IllustrationNO SUMMARY
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 reportsNO SUMMARY
CONSUMER COMPLAINING OF INTERMITTENT ROTTEN EGG SMELL WHEN STOPPING FOR A RED LIGHT, DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE.
BRAKE PAD FAILURE AGAIN AT 360000
OVERALL SUSPENSION IS TOO STIFF INDUCING BACK PAIN ON LOCAL BUMPY ROADS.
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TIRE BLOWOUT WHILE DRIVING CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. NLM BRODGESTONE - DOTH406DDH157- SIZE P185/65R14
STRUT FAILED. NLM
AT 18,000 MILES THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS ARE COMPLETELY WARPED AND CANNOT BE TURNED, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 30-35 MPH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES LOCKED UP, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLIDE INTO VEHICLE AHEAD. THE FRONT END OF VEHICLE WAS SMASHED, AND THE THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS. THE WEATHER WAS SUNNY AND DRY AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THIS TIME.
THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FLASHES, LETTING DRIVER KNOW THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. *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.