Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 1992 Mazda 626
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Seat Belts
520.8%
Median failure at 11,000 miles
Transmission & Drivetrain
520.8%
1 crashes, 0 fires · median 155,505 mi
Brakes
312.5%
1 crashes, 0 fires · median 184,580 mi
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
28.3%
Acceleration & Cruise Control
28.3%
Suspension
28.3%
Other & Unspecified
14.2%
Equipment & Accessories
14.2%
Tires
14.2%
1 crashes, 0 fires
Lights
14.2%
Airbags
14.2%
1 crashes, 0 fires
When it fails
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
10,000 – 24,999 miles
120.0%
100,000 – 149,999 miles
120.0%
150,000+ miles
360.0%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Feb 1995peak 3Oct 2011
Complaints that involved harm
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Santa Barbara, CACrash1 injured
TIRES
DRIVING FROM DENVER, CO TOWARDS SANTA BARBARA, CA ON 6/15/01. WAS ON HWY 70 WEST AT MILE MARKER 100 IN UTAH BETWEEN GREEN RIVER AND SALINA, WHEN TIRE BLEWOUT AT 75MPH AND CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND LANDED IN DITCH. TIRE DAMAGED AND LEFT REAR SIDE BUMPER DETACHED FROM CAR. NECK INJURY AS A RESULT OF ACCIDENT. SUBSEQUENTLY DISCOVERED THAT TREAD WAS PEELING OFF TIRE AS DRIVING. HAVE PICTURES OF TIRE DAMAGE AND SKID MARKS ON ROAD. ALSO HAVE PEELED OFF TREAD BUT NOT ORIGINAL TIRE. TIRE INFO GIVEN PREVIOUSLY IS OFF RIGHT REAR TIRE WHICH WAS PURCHASED AT THE SAME TIME AS DAMAGED TIRE. CAN ALSO GET POLICE REPORT IF NECESSARY. NOTE: COULD NOT FIND DOT # SO PROVIDED OTHER TIRE NUMBERS. *AK (DOT NUMBER: ??? TIRESIZE: P18570R14M)
NHTSA complaint #746945 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hermitage, TNCrash1 injured
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
WHILE DRIVING APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FORCE, CAUSING THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY, CAUSING FACIAL BURNS/NECK PAIN.
NHTSA complaint #801290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hermitage, TNCrash1 injured
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE DRIVING APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FORCE, CAUSING THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY, CAUSING FACIAL BURNS/NECK PAIN.
NHTSA complaint #801290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Valrico, FLCrash1 injured
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
WHILE DRIVER WAS SITTING IN CAR WITH FOOT HANGING OUT, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO GEAR, PULLED DRIVER OUT, RAN DRIVER OVER. *DSH
NHTSA complaint #500230 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
at 184,580 milesRoselle, IL
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
1992 MAZDA 626 DX, ODOMETER 184,580MI. VEHICLE TRAVELING AT APPROX 35MPH ON CITY STREET. AS ANOTHER VEHICLE CUT ME OFF I PRESSED THE BRAKES HARD AT WHICH POINT I HEARD A POPPING SOUND AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR BUT THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPING. AT WHICH POINT I PUMPED THE BRAKES A FEW TIMES AND ONLY HEARD SOME AIR HISSING SOUND. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND USE THE HAND BRAKE TO NARROWLY AVOID AN ACCIDENT. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE BRAKE LINE(OR POSSIBLY MULTIPLE LINES) UNDER THE CAR RUPTURED AND CAUSED COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING FLUID(WHICH SPILLED OUT OF THE SYSTEM) AND THEREFORE COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY DISABLED AND AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS POSSIBLE DEFECT IN COMPONENTS AND/OR MANUFACTURING PROCESS.
NHTSA complaint #10429955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 184,580 milesRoselle, IL
PARKING BRAKE:DRIVELINE:HYDRAULIC:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
1992 MAZDA 626 DX, ODOMETER 184,580MI. VEHICLE TRAVELING AT APPROX 35MPH ON CITY STREET. AS ANOTHER VEHICLE CUT ME OFF I PRESSED THE BRAKES HARD AT WHICH POINT I HEARD A POPPING SOUND AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR BUT THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPING. AT WHICH POINT I PUMPED THE BRAKES A FEW TIMES AND ONLY HEARD SOME AIR HISSING SOUND. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND USE THE HAND BRAKE TO NARROWLY AVOID AN ACCIDENT. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE BRAKE LINE(OR POSSIBLY MULTIPLE LINES) UNDER THE CAR RUPTURED AND CAUSED COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING FLUID(WHICH SPILLED OUT OF THE SYSTEM) AND THEREFORE COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY DISABLED AND AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS POSSIBLE DEFECT IN COMPONENTS AND/OR MANUFACTURING PROCESS.
