1997 Mazda 626 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 626 years
- More complaints than other years 4th of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 358 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Mazda 626. That ranks 4th out of 9 626 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (233 complaints, 65%), typically at around 90,650 miles. Complaints mention 17 crashes, 6 fires, 27 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 358owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 17complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Mazda 626 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 233 | 65% | 90,650 | “transmission failed” (11%) | $4,000 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 39 | 11% | 85,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 36 | 10% | 84,200 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 32 | 9% | 83,157 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 16 | 4% | 126,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 14 | 4% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 3% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 8 | 2% | 62,581 | — | — |
| Steering | 8 | 2% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 5 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 1% | 67,522 | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 4 | 1% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 4 | 1% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 1% | 147,400 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0% | 11,678 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Mazda 626 recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system:ignition:switch
Problem: 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.
Risk: If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with the sas sensor unit. These vehicles can experience air bag deployments in minor undercarriage impacts.
Risk: Unexpected air bag deployment can result in occupant injury.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the sas unit to reduce the probability of unnecessary deployments in low speed undercarriage impacts.
Engine and engine cooling:engine
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. An external spring in the timing belt tensioner can break and get caught in the timing belt.
Risk: This condition can result in possible engine stalling.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the tensioner and replace it if necessary.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Oversensitive airbag deployment (RQ02004) — opened Feb 8, 2002, closed Aug 19, 2002, led to recall 98V249000.
- Speedometer inoperative (SQ98024) — opened Oct 29, 1998, closed Sep 10, 1999, led to recall 99I005000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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…
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…
See uploaded pdf document.
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…
Other Mazda 626 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 626 | 9 | 0 |
| 2002 626 | 87 | 0 |
| 2001 626 | 188 | 0 |
| 2000 626 | 217 | 1 |
| 1999 626 | 318 | 2 |
| 1998 626 | 434 | 4 |
| 1997 | 358 | 3 |
| 1996 626 | 359 | 2 |
| 1995 626 | 488 | 2 |
See all Mazda 626 problems by year, every Mazda model, or the Mazda VIN decoder.
Similar Mazda models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Mazda 626?
Owners most often report power train, engine and engine cooling, air bags problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 233 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Mazda 626?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Mazda 626 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 626 model years, the 1997 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.