1991 Mazda Protege problems & reliability
51 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1991 Mazda Protege, 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.
7 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts → | 27 | 53% |
| Structure | 7 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 8% |
| Power Train | 4 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 4% |
| Suspension | 2 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 2% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owned a 1991 mazda protege. While driving various speeds, smoke appeared under the hood. There were no flames visible and no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v674000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was unknown.”
Electrical System · filed Jun 27, 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 1991 mazda protege. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph during rain weather conditions, the vehicle went over a pothole causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle and stopping on the shoulder of the road. The contact then attempted to drive and the vehicle spun…”
Air Bags · filed Jan 8, 2016
“The automatic shoulder belt would retract slower and slower until it finally stopped retracting. The consequences were: on april 18, 2005 I was given a fix-it ticket for not wearing my shoulder harness.*ak the automatic harness no longer fully retracts, so it is useless.”
Seat Belts · filed Apr 20, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAIL
Engineering Analysis EA94039 · opened Nov 30, 1994 · closed Nov 26, 1997 · led to recall 97V211000
- AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAIL
Preliminary Evaluation PE94059 · opened Jul 28, 1994 · closed Nov 30, 1994
Technical service bulletins
20 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1991 Mazda Protege. The 10 most recent:
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
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…
09-034-18-3430a · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 10, 2018
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…
09-035-17-3080 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2017
Speedometer replacement procedure
0900716 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 17, 2016
In accordance with federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer.note: mazda vehicles are manufactured with tamper-proof speedometers. When a speedometer is replaced, the new…
09-034-14-2956 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 15, 2014
Battery test procedure requirements. *tt
0102504 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2004
Speedometer replacement procedure. *tt
0902604 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2004
Experiencing popping noise from front brake caliper during slow speed braking. *tt
00299 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 16, 1999
Subject on passive seat belt retractor switch. *yc
01198 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 1998
Conditions with steering wheel slightly off center. *yc
00198 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 15, 1998
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 1991 Mazda Protege 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 1991 Mazda Protege?
- · 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.