NHTSA complaint #10429955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 137,011 milesHacienda Hieghts, CA
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
I AM THE OWNER OF A1992 MAZDA 626 WHICH IS HAVING A TRANSITION PROBLEM INDICATED BY THE FLASHING HOLD LIGHT. THOUGH MY TALKING TO MANY MAZDA OWNERS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR CAR. AT THIS TIME THE TRANSITION IS SHIFTING ROUGH AND APPEARS TO NOT SHIFT PAST THIRD GEAR.
NHTSA complaint #10322475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 174,000 milesBerkeley Vale, 00
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
MAZDA 626 - AUTO TRANSMISSION - FULL MAINTENANCE HISTORY AT MAZDA DEALER. AUTO TRANSMISSION HOLD LIGHT ISSUES AND LOCKING LUGS IN THE TORQUE CONVERTOR FRAGMENTED INTO THE GEAR SELECTION SECTIONS OF THE AUTO TRANSMISSION. DEALER WARRANTY DID NOT APPLY DUE TOT HE TORQUE CONVERTOR BEING SEEN BY INSURERS AS AN ACCESSORY TO THE TRANSMISSION RATHER THAN A PART OF IT. AFTER SOME $3,500 WE HAVE THE AUTO TRANSMISSION REPLACED, AND IT STILL DOESN'T WORK - IT STARTS TO SELECT 4TH GEAR IN OVER DRIVE TO START ETC. ENDS U THAT THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER WENT HAYWIRE WHICH SENT THE TRANSMISSION INTO EARLY FAILURE. I THOUGHT I WAS JUST UNLUCKY UNTIL I STARTED REVIEWING THE COSTS FOR TRANSMISSION COMPUTERS ION THE WEB AND FOUND HUGE NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCES. MAZDA SHOULD HAVE RECALLED ALL OF THE ABOVE, PARTICULARLY WHERE THEY HAD BEEN THE ONES MAINTAINING THE UNIT OVER THE YEARS. IT IS A VERY POOR PERFORMANCE.
NHTSA complaint #10124181 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 11,000 milesVienna, VA
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
I HAVE A 1992 MAZDA 626, WITH AUTOMATIC FRONT SEAT BELT RETRACTORS. ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO, THE RIGHT SIDE RETRACTOR FAILED, RESULTING IN AN EXTENDED BUZZING OF THE SEAT BELT ALARM, AND A DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT THAT WOULD NOT GO OUT. MAZDA AGREED TO FURNISH THE PART, BUT LEFT ME WITH THE SIGNIFICANT LABOR COST. NOW THE LEFT SIDE HAS FAILED. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER TODAY, THE SECOND BUSINESS DAY OF THE YEAR, AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISES ME THAT, AS OF THIS YEAR, MAZDA WILL NOT ASSIST IN THIS REPAIR AT ALL. THIS MALFUNCTION MAY PREVENT ME FROM OBTAINING A VALID SAFETY INSPECTION, AND THE COST OF THIS REPAIR WOULD BE NEARLY 1/2 THE PRESENT VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOME NHTSA REQUIREMENT THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD TO MAINTAIN THE SEAT BELT SYSTEM FROM MALFUNCTIONS, AND MAKE REPAIRS AT THEIR EXPENSE.
