1991 Mazda Protege: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 51 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is seat belts (51% 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 51 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Tl* the contact owned a 1991 mazda protege. While driving various speeds, smoke appeared under the hood. There were no flames visible and no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v674000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was unknown.”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2010
“The automatic shoulder belt would retract slower and slower until it finally stopped retracting. The consequences were: on april 18, 2005 I was given a fix-it ticket for not wearing my shoulder harness.*ak the automatic harness no longer fully retracts, so it is useless.”Owner report · Seat Belts · Apr 2005
“The seat belt cord on my 1991 mazda protege has become inoperable and therefore I have no top seat belt on my cars driver side. *ak”Owner report · Seat Belts · Apr 2004
Show 7 more owner reports
“Driver side seat belt will not return to the retactor, leaving the occupant unrestrained. Dealer notifed. Feel free to provide any further information.*ak”Owner report · Seat Belts · Aug 2002
“Trunk lid was in the up position and trunk came down and hit consumer's daughter on head. *ak consumer states nothing to keep the trunk lid in upright position. A slight wind or elevation could blow the open lid down and may cause serious injury. *yh”Owner report · Structure · Jul 2002
“Seat belt seat belt warning light and beep go on and off intermittently while driving due to an electrical connector wearing through in the drivers shoulder belt retractor located in the center console. Replaced several times under warranty. Part is nearly $300. Several people I know with this model and year have the same problem.*ak”Owner report · Seat Belts · Jul 2001
“Current recall on mazda 323 motorized safety belt does not cover the mazda protege which has the identical part number. My car's belt has failed due to this defect and mazda refuses tocover it.*ak”Owner report · Seat Belts · Jul 2000
“Third tire of set of 4 that tread had separated - this one totaled the car and injured one person. Tire had 18,000 miles wear. *ak (tiresize: p185/60r14)( dot number: tire size: p185/60r14 )”Owner report · Tires · May 2000
“On three occasions while driving the rear seat belt fell apart while making a turn. Replacment could not be done due to no warranty. *yc”Owner report · Seats · Nov 1999
“Automatic shoulder safety belt has locked up in the release position. It appears the operating mechanism for the safety belt has jumped off track.”Owner report · Seat Belts · Aug 1999
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 8 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1991 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Protege 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 1991 Mazda Protege reliable?
NHTSA has 51 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 1991 Mazda Protege. The most complained-about area is seat belts (51% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1991 Mazda Protege problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 153,256 miles or less.
Does the 1991 Mazda Protege have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning electrical system:ignition:switch. 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.