1996 MAZDA 626 — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 354 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (214 complaints · 60.5%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 34
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 137
  • Deaths 99
Compare with 1995 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 214 of 354 owner complaints (60.5%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 214 complaints, 60.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 214 · 60.5% · 5 crash reports AIR BAGS: 46 complaints, 13.0% of reports AIR BAGS 46 · 13.0% · 24 crash reports ENGINE: 23 complaints, 6.5% of reports ENGINE 23 · 6.5% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 8 complaints, 2.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 · 2.3% · 2 fire reports SUSPENSION: 8 complaints, 2.3% of reports SUSPENSION 8 · 2.3% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 7 complaints, 2.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 7 · 2.0% SEAT BELTS: 6 complaints, 1.7% of reports SEAT BELTS 6 · 1.7% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 6 complaints, 1.7% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 1.7% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 5 complaints, 1.4% of reports STEERING 5 · 1.4% · 2 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 315 complaints, 89.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 315 · 89.0% · 29 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 214 60.5% 5 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 46 13.0% 24 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 23 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 2.3% 0 crashes · 2 fires
SUSPENSION 8 2.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 7 2.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 6 1.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 1.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 5 1.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 315 89.0% 29 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1996; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 1998. 1996-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 1997-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 1997-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 1998-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 1998-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 1999-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 1999-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2000-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2000-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2000-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2001-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2001-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2001-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2002-Q2: 23 owner reports 23 2002-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2002-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2003-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2003-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2003-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2004-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2004-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2005-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1996 Apr 2016 Recall campaign 98V249000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V249000 Recall campaign 05E065000 ◆ Recall campaign 05E065000 Recall campaign 15V674000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V674000 Investigation PE97006 ● Investigation PE97006 Investigation EA97012 ● Investigation EA97012 Investigation SQ98024 ● Investigation SQ98024 Investigation RQ99022 ● Investigation RQ99022
  • Campaign 98V249000 was reported 924 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V674000 was reported 7,013 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1996-Q1 Owner reports 3
1996-Q2 Owner reports 3
1996-Q3 Owner reports 2
1996-Q4 Owner reports 3
1997-Q1 Owner reports 9
1997-Q2 Owner reports 7
1997-Q3 Owner reports 3
1997-Q4 Owner reports 4
1998-Q1 Owner reports 3
1998-Q2 Owner reports 5
1998-Q3 Owner reports 4
1998-Q4 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 14
1999-Q2 Owner reports 3
1999-Q3 Owner reports 6
1999-Q4 Owner reports 8
2000-Q1 Owner reports 8
2000-Q2 Owner reports 5
2000-Q3 Owner reports 17
2000-Q4 Owner reports 14
2001-Q1 Owner reports 12
2001-Q2 Owner reports 7
2001-Q3 Owner reports 3
2001-Q4 Owner reports 5
2002-Q1 Owner reports 13
2002-Q2 Owner reports 23
2002-Q3 Owner reports 16
2002-Q4 Owner reports 8
2003-Q1 Owner reports 9
2003-Q2 Owner reports 9
2003-Q3 Owner reports 12
2003-Q4 Owner reports 6
2004-Q1 Owner reports 11
2004-Q2 Owner reports 11
2004-Q3 Owner reports 6
2004-Q4 Owner reports 9
2005-Q1 Owner reports 6
2005-Q2 Owner reports 5
2005-Q3 Owner reports 8
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q2 Owner reports 4
2006-Q3 Owner reports 6
2006-Q4 Owner reports 3
2007-Q1 Owner reports 5
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 4
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 2
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 4
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 2
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 98V249000
Recall campaign 1 05E065000
Recall campaign 1 15V674000
Defect investigation 1 PE97006
Defect investigation 1 EA97012
Defect investigation 1 SQ98024
Defect investigation 1 RQ99022
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 05E065000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A VEHICLE FIRE CAN OCCUR.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V674000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V249000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE SAS UNIT TO REDUCE THE PROBABILITY OF UNNECESSARY DEPLOYMENTS IN LOW SPEED UNDERCARRIAGE IMPACTS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 354 complaints · page 1 of 15

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources