1997 Mazda 626 problems & reliability
358 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Mazda 626, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
22 complaints report injuries (27 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Mazda 626 vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 233 | 65% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 39 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 36 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 32 | 9% |
| Unknown OR Other | 16 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 14 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 3% |
| Equipment | 8 | 2% |
| Steering | 8 | 2% |
| Tires | 5 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 90,650 miles (middle 50% between 69,750 and 110,165 miles), based on 156 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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 amd not getting any…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Dec 8, 2018
“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 called five star mazda…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 5, 2017
“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 not notified. The…”
Electrical System · filed Jan 30, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- OVERSENSITIVE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT
Recall Query RQ02004 · opened Feb 8, 2002 · closed Aug 19, 2002 · led to recall 98V249000
- SPEEDOMETER INOPERATIVE
Investigation SQ98024 · opened Oct 29, 1998 · closed Sep 10, 1999 · led to recall 99I005000
Technical service bulletins
82 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Mazda 626. The 10 most recent:
This service bulletin provides testing and charging procedures in order to promote proper battery maintenance, to deliver new vehicles with fully charged batteries, and to reduce unnecessary battery replacement cost…
01-006-21-3779a · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 24, 2021
This service bulletin provides information regarding the proper use of the driverâ  s floor mat to avoid any potential interference with the foot pedals. The following are possible causes of floor mat interference…
09-025-21-3824 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 17, 2021
This service bulletin provides testing and charging procedures in order to promote proper battery maintenance, to deliver new vehicles with fully charged batteries, and to reduce unnecessary battery replacement cost…
01-006-21-3779 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 8, 2021
The Mazda DCA-8000PM is required for all warranty battery testing. If the Mazda DCA-8000PM is not used, incorrect battery testing may result in unnecessary battery replacement. Use the following test procedures in this…
01-005-21-3778 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 8, 2021
In accordance with Federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer
09-002-21-3770 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 21, 2021
In accordance with Federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer. NOTE: Tampering with a motor vehicle odometer is strictly prohibited by Federal, and State laws. It is the…
09-003-20-3671 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 9, 2020
In support of the new MRT distribution, Mazda will ship to dealers a new Dual Purpose Diagnostic Leak Detector beginning March, 2019. Training videos will be posted to MGSS shortly and Workshop Manual procedures will be…
00-003-19-3583 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 20, 2019
In accordance with Federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer. NOTE: Tampering with a motor vehicle odometer is strictly prohibited by Federal, and State laws. It is the dealer's…
09-009-19-3566 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2019
On some vehicles, a sulfur smell or 'rotten egg' odor may be noticed coming from the exhaust system. The odor is usually noticed after a cold start, fast idle, extended periods of idling and full throttle acceleration…
01-004-19-3558 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 9, 2019
This service bulletin provides information regarding the proper use of the driver's floor mat to avoid anypotential interference with the foot pedals. The following are possible causes of floor mat interference,which…
09-002-19-3554 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 3, 2019
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
The 1997 Mazda 626 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 1997 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 90,650 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.