IllustrationWITH GEAR IN PARK VEHICLE CAN STILL BE MOVED. COULD CAUSE A SAFETY HAZARD. *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
What owners actually said
66 reportsBRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. HAD TO REPLACE BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS SEVERAL TIMES. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK
AFTER VEHICLE REACHED 20,000 MILES IT HAS A VERY HARD VIBRATION IN THE FRONT END WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ACTIVATED. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
THE COMPRESSOR FOR THE AIR CONDITIONER IS IN A BAD PLACE. I WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY BECAUSE A ROCK HIT THE COMPRESSOR. SOMEHOW I FEEL THIS IS A CROCK AND A WAY FOR MAZDA TO GET OUT OF HONORING THE WARRANTY.
ENGINE MOUNTS. RATTLE NOICE INSIDE THE HOOD WHEN CAR SITS AT AN IDLE & REVERSE.ALSO WITH A/C ON & IT VIBRATES. *AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT STAYS ON WHILE DRIVING, CREATING A SLIGHT VACUUM IN THE GAS TANK. DEALER REPLACED GAS TANK CAP AND CANCELED THE CODE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
CONSUMER HAD AN ACCIDENT, AND AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. IN ADDITION, ON A 15 MPH IMPACT, BOTH HOOD HINGES SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE AND HIT WINDSHIELD. *AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING PLACE, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN COLLISION. *YC
AXLE DAMPNER / BOOT ARE LOOSE, CAUSING ROARING NOISE FROM TRANSMISSION. *YC
CAR ENGINE RACED WHILE SLOWING TO PARK. CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO A FENCE AND A BUILDING. CAR HAD BEEN IN SHOP APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK PRIOR TO INCIDENT FOR HIGH IDLE CONDITION. *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.