Total Complaints
24 filings
MAZDA 626 · model year
24 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1992MAZDA626 carries 24 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1992 626 is seat belts with 4 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (2) and suspension:front:macpherson strut (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 21 investigation files overlapping the 1992 626, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
24 filings
Crashes Reported
4 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | 4 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
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. *KB
Mileage: 184,580
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. *KB
Mileage: 184,580
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.
Mileage: 137,011
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.
Mileage: 174,000
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.*AK
Mileage: 11,000
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)
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
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK
BELT MECHANISM FAILS TO MOVE THE BELT FORWARD WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED.
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
SPEEDOMETER BROKEN.
MIRROR BROKEN.
RADIO INOPERATIVE.
WHILE DRIVING APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FORCE, CAUSING THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY, CAUSING FACIAL BURNS/NECK PAIN. *AK
WHILE DRIVING APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FORCE, CAUSING THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY, CAUSING FACIAL BURNS/NECK PAIN. *AK
THROTTLE STUCK DUE TO FOULED THROTTLE BODY. *DH
THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER SEAT BELT MOVES BACK AND FORTH, WHEN CONSUMER IS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
METAL BRACKET AROUND SUN ROOF FAILED. *DSH
WHILE DRIVER WAS SITTING IN CAR WITH FOOT HANGING OUT, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO GEAR, PULLED DRIVER OUT, RAN DRIVER OVER. *DSH
MACPHERSON STRUT FAILURE, SPRING RUPTURES RUBBER HOUSING, CAUSES LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. *AK
Momentary increase in steering effort after recall remedy
Inadvertent Curtain Air Bag Deployment
Front Subframe Corrosion
Lower ball joint separation
Brake Booster Failure
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.