Mazda 626 Reliability
3,877 NHTSA complaints (1983–2003). Complaint rate: 53847.2 per 1,000 vehicles.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Bottom line: Avoid the 1993–2001 Mazda 626 (212 crash-related complaints). The 2003 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Mazda 626 Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1,793 | 0.7% |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 154 | 66.9% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 129 | 0.8% |
| POWER TRAIN | 83 | 4.8% |
| SEAT BELTS | 78 | 3.8% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 76 | 1.3% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 66 | 1.5% |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 63 | 1.6% |
| AIR BAGS | 62 | 29.0% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 62 | 14.5% |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983GOOD | — | 2 | 1 | — | View 1983View→ |
| 1984GOOD | — | 4 | 2 | 2 | View 1984View→ |
| 1985GOOD | — | 7 | 1 | — | View 1985View→ |
| 1986GOOD | — | 20 | 0 | 1 | View 1986View→ |
| 1987GOOD | — | 40 | 5 | 1 | View 1987View→ |
| 1988GOOD | — | 58 | 1 | 3 | View 1988View→ |
| 1989GOOD | — | 48 | 4 | 1 | View 1989View→ |
| 1990 | — | 62 | 2 | 2 | View 1990View→ |
| 1991 | — | 99 | 5 | — | View 1991View→ |
| 1992GOOD | — | 24 | 4 | — | View 1992View→ |
| 1993AVOID | — | 202 | 14 | 4 | View 1993View→ |
| 1994AVOID | — | 353 | 25 | 13 | View 1994View→ |
| 1995AVOID | — | 587 | 55 | 10 | View 1995View→ |
| 1996AVOID | — | 426 | 43 | 3 | View 1996View→ |
| 1997AVOID | — | 451 | 22 | 8 | View 1997View→ |
| 1998AVOID | — | 499 | 15 | 6 | View 1998View→ |
| 1999AVOID | — | 372 | 17 | 5 | View 1999View→ |
| 2000AVOID | — | 280 | 9 | — | View 2000View→ |
| 2001AVOID | — | 235 | 12 | 5 | View 2001View→ |
| 2002 | — | 99 | 7 | — | View 2002View→ |
| 2003GOOD | — | 9 | 0 | 1 | View 2003View→ |
See also: Mazda 626accident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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