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1991 Mazda Protege

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1991 Mazda Protege do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 66.

About this comparison →
51Owner complaints

Model-year median: 66

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

2Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
2
198937
199051
199163
199244
199374
1994
Compare all Protege years →

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

What owners reported most

Seat Belts
27Structure
7Electrical System
4Power Train
4Service Brakes, Hydraulic
3
All reported categories
Engine And Engine Cooling
2Suspension
2Vehicle Speed Control
2Air Bags
1Exterior Lighting
1Latches/locks/linkages
1Seats
1Tires
1Wheels
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: 3 of 51 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 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports2 fire reports7 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Nov 20, 1999
Exterior Lighting

DATES ARE APPROXIMATE. HEADLIGHTS: BOTH LENS'S WERE FOGGED/YELLOWING LATER WHEN I WENT TO DEALER IN LEESBURG, VA (PATEROS); SERVICE MANAGE TRIED TO CLEAN.. MADE WORSE. THEN I REALIZED THAT LENS'S WERE PLASTIC! -- HIS CLEANING SOLUTION MELTED THAT PART OF THE LENS. I BELIEVE THAT THE HEADLIGHTS SHOULD LAST THE DURATION OF …

Read full complaint

DATES ARE APPROXIMATE. HEADLIGHTS: BOTH LENS'S WERE FOGGED/YELLOWING LATER WHEN I WENT TO DEALER IN LEESBURG, VA (PATEROS); SERVICE MANAGE TRIED TO CLEAN.. MADE WORSE. THEN I REALIZED THAT LENS'S WERE PLASTIC! -- HIS CLEANING SOLUTION MELTED THAT PART OF THE LENS. I BELIEVE THAT THE HEADLIGHTS SHOULD LAST THE DURATION OF THE CAR'S LIFE. --THAT I SHOULD GET REPLACEMENTS AS THEY ARE A SAFETY FEATURE. ENGINE: A YEAR AND A HALF AGO ENGINE WILL EMIT BLACK SMOKE WHEN ON TREADMILL FOR EMISSIONS INSPECTION AND SMOKES WHITE WHEN I SIT FOR LENGTH OF TIME IDLING. THREE VALVES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY YEARS AGO -- I THINK THE ENGINE SHOULD NOT BE DOING THIS AT THIS POINT AND EITHER THE NOW DEFUNCT SERVICE DEPT DID IMPROPER JOB OR HAVE A DEFECTIVE ENGINE. I HAVE FOLLOWED REGULAR SCHEDULE FOR OIL CHANGES. PASSENGER SEAT: THE SPRINGS HAVE FALLEN APART COMPLETELY, I THOUGHT PERHAPS ONE OF MY KIDS DID IT YEARS AGO BUT WENT TO SEE ABOUT REPAIR AND WAS POINTED OUT THAT THE WHOLE SEAT FRAME/SPRINGS IS FALLING APART!

NHTSA ODI #715060

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