Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1996 Mazda MPV, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Vehicle speed control3
- Air bags3
- Power train2
- Suspension2
- Equipment2
- Visibility2
- Service brakes, hydraulic2
- Tires2
- Engine and engine cooling2
- Unknown or other1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
In the United Kingdom
4 cars built in 1996 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 7 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 New Zealand
19 1996 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 14.2–16.5 L/100 km (about 14–17 mpg US), CO₂ 327–380 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPV · Minivan · Regular gasoline | 16.0 | 12.0 | 14.2 |
| MPV 4X4 · Minivan · Regular gasoline | 18.4 | 14.2 | 16.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 1996 Mazda MPV.
| 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… |
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.
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 MPV: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 621310 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A NO START, ROUGH IDLE AND / OR LACK OF POWER AFTER A 60,000 MILE TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT INTERVAL. *TT |
| 609949 | SUBJECT REGARDING 60,000 MILE SERVICE, INSPECTION AND / OR REPLACEMENT OF THE TENSIONER PULLEY. *TT |
| 608126 | SUBJECT REGARDING PAINT DAMAGE - IRON PARTICLES / INDUSTRIAL FALLOUT / ACID RAIN. *TT |
| 603914 | SUBJECT ON WATER LEAKS FROM SLIDING SUNROOF. *YC |
| 603906 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE HLA NOISE. *YC |
| 603891 | CONDITIONS WITH STEERING WHEEL SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER. *YC |
| 603875 | SUBJECT PERTAINING TO TACH NEEDLE WHICH IS STUCK ON WRONG SIDE OF STOPPER PIN. *YC |
| 603854 | INFORMATION REGARDING SEAT BELT EXTENDERS. *YC |
| 600334 | COMPLAINTS OF TACH NEEDLE STUCK ON WRONG SIDE OF STOPPER PIN. *YC |
| 600148 | CONCERNS WITH HLA NOISE HEARD AFTER A COLD START. *YC |
| 52520 | PARTS REPLACEMENT AFTER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. *TW |
| 52509 | TACH NEEDLE STUCK ON WRONG SIDE OF STOPPER PIN. *TW |
| 52508 | KEYLESS ENTRY TRANSMITTER INOPERATIVE. *TW |
| 52505 | SLIPPAGE IN FORWARD AND REVERSE DUE TO LOW ATF LEVEL. *TW |
| 52503 | MAINTENANCE FREE BATTERY - DIAGNOSTIC AND CHARGING PROCEDURE. *TW |
| 52499 | SPORTS APPEARANCE PACKAGE SERVICE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. *TW |
| 52497 | USE OF A/C TRACER DYE. *TW |
| 52492 | WIPER MOTOR INOPERATIVE - CIRCUIT BREAKER ACTIVATION. *TW |
| 52487 | REPLACEMENT CONNECTORS FOR ECAT SOLENOID HARNESS. *TW |
| 46704 | CYLINDER HEAD GASKET MODIFICATION. *SD |
| 10213425 | Speedometer replacement procedure |
| 10170661 | 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 dealers responsibility to comply with Federal, State, and local laws concerning odometer and related documentation requirements when providing a repair or replacement. Mazda vehicles are manufactured with tamper-proof speedometers. When a speedometer is replaced, the new speedometer will read zero (0) miles. This procedure is extremely important to accurately represent actual vehicle |
| 10153339 | 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 responsibility to comply with Federal, State, and local laws concerning odometer and related documentation requirements when providing a repair or replacement. Mazda vehicles are manufactured with tamper-proof speedometers. When a speedometer is replaced, the new speedometer will read zero (0) miles. This procedure is extremely important to accurately represent actual vehicle m |
| 10148072 | 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 responsibility to comply with Federal, State, and local laws concerning odometer and related documentation requirements when providing a repair or replacement. Mazda vehicles are manufactured with tamper-proof speedometers. When a speedometer is replaced, the new speedometer will read zero (0) miles. This procedure is extremely important to accurately represent actual vehicle m |
| 10144333 | 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 responsibility to comply with Federal, State, and local laws concerning odometer and related documentation requirements when providing a repair or replacement. Mazda vehicles are manufactured with tamper-proof speedometers. When a speedometer is replaced, the new speedometer will read zero (0) miles. This procedure is extremely important to accurately represent actual vehicle m |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)