1989 Mazda 626 problems & reliability
42 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1989 Mazda 626. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts → | 12 | 29% |
| Power Train → | 11 | 26% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 14% |
| Structure | 5 | 12% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 5% |
| Tires | 2 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 2% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 2% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Mazda 626 transmission failure, two transmissions put into a car with less than 150,000 miles. Now dead but money owed on car. How can you keep getting these complaints and not do anything about it? *jb”
Power Train · filed Jan 8, 2006
“The firestone firehawk ss10 p195/60r15 tires on the vehicle experienced bulges under the tread which caused vibration while driving, originally reported (odi# 732737). *mjs”
Tires · filed Nov 1, 2000
“The tire has not completely failed. It has a longitudinal bulge on the tread that goes about a quarter of the way around the tire. *ak (tiresize: p195/60r15)( dot number: tire size: p195/60r15 )”
Tires · filed Oct 10, 2000
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INADVERTENT DOOR OPENING
Engineering Analysis EA92031 · opened Sep 25, 1992 · closed Nov 30, 1993 · led to recall 93V174000
- THROTTLE STICKING
Preliminary Evaluation PE91088 · opened Jun 18, 1991 · closed Oct 21, 1991
Technical service bulletins
5 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1989 Mazda 626.
Pre-painting preparations for front and rear bumpers. *yc
97102302097 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 23, 1997
USE OF A/C TRACER DYE. *TW
008/97 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 19, 1997
Parts replacement after airbag deployment. *tw
007/97T · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 25, 1997
Maintenance free battery - diagnostic and charging procedure. *tw
001/97G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 8, 1997
Wiper motor inoperative - circuit breaker activation. *tw
003/97G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 19, 1997
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1989 Mazda 626 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1989 Mazda 626?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.