MAZDA MPV · model year

1996 MAZDA MPV

21 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1996MAZDAMPV carries 21 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 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 1996 MPV is air bags:frontal with 3 filings, followed by tires (2) and equipment:appliance:air conditioner (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 1996 MPV, 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.

21
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

21 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL3
TIRES2
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP2
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD1
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL1
SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM1
SUSPENSION:FRONT1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT1

Recent Complaints

20050701TIRES

ON JUNE 29,2005 MY 5 MONTH OLD SON AND I WERE TRAVELING IN OUR 96' MAZDA MPV NORTH ON 291 HIGHWAY (I WAS MEETING MY HUSBAND) WHEN MY CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE. WE WERE TRAVELING APPROX. 65 MPH. AS I WAS GETTING READY TO GET OVER THE VAN JERKED HARD TO THE RIGHT CAUSING US TO VEER THROUGH BOTH LANES OF TRAFFIC. I FIGURED MY TIRE HAD BLOWN AND PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY. IT WAS A HOT DAY APPROX. 96 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND DUE TO WHERE WE HAD TO PULL OVER I HAD TO GET MY 5 MONTH OUT OF THE CAR BECAUSE WE WERE NEAR AN ENTRANCE RAMP AND ONCOMING CARS WERE CUTTING IT CLOSE TO THE VAN AND I DIDN'T WANT TO RISK THE VAN GETTING HIT WITH MY SON INSIDE. MY BROTHER LENNY HAD JUST CALLED ON MY CELL PHONE MOMENTS BEFORE THE INCIDENT SO HE COULD COME HELP US. HE WASN'T ABLE TO ARRIVE FOR 35-45 MINUTES. THE CAR IT HAD DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE BACK PANEL - SCRATCHES, DENTS, TEARING IN THE PANEL ITSELF, THE WHEEL WELL COVER WAS COMPLETELY MISSING, AND THE MUD GARD IN THE WHEEL WELL HAD BEEN TORN AND

Mileage: 122,795

20030902ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY

OWNER OF 1996 MAZDA MPV, WHILE TRAVELING TO AMMUSEMENT PARK REQUIRING LONG LINES FOR PARKING VEHICLE GOT HOT. WHEN MOTOR WAS TURNED OFF RADIATOR PRESSURE INCREASED, THIS PRESSURE WHILE BEING RELEASED SAFELY TO THE OVERFLOW BOTTLE THROUGH THE CONNECTING HOSE THE OVERFLOW BOTTLE WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF PRESSURE. THIS RESULTED IN THE OVERFLOW BOTTLE TOP EXPLODING AND SPRAYING SCALDING FLUID IN THE FACE OF A 13 YEAR OLD BOY WHO WAS STANDING NEXT TO THE OPEN HOODED COMPARTMENT. HE SUFFERED 1ST & 2ND DEGREE BURNS TO ON MORE THAN 50% OF HIS FACE AND SOME ON HIS TORSO. THIS IS THE ORGINAL FACTORY OVERFLOW BOTTLE, BY CLOSER INSPECTION IT APPEARS THAT THE INPUT TUBE AND OUTPUT VENT ARE DIFFERENT IN SIZE, THE OUTPUT PORT IS SMALLER. THIS PROVIDES FOR THE PRESSURE IN THE OVERFLOW BOTTLE TO INCREASE AND EXCEED THE SNAP-ON-CAP'S HOLDING STRENGTH. HAS THIS BEEN A PROBLEM IN THE PAST?*AK

20001228POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT

WHILE TRAVELING 40MPH IN 4 WHEEL DRIVE UNIT LOCKED UP. DIRVER AND 5 PASSENGERS WERE PRESENT. VEHICLE STARTED TO SKID AND CAME TO A STOP. DRIVER ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO UNLOCK UNIT, AND SUCCEEDED IN PUTTING VEHICLE BACK INTO 2 WHEEL DRIVE. NO ACCIDENT OR INJURIES OCCURRED. *AK

20001025SUSPENSION:FRONT

INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE EVENING OF SAT. OCTOBER 14TH, 2000 WHEREIN MY GIRLFRIEND (WHO IS 9 MONTHS PREGNANT) AND MYSELF WERE TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON I-93 IN BOSTON, MA. I HEARD A LOUD CRASH-TYPE SOUND AND MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SWERVE UNCONTROLLABLY TO THE RIGHT. MY VEHICLE THEN PRODUCED A LOUD THUD AND THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE DROPPED DRAMATICALLY. I PROCEEDED TO THE NEAREST SAFE LOCATION WHICH WAS JUST OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THE SOUTH BAY SHOPPING PLAZA (IN FRONT OF THE KMART STORE). IN THE PARKING LOT I NOTICED THAT MY RIM WAS COMPLETELY DAMAGED AND MY TIRE WAS NOