Mazda B-Series Truck · model year

1998 Mazda B-Series Truck

81 NHTSA complaints, 11 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

Complaints
81
Recalls
0

The verdict

The 1998 Mazda B-Series Truck posts above-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.

15th pctile
complaint volume, own model years
0
recall campaigns

The 1998MazdaB-Series Truck carries 81 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 11 crashes, 8 fires, 27 injuries, and 32 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1998 B-Series Truck is tires with 11 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (10) and tires:tread/belt (8). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 21 investigation files overlapping the 1998 B-Series Truck, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

81
Complaints
11
Crashes
8
Fires
27
Injuries
32
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1998 Mazda B-Series Truck

PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.

NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.

Total Complaints

81 filings

Crashes Reported

11 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
TIRES11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL10
TIRES:TREAD/BELT8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE5
SUSPENSION3
INTERIOR LIGHTING3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL3
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS2
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL2
AIR BAGS2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2

Recent Complaints

20221028CrashFireFatalSERVICE BRAKES

Mazdaspeed 3 turbo Vin:[XXX] ************************* Fuel pump EfI 400hp @ idel Turbo propultion not installed Cricket wireless broadband internet Connection.....? Swiage leakage: [XXX] [XXX] West covina sheriff dept. West covina ca INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

20221028CrashFireFatalEXTERIOR LIGHTING

Mazdaspeed 3 turbo Vin:[XXX] ************************* Fuel pump EfI 400hp @ idel Turbo propultion not installed Cricket wireless broadband internet Connection.....? Swiage leakage: [XXX] [XXX] West covina sheriff dept. West covina ca INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

20221028CrashFireFatalFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Mazdaspeed 3 turbo Vin:[XXX] ************************* Fuel pump EfI 400hp @ idel Turbo propultion not installed Cricket wireless broadband internet Connection.....? Swiage leakage: [XXX] [XXX] West covina sheriff dept. West covina ca INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

20221013CrashFireFatalTIRES

www.downeynissan.com Titan XD king cab Vin:[XXX]. Mazdaspeed 3 turbo Vin:[XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

20221013CrashFireFatalTIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

www.downeynissan.com Titan XD king cab Vin:[XXX]. Mazdaspeed 3 turbo Vin:[XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

20210930CrashFireFatalWHEELS

Report s as stolen from Santa Clarita ca newhall. Reporting to the chp.gov [XXX] ca tip line [XXX] Western general insurance, clabasas www.downeynissan.com Management LLC INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

20210930CrashFireFatalAIR BAGS

Report s as stolen from Santa Clarita ca newhall. Reporting to the chp.gov [XXX] ca tip line [XXX] Western general insurance, clabasas www.downeynissan.com Management LLC INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

20210930CrashFireFatalLANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Report s as stolen from Santa Clarita ca newhall. Reporting to the chp.gov [XXX] ca tip line [XXX] Western general insurance, clabasas www.downeynissan.com Management LLC INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

20180708UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I HAVE A 98 MAZDA WHICH IS MADE BY FORD....VIN STICKER ON THE DOOR STATES SUCH. SAME AS 98 RANGER. BOTH OF MY REAR LEAF SPRING SHACKLES HAVE RUSTED OFF SO SEVERELY THAT THEY WENT THROUGH THE BED OF THE TRUCK. THE REAR END OF THE FRAME IS ROTTING OFF AND THE SPARE TIRE SUPPORT AND TIRE AS WELL. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 66,000 MILES AND RUNS GREAT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS MY REAR BUMPER COULD FALL OFF, THE SPARE TIRE COULD FALL OFF, AND THE FRAME ALREADY BROKE LETTING THE LEAF SPRINGS GO RIGHT THROUGH THE BED. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT FORD RANGERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND BEING A DANGER TO NOT ONLY THE PERSON DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND ITS OCCUPANTS, BUT ALSO THE FOLLOWING CARS WHEN THE BUMPER FALLS OFF AND SPARE TIRE TOO.