NHTSA complaint #10052405 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Santa Barbara, CACrash1 injured
TIRES
DRIVING FROM DENVER, CO TOWARDS SANTA BARBARA, CA ON 6/15/01. WAS ON HWY 70 WEST AT MILE MARKER 100 IN UTAH BETWEEN GREEN RIVER AND SALINA, WHEN TIRE BLEWOUT AT 75MPH AND CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND LANDED IN DITCH. TIRE DAMAGED AND LEFT REAR SIDE BUMPER DETACHED FROM CAR. NECK INJURY AS A RESULT OF ACCIDENT. SUBSEQUENTLY DISCOVERED THAT TREAD WAS PEELING OFF TIRE AS DRIVING. HAVE PICTURES OF TIRE DAMAGE AND SKID MARKS ON ROAD. ALSO HAVE PEELED OFF TREAD BUT NOT ORIGINAL TIRE. TIRE INFO GIVEN PREVIOUSLY IS OFF RIGHT REAR TIRE WHICH WAS PURCHASED AT THE SAME TIME AS DAMAGED TIRE. CAN ALSO GET POLICE REPORT IF NECESSARY. NOTE: COULD NOT FIND DOT # SO PROVIDED OTHER TIRE NUMBERS. *AK (DOT NUMBER: ??? TIRESIZE: P18570R14M)
NHTSA complaint #746945 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
OAK Ridge, NJ
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
FRONT LENS ON TURN SIGNAL ARE CRACKED. VEHICLE HASN'T BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. CONSUMER COVERED HOLES UP WITH TAPE SO MOISTURE WOULDN'T SETTLE IN. MAZDA WAS CONTACTED AND THEY HAD NO COMPLAINTS.*AKI
NHTSA complaint #883281 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DES Moines, WA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE.
NHTSA complaint #719157 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bloomfield Hills, MI
SEAT BELTS
BELT MECHANISM FAILS TO MOVE THE BELT FORWARD WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED.
NHTSA complaint #704712 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Mililani, HI
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
COMPONENT FAILURE UNKNOWN. CAR WAS COLD STARTED FROM PARK, GEAR SHIFT (FIRMLY BELIEVED TO BE) PLACED IN REVERSE; EMERGENCY BRAKE RELEASED; CLUTCH EASED; CAR FAST ACCELERATED FORWARD, JUMPING OVER A CEMENT BLOCK/TIRE STOP, CRASHING INTO AND PARTIALLY THROUGH AN ALUMINUM GUARD RAIL; CRUISE CONTROL WAS USED PREVIOUS EVENING
NHTSA complaint #703686 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Albany, NY
POWER TRAIN
SPEEDOMETER BROKEN.
NHTSA complaint #535096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Albany, NY
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
RADIO INOPERATIVE.
NHTSA complaint #535096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Albany, NY
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES
MIRROR BROKEN.
NHTSA complaint #535096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hermitage, TNCrash1 injured
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
WHILE DRIVING APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FORCE, CAUSING THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY, CAUSING FACIAL BURNS/NECK PAIN.
NHTSA complaint #801290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hermitage, TNCrash1 injured
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE DRIVING APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FORCE, CAUSING THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY, CAUSING FACIAL BURNS/NECK PAIN.
NHTSA complaint #801290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
West Booth, ME
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
THROTTLE STUCK DUE TO FOULED THROTTLE BODY.
NHTSA complaint #504978 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bloomington, IL
SEAT BELTS
THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER SEAT BELT MOVES BACK AND FORTH, WHEN CONSUMER IS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. PLEASE DESCRIBE.
NHTSA complaint #984850 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Pembroke P, FL
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
METAL BRACKET AROUND SUN ROOF FAILED. *DSH
NHTSA complaint #488703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Valrico, FLCrash1 injured
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
WHILE DRIVER WAS SITTING IN CAR WITH FOOT HANGING OUT, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO GEAR, PULLED DRIVER OUT, RAN DRIVER OVER. *DSH
NHTSA complaint #500230 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Pittsburgh, PA
SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT
MACPHERSON STRUT FAILURE, SPRING RUPTURES RUBBER HOUSING, CAUSES LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
NHTSA complaint #979774 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Pittsburgh, PA
SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT
MACPHERSON STRUT FAILURE, SPRING RUPTURES RUBBER HOUSING, CAUSES LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
NHTSA complaint #979774 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lancaster, PA
SEAT BELTS
DRIVER'S SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT HAS FAILED, MOTORIZED BELT HAS COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING. TT
NHTSA complaint #977158 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bristol, CT
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE, MAKES LOUD NOISE WHEN DRIVING, NEEDS TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION.
NHTSA complaint #968163 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Marietta, GA
SEAT BELTS
AUTOMATED SEAT BELTS ON DRIVER SIDE BROKE FOR SEVENTH TIME. TT
NHTSA complaint #960603 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.