IllustrationINTERMITTENTLY AT A STOP SIGN OR WHEN DECELERATING THE ENGINE RACES, AND HAS TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM GOING FORWARD. THE DEALER HAS TRIED TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM TWICE IN A (3) MONTH PERIOD, THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *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 reportsPASSENGER SIDE ELECTRIC WINDOWS FAILED.
WHEN DRIVING THERE IS SOME MOVEMENT IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT DUE TO POOR MANUFACTURING DESIGN, CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER IS AWEAR OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
AFTER PUTTING VEHICLE INTO PARK THE VEHICLE SHIFTS INTO REVERSE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ROLL BACKWARDS. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
INTERIOR DOME LIGHT BULB FAILED.
UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONTAL CRASH, HIT TELEPHONE POLE, 2:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, DRIVER'S SHOULDER HARNESS FAILED TO RETRACT ENOUGH, CAUSING HIM TO HIT STEERING WHEEL. *AK
UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONTAL CRASH, HIT TELEPHONE POLE, 2:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, DUAL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY, DRIVER HIT STEERING WHEEL. *AK
UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONTAL CRASH, 2:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, HIT TELEPHONE POLE, DUAL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY, DRIVER HIT STEERING WHEEL. *AK
WHILE DRIVING EXPERIENCED SUDDENLY CV JOINT FAILURE WHEN IT BROKE IN STEERING COLUMN, CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL, HIT TELEPHONE POLE; ALSO, UPON IMPACT DUAL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY, 2:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, DRIVER'S SEAT SHOULDER HARNESS FAILED TO RETRACT ENOUGH. *AK
AIR CONDITIONER FAILED.
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.