Mileage: 66,000

20170915UNKNOWN OR OTHER

HAVE ERRATIC SPEED SPEEDOMETER GOES UP AND DOWN AS I'M DRIVING CAN FILL POWER OF VEHICLE GOES UP AND DOWN. ALSO GAS MILEAGE HAS WENT FROM 20 MILES TO THE GALLON TOO 10 MPG. REPLACED THE SPEED SENSOR BUT DIDN'T HELP

20130920CrashPOWER TRAIN

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM ENGAGED ON IT'S OWN, CAUSING SEVERE LEFT TURNS AS FRONT WHEEL LOCKS UP. HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES, EVEN THOU FIXED TWICE. THERE IS NO LOCKING HUB CONVERSION AVAILABLE FOR THIS MODEL OR THE FORD RANGER IT'S CLONE. WILL NOT DRIVE THIS ON SNOW OR ICE COVERED ROADS. FOUR WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM CONSISTENTLY DOES NOT ENGAGE WHEN YOU WANT IT TO. TRUCK BUILT BY FORD. *TR

Mileage: 65,000

20121001VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 MAZDA B4000. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 99V062002 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) AND CONTACTED THE DEALER TO SECURE AN APPOINTMENT FOR RECALL REPAIRS HOWEVER, THE PARTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE RECALL REPAIRS HAD NOT YET BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NEITHER THE MANUFACTURER NOR THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT WHEN OR IF THE PARTS HAD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE RECALL WAS CLOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER SERVICED UNDER THE RECALL. THE MILEAGE WAS 181,823. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

Mileage: 181,823

20120324ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I HAVE HAD A HEAD GASKET REPLACE ON THIS 1998 MAZDA B4000 WITHIN 61,000 MILES. THE FIRST HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT WAS 1-21-2008. NOW THE SAME THING SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING AT 78,100 MILES ARE THERE ANY ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL? I ONLY DRIVE THE TRUCK TO WORK AND BACK WHICH IS ONLY ABOUT 5 MILES FROM MY HOME. ALSO THE FRONT END SUSPENSION MAKES A LOUD SQUEAKING/POPPING NOISE WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL OR HIT A ROUGH PLACE IN PAVEMENT. THE "KEY IN THE IGNITION" BUZZER KEEPS DINGING AFTER YOU TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. *TR

Mileage: 78,100

20120324SUSPENSION

I HAVE HAD A HEAD GASKET REPLACE ON THIS 1998 MAZDA B4000 WITHIN 61,000 MILES. THE FIRST HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT WAS 1-21-2008. NOW THE SAME THING SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING AT 78,100 MILES ARE THERE ANY ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL? I ONLY DRIVE THE TRUCK TO WORK AND BACK WHICH IS ONLY ABOUT 5 MILES FROM MY HOME. ALSO THE FRONT END SUSPENSION MAKES A LOUD SQUEAKING/POPPING NOISE WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL OR HIT A ROUGH PLACE IN PAVEMENT. THE "KEY IN THE IGNITION" BUZZER KEEPS DINGING AFTER YOU TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. *TR

Mileage: 78,100

20120324ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I HAVE HAD A HEAD GASKET REPLACE ON THIS 1998 MAZDA B4000 WITHIN 61,000 MILES. THE FIRST HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT WAS 1-21-2008. NOW THE SAME THING SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING AT 78,100 MILES ARE THERE ANY ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL? I ONLY DRIVE THE TRUCK TO WORK AND BACK WHICH IS ONLY ABOUT 5 MILES FROM MY HOME. ALSO THE FRONT END SUSPENSION MAKES A LOUD SQUEAKING/POPPING NOISE WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL OR HIT A ROUGH PLACE IN PAVEMENT. THE "KEY IN THE IGNITION" BUZZER KEEPS DINGING AFTER YOU TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. *TR

Mileage: 78,100

20100224VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VEHICLES THROTTLE STICK OPEN WHEN RELEASED. CANNOT SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. ONLY WAY TO SLOW DOWN IS TO TURN IGNITION OFF. MANUFACTURER SAID THEY ARE AWARE AND HAD TSB ON THIS DURING WARRANTY. TOOK IT IN AND THEY SAID THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM. TOOK IT IN TWICE SINCE FOR SAME PROBLEM AND THEY SAY I NOW NEED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. WHEN THIS SITUATION HAPPENS, THERE IS NO CONTROL OF THE SPEED OF THIS VEHICLE.. EVEN STEPPING ON BRAKES DOESN'T HELP. I HAVE REPORTED THIS 3 TIMES TO YOU PRIOR, BUT WITH THE TOYOTA PROBLEMS, I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE MORE INTERESTED IN THIS NOW. I AM ALSO REPORTING THIS PROBLEM TO THE LOCAL NEWS MEDIA, ALONG WITH A COPY OF THIS REPORT. *TR

