Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1990 Mazda Protege, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Seat belts21
- Engine and engine cooling4
- Steering3
- Visibility3
- Unknown or other2
- Equipment2
- Power train2
- Seats1
- Exterior lighting1
- Electrical system1
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
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 1990 Mazda Protege.
| 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
15V674000 · Electrical system19 Oct 2015 · 1,368,500 vehicles
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 1990 Mazda Protege: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 605988 | EXPERIENCING POPPING NOISE FROM FRONT BRAKE CALIPER DURING SLOW SPEED BRAKING. *TT |
| 603891 | CONDITIONS WITH STEERING WHEEL SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER. *YC |
| 603882 | SUBJECT ON PASSIVE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR SWITCH. *YC |
| 54319 | PRE-PAINTING PREPARATIONS FOR FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS. *YC |
| 54318 | SUBJECT PERTAINING TO MTX OVERHAUL INFORMATION. *YC |
| 52520 | PARTS REPLACEMENT AFTER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. *TW |
| 52503 | MAINTENANCE FREE BATTERY - DIAGNOSTIC AND CHARGING PROCEDURE. *TW |
| 52497 | USE OF A/C TRACER DYE. *TW |
| 52492 | WIPER MOTOR INOPERATIVE - CIRCUIT BREAKER ACTIVATION. *TW |
| 44000 | UNKNOWN |
| 39687 | FUEL LID WITH REMOTE FUEL LID OPENER WILL NOT OPEN. *TW |
| 39685 | DIFFICULT OPERATION OF THE POWER DOOR LOCK. *TW |
| 39681 | FRONT DOOR ASSIST/GRIP BREAKAGE. *TW |
| 10213425 | Speedometer replacement procedure |
| 10154879 | 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 revised gradually. |
| 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 |
| 10118467 | 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 odometerand 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 |
| 10098367 | 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 SPEEDOMETER WILL READ ZERO (0) MILES.THIS PROCEDURE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT ACTUAL VEHICLE MILEAGE.PRIOR TO SPEEDOMETER REMOVAL, COMPLETE THE INFORMATION REQUIRED ON THE SPEEDOMETER REPLACE-MENT LABEL. LABELS CAN ONLY BE ORDERED THROUGH MSTORE, NOT MDCS. |
| 10009427 | BATTERY TEST PROCEDURE REQUIREMENTS. *TT |
| 10009424 | SPEEDOMETER REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
EA94039 · Seat beltsopened 30 Nov 1994 · closed 26 Nov 1997
AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAIL
PE94059 · Seat beltsopened 28 Jul 1994 · closed 30 Nov 1994
AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAIL
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation