IllustrationCONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN 35 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
1996 Mazda Protege
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 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: 5 of 70 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 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
24 crash reports1 fire reports17 injury reports
What owners actually said
70 reportsAIR CONDITIONER COIL FAILED
INTERIOR DOME LIGHT FAILURE.
WHEN TURNING 90 DEGREES OR MORE AND GOING UP HILL, THE NON-LOAD BEARING SUSPENSION WHEEL, DEPENDING ON DIRECTION OF TURN, BOTTOMS OUT AND A LOUD THUMP OCCURS.
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH, TRYING TO STOP, BRAKES RESISTED . THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COLLIDE . THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED . *AK
VIOLENT DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DURING A CRASH, RESULTING IN INJURIES. *AK
EMISSION PART FAILED.
ABS: WHEN APPLIED, BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, VEHICLE REARENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER REPLACED ROTORS/PADS. ALSO, SHOULDER/LAP BELTS DID NOT HOLD OCCUPANTS. PLEASE PROVIDE VIN. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AT 45 MPH AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THE INCIDENT.*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.