Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1996 Mazda 626, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train239
- Air bags49
- Engine and engine cooling33
- Unknown or other14
- Electrical system12
- Service brakes, hydraulic11
- Vehicle speed control9
- Suspension8
- Seat belts8
- Steering7
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 138 injuries and 99 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
In the Netherlands
52 first registered in 1996 are on Dutch roads; 8% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde20
- Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af10
- Band onvoldoende profiel7
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen7
- Schijf-, trommelrem loopt niet vrij6
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm4
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld4
- Roestschade hoofdbalk2
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
6 cars built in 1996 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 38 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In Finland
40 of these cars first registered in 1996 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 279,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
30 1996 cars are on the New Zealand register.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 9.5–12.6 L/100 km (about 19–25 mpg US), CO₂ 219–290 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 626 · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 10.8 | 7.9 | 9.5 |
| 626 · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 12.1 | 8.7 | 10.6 |
| 626 · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 13.3 | 10.2 | 11.9 |
| 626 · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 14.3 | 10.6 | 12.6 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 1996 Mazda 626.
| 2015489 19 Oct 2015 | Electrical On certain vehicles, a defect in the ignition switch could cause an electrical short to develop over time. This could result in smoke and/or fire, increasing th… |
| 1999057 14 Apr 1999 | Fuel System Certain vehicles do not comply with the requirements of CMVSS 1105 - Evaporative Emissions. Fuel vapour may leak from between the fuel cap and the fuel filler … |
| 1998203 21 Oct 1998 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, minor undercarriage impacts can result in unnecessary air bag deployment. This could result in personal injury and/or loss of vehicle cont… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE SAS SENSOR UNIT. THESE VEHICLES CAN EXPERIENCE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS IN MINOR UNDERCARRIAGE IMPACTS.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Mazda told its dealers about the 1996 Mazda 626: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 634325 | SUBJECT REGARDING DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION OF OXYGEN SENSOR, CATALYST EFFICIENCY AND FUEL SYSTEM MONITORS. *SLC |
| 615641 | SUBJECT REGARDING INSPECTION PROCEDURE - WATER PUMP LEAK. *TT |
| 608126 | SUBJECT REGARDING PAINT DAMAGE - IRON PARTICLES / INDUSTRIAL FALLOUT / ACID RAIN. *TT |
| 606033 | INFORMATION REGARDING PISTON STANDARDIZATION FOR VEHICLES WITHIN CERTAIN VIN RANGES. *TT |
| 604036 | SUBJECT REGARDING MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT (MIL) ILLUMINATION W/DTC P0421. *YC |
| 604035 | EXPERIENCEING A METALLIC TAPPING NOISE HEARD FROM THE RIGHT ( REAR ) CYLINDER HEAD EXHAUST CAM AREA. *YC |
| 604031 | SUBJECT REGARDING MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT (MIL) ILLUMINATION W/DTC P1407. *YC |
| 603905 | SUBJECT REGARDING MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ILLUMINATION WITH DTC P0421. *YC |
| 603891 | CONDITIONS WITH STEERING WHEEL SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER. *YC |
| 603854 | INFORMATION REGARDING SEAT BELT EXTENDERS. *YC |
| 603126 | A CONDITION WITH THE MIL ILLUMINATED WITH CODE P1407 STORED IN MEMORY. *TT |
| 603119 | CONCERNS REGARDING INTERMITTENT 4-3 DOWNSHIFT OR SHIFTS IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE. *YC |
| 603116 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT (MIL) ILLUMINATED WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) P0421 STORED. *YC |
| 54320 | VEHICLE EXPERIENCING A OIL LEAK AT VALVE COVER. *YC |
| 54319 | PRE-PAINTING PREPARATIONS FOR FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS. *YC |
| 54318 | SUBJECT PERTAINING TO MTX OVERHAUL INFORMATION. *YC |
| 54212 | COMPLAINTS OF DOOR GLASS MAY COME OFF TRACK. *YC |
| 53007 | DESCRIPTIONS OF TYPICAL ENGINE NOISES. *YC |
| 52997 | INFORMATION ON REPLACING CIGARETTE LIGHTERS. *YC |
| 52524 | ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND TERMINAL REPLACEMENT PART AVAILABILITY. *TW |
| 52520 | PARTS REPLACEMENT AFTER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. *TW |
| 52503 | MAINTENANCE FREE BATTERY - DIAGNOSTIC AND CHARGING PROCEDURE. *TW |
| 52498 | PARTIAL ENGINE REPLACEMENT (PCV SYSTEM MODIFICATION). *TW |
| 52497 | USE OF A/C TRACER DYE. *TW |
| 52492 | WIPER MOTOR INOPERATIVE - CIRCUIT BREAKER ACTIVATION. *TW |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
HEADLIGHT FAILURE
SPEEDOMETER INOPERATIVE
OVERSENSITIVE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
INAPPROPRIATE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation