FaultScore

Worst years for a Mazda 626

Owners have filed 3,877 complaints about the Mazda 626 with NHTSA across model years 1983 to 2003. More of them are about the transmission & drivetrain than anything else.

Avoid

1995 Mazda 626

587 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly transmission & drivetrain.

Cleanest on record

2002 Mazda 626

99 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Mazda 626 year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2003 9 0 1 18,000 Airbags
2002 B 99 7 0 72,600 Transmission & Drivetrain
2001 C 235 12 5 72,669 Transmission & Drivetrain
2000 B 280 9 0 80,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1999 C 372 17 5 80,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1998 C 499 15 6 88,684 Transmission & Drivetrain
1997 C 451 22 8 91,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1996 D 426 43 3 97,323 Transmission & Drivetrain
1995 D 587 55 10 102,985 Transmission & Drivetrain
1994 C 353 25 13 103,696 Transmission & Drivetrain
1993 B 202 14 4 106,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1992 24 4 0 174,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1991 99 5 0 131,000 Seat Belts
1990 62 2 2 Seat Belts
1989 48 4 1 Seat Belts
1988 58 1 3 50,000 Seat Belts
1987 40 5 1 Electrical System
1986 20 0 1 Electrical System
1985 7 1 0 Transmission & Drivetrain
1984 4 2 2 Brakes
1983 2 1 0 Brakes

What breaks on a Mazda 626

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Worst in 1995

Engine & Cooling 392 10.1%

Worst in 1998

Airbags 235 6.1%

Worst in 1995

Worst in 1997

Brakes 167 4.3%

Worst in 1993

Seat Belts 154 4.0%

Worst in 1991

Worst in 1995

Worst in 1997

Suspension 73 1.9%

Worst in 2000

Steering 60 1.5%

Worst in 1995

Worst in 1995

Worst in 2000

Worst in 1994

Worst in 1993

Exactly what failed on a Mazda 626

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Automatic Transmission 1,793 76.5%
Frontal 154 6.6%
Engine 129 5.5%
Gasoline 66 2.8%
Manual Transmission 63 2.7%
Ignition 36 1.5%
Foundation Components 28 1.2%
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 26 1.1%
Door 25 1.1%
Cooling System 24 1.0%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Mazda 626, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 1995 peak 79 Feb 2020

Mazda 626 problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Mazda 626

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.