IllustrationWHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY VEHICLE WAS IN FRONT END ACCIDENT, PASSIVE RESTRAINTS FAILED.PLEASE DESRIBE DETAILS. *AK
1993 Mazda Protege
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1993 Mazda Protege do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 66.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Protege 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: 2 of 44 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 23 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 →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. 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.
1 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
44 reportsALTERNATOR FAILED.
SOMETIMES WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE IT WORKS, SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
STRONG GASOLINE SMELL COMING FROM THE BACK SEATS AND COULD BE RELATED TO THE FUEL FILLER NECK PROBLEM. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
DRIVER SIDE SHOULDER BELT IS LOCKED INTO PLACE, WILL NOT MOVE, EA94-039 ACTIVE. *AK
THE DRIVERS SIDE AUTOMATIC RETRACTING SEATBELTS WILL MOVE FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT FAILURE, SHOULDER BELT HAS STOPPED RETRACTING. *AK
FUEL TANK HAS HOLE LOCATED ON BOTTOM LEAKING EXCESSIVELY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
SEAT BELT INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, DRIVER'S SIDE MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT HAD TO BE REPLACED. TT
PASSIVE RESTRAINT SHOULDER BELT WILL STICK MIDWAY OR MAY TIGHTEN SEVERELY CHOKING PASSENGER. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
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
3EA94039 · 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
PE94029 · Cruise Control Malfunction
Opened Mar 24, 1994 · Closed Jul 28, 1994
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Equipment
There is no summary currently available