Mileage: 52,000

20100222TIRES

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT A QUALITY ISSUES ABOUT GOODYEAR'S TRACKER 2 TIRES. IN EARLY SUMMER OF 2007, I HAD 4 TIRES OF THIS BRAND INSTALLED AT WAL-MART. THESE TIRES WERE SOLD AT WAL-MART WITH CLAIMS FOR 50,000 MILES WARRANTY. BY NOW, IT HAS BEEN NOT MORE THAN 3 YEARS AND GOT CLOSE TO 40,000 MILES. ON LAST SATURDAY MORNING WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON SOUTH BOUND I-77, ABOUT 1 MILE A WAY FROM EXIT 58 IN VIRGINIA, THE TIRE ON THE BEAR DRIVER'S SIDE BLEW UP. I HAD TO CALL POLICE FOR ROAD ASSISTANCE IN ORDER TO INSTALL THE SPARE TIRE. I WAS LUCKY THAT I JUST ROTATED THE TIRES ON FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE THIS TRIP. OTHERWISE, THIS TIRE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE IN FRONT. WHEN I TOOK MY PICKUP TO WAL-MART TO HAVE THE TIRES CHECKED, THEY THEN FOUND SEVERE BUBBLES AND CRACKS ON OTHER 2 TIRES, RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AND REAR. ONLY THE TIRE ON THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE STILL APPEARED TO BE LESS DEFECTIVE, AND BUBBLES WERE FOUND ALTHOUGH NOT AS APPARENT. WE USED TO HAVE TIRES THAT CAN RUN F

Mileage: 168,000

20100210ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

THROTTLE STICKS WIDE OPEN ON MY 1998 MAZDA B2500 TRUCK. ONLY RECOURSE IS TO TURN ENGINE OFF TO SLOW DOWN. HAVE HAD IT IN TO MAZDA SHOP TWICE FOR THIS PROBLEM. FIRST TIME UNDER WARRANTY, COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM SECOND TIME, MAZDA SAYS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD A TSB FOR THIS PROBLEM. I DON'T WANT TO BE A FATAL STATISTIC, BECAUSE OF YET ANOTHER VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS FAILURE TO ACT. *TR

Mileage: 68,000

20090316ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

INTERIOR LIGHT STAY ON AFTER IT RAINS OR MOISTURE IS IN THE AIR. HAD DOOR SWITCH REPLACED, WORK FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND THEN RECUR AGAIN. THE INTERIOR LIGHT CAN ONLY BE SHUT OFF BY TAKING OUT THE FUSE. THE INTERIOR LIGHT GET SHOOT THAT IT CAN BURN YOUR HAND IF TOUCHED. THIS SEEMS TO BE A ONGOING PROBLEM WITH1998 MAZDA B2500 TRK. AND FOR RANDERS. IT COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE A INTERIOR FIRE. *TR

20081013STEERING

I OWN A 1998 MAZDA PICKUP, 2500 MODEL. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FLORIDA VEHICLE. I DID A FRONT END SUSPENSION CHECK, AND FOUND ALL 4 BALL JOINTS WITH DEEP RUST, NO RUBBER SEALS LEFT OTHER THAN BRITTLE AND CRACKED REMAINS OF THE RUBBER BOOT AROUND THE JOINTS. THE RUBBER BUSHINGS ON THE FRONT STABILIZER ASSEMBLY WERE ALSO EITHER TOTALLY DISINTEGRATED OR MISSING. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THE CONDITION HAD BEEN PRESENT FOR SOME TIME, THE BALL JOINTS WERE BADLY WORN, AND CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED WITHIN MONTHS. THIS VEHICLE WAS BUILT BY FORD. I BELIEVE THE QUALITY AND DURABILITY OF THE RUBBER BOOTS PROTECTING THESE VITAL PARTS WAS DEFECTIVE. ACCORDING TO SOME OTHERS I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH, ROTTED BOOTS ARE NOT UNCOMMON. IN THE PAST I HAVE KEPT VEHICLES FOR OVER 20 YEARS WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM WITH BALL JOINT AND STEERING KNUCKLES GREASE COVERS. REQUEST THIS BE INVESTIGATED AS A MANUFACTURES DEFECT. THANKS IN VIEW OF THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCIDENTS, THIS NEED

Mileage: 128,131

Compare 1998MazdaB-Series Truck to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Vehicle Safety Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1998 Mazda B-Series Truck have?▼
The 1998 Mazda B-Series Truck has 81 NHTSA complaints, 11 crashes, 8 fires, 27 injuries, and 32 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Mazda B-Series Truck?▼
The most-complained component for the 1998 Mazda B-Series Truck is TIRES with 11 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and TIRES:TREAD/BELT.
Is the 1998 Mazda B-Series Truck safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Data vintage: August 2026. 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.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1998 Mazda B-Series Truck; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.