1997 Mazda 626: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 358 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (62% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2015
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 358 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The vehicle is stalling during acceleration and after. Sometimes it's stops and clear itself up and then throws itself into overdrive (o/d off lights starts flashing) all while driving it in the street(city and interstate). When you let the car sit and not run it will not flash but after driving amd not getting any speed it does it again.”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mazda 626. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a recall resolution regarding replacing the ignition switch. After the ignition switch was replaced, the engine intermittently failed to start when the contact turned the key in the ignition. The manufacturer was not notified. The recall details were not provided. The failure mileage was 120,105.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mazda 626. The contact received a recall notification for the electrical system; however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The NHTSA campaign number was unknown. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2016
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mazda 626. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v674000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mazda 626. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v674000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called five star mazda at (478) 841-9275 (located at 3068 riverside dr, macon, ga 31210) and was informed that the dealer would call the contact. The dealer did not confirm that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2015
“Left home to go to work made it about 3 miles from my home and my transmission quit working as I was in the middle of a hwy. I was turning onto from a side street. I was about hit as my mazda would not go and quit working on a blind corner. *tr”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2014
“Cpsc#i1190531a. 1997 mazda 626. Consumer stated when she brought the car it had severe transmission issues, and began smoking severely once taken the speed limit. She also stated it resulted in being towed on the 6th day of having the vehicle purchased. *ln”Owner report · Power Train · Sep 2011
“Tl* the contact owned a 1997 mazda 626. While at a stop, another vehicle lost control and crashed into the front of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained chest and back injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2011
“We had just bought my 1997 mazda 626 from a family member and had only had it about 3 weeks. My mother in law had used my car and was coming down the drive and hit a pot hole when the air bags deployed hitting her in the face and busting the windshield. She had to be taken to the hospital for injuries sustained due to the airbags deploying. I then went online where I saw that mazda had a recall on my car model. I called mazda and they said there was nothing they could do, that I would have to contact my insurance company. Due to this being an older vehicle I have only liabilty insurance. The car continues to set in the same state as the day the airbags deployed, unable to be driven.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2011
“1997 mazda 626 tranny went out at 95k miles in 2005 and at 146795 miles the tranny has gone out again. It's not worth fixing at this point. *tr”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2009
When filing, owners marked a crash in 17 of these complaints and injuries in 27 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. AN EXTERNAL SPRING IN THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER CAN BREAK AND GET CAUGHT IN THE TIMING BELT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TENSIONER AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY.
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.
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.
CERTAIN SPX FILTRAN FUEL FILTERS WITH A 45-DEGREE ANGLE INLET TUBE, MODEL 800F350-S1, SOLD AS REPLACEMENT FILTERS FOR 1993-1997 FORD PROBE,1993-2001 MAZDA 626 AND MX-6, AND 1983-1994 LOYAL, 3-DOOR COUPE, HATCHBACK, SEDAN, WAGON, BRAT, DL, GL, GL-10, RX, XT, AND XT6 PASSENGER VEHICLES WITH EFI OR TURBO ENGINES. THESE FILTERS ARE PACKAGED AS WIX, NAPA, AND CARQUEST BRAND FUEL FILTERS. CERTAIN SPX FILTRAN FUEL FILTERS WITH A 90-DEGREE ANGLE INLET TUBE, MODEL 800F300-S2, SOLD AS REPLACEMENT FILTERS FOR 19983-1994 SUBARU VEHICLES WITH EFI OR TURBO ENGINES. THESE FILTERS ARE PACKAGED AS WIX, NAPA, AND CARQUEST BRAND FUEL FILTERS. FUEL MAY LEAK FROM THE FILTER DUE TO NON-CONFORMING BRAZING WELDS WHERE THE INLET TUBE IS CONNECTED TO THE FILTER CAN.
Remedy: SPX WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND PROVIDE A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN SEPTEMBER 27, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MR. CHRIS GREESON AT 704-869-3733 OR CONTACT THE WIX INFORMATION HOTLINE AT 800-949-6698.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE SAS SENSOR UNIT. THESE VEHICLES CAN EXPERIENCE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS IN MINOR UNDERCARRIAGE IMPACTS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE SAS UNIT TO REDUCE THE PROBABILITY OF UNNECESSARY DEPLOYMENTS IN LOW SPEED UNDERCARRIAGE IMPACTS.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1997 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact 626 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Mazda 626 reliable?
NHTSA has 358 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 1997 Mazda 626. The most complained-about area is power train (62% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1997 Mazda 626 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 90,650 miles or less.
Does the 1997 Mazda 626 have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning engine and engine cooling:engine. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.