IllustrationOVERDRIVE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON, WHEN SHIFTING VEHICLE WILL KICK. *AK
1997 Mazda Protege
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 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: 3 of 66 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 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
15 crash reports2 fire reports10 injury reports
Power Train complaints
10 reportsLIGHTS KEPT COMING ON, OVERDRIVE SENSOR. CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC THAT IT FUSE WAS BLOWN, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. *AK
RIGHT SIDE AXLE SHAFT/FRONT SWAY BAR LINKS TOTALLING $576.44 IN REPAIRS.*AK
WHILE VEHICLE IS IN REVERSE AND THEN SWITCHES TO DRIVE, VEHICLE WILL JUMP WITHOUT A WARNING. ONE TIME RESULTED IN CRASH INTO A CEMENT WALL, DRIVER WAS INJURED. *AK *ML
WITH GEAR IN PARK VEHICLE CAN STILL BE MOVED. COULD CAUSE A SAFETY HAZARD. *AK
AXLE DAMPNER / BOOT ARE LOOSE, CAUSING ROARING NOISE FROM TRANSMISSION. *YC
NO SUMMARY
TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR, CAUSING ACCIDENT.
WHEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT STARTED TO FLASH AND TACHOMETER WENT TO 5000 RPMS, VEHICLE DID NOT ACCELERATE AND DID NOT CHANGE GEAR. THE SECOND TIME, DRIVER LOST CONTROL AND HIT A CURB WHILE DRIVING ON SLIPPERY ROAD. *AK
THE GEAR SHIFT STICKS IN PARK WHEN CAR FIRST STARTED.
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.