1996 Mazda MX-6 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other MX-6 years
- Not enough data 2nd of 3 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Mazda MX-6. That ranks 2nd out of 3 MX-6 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (7 complaints, 58%). Complaints mention 3 crashes, 1 injury. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 12owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1996 Mazda MX-6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 7 | 58% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 17% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 17% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 8% | 110,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1996 Mazda MX-6 recalls (2)
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.
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
- Headlight failure (RQ99022) — opened Dec 20, 1999, closed Aug 30, 2000.
- Oversensitive air bag deployment (EA97012) — opened May 23, 1997, closed Oct 9, 1998, led to recall 98V249000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
All 4 wheels are cracked on the outside, and bac side of the rims. They look deep and the wheels might break at any time. *nm
Vehicle was going 55mph , and consumer was not sure what vehicle ran over, but air bag deployed. Nothing was hit, and no damage was done. No injuries. Consumer is contacting manufacturer. *ak
Head-on crash at 35-40 mph, and neither airbag deployed. Driver sustained injuries. *ak
Engine check light remains illuminated, indicating a malfunction within the system, cause unknown. Please give any further details. *ak
No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak
Other Mazda MX-6 years
See all Mazda MX-6 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 1996 Mazda MX-6?
Owners most often report air bags, service brakes, hydraulic, unknown or other problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 7 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Mazda MX-6?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1996 Mazda MX-6 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other MX-6 model years, the 1996 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.