AND FAILED CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL.*AK

NHTSA ODI #762831

Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 1998
Steering

FRONT INNER TIE ROD SEPARATED AT JOINT. CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING.

NHTSA ODI #533468

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 1996
Seat BeltsSteering

THE PASENGER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR NEVER WORKED, ALSO CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONED, PURCHASED USED VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ODI #805142

Official recalls

1

15V674000 · 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

2

EA94039 · Auto Restraint System Fail

Opened Nov 30, 1994 · Closed Nov 26, 1997

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts

There is no summary currently available

PE94059 · Auto Restraint System Fail

Opened Jul 28, 1994 · Closed Nov 30, 1994

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts

There is no summary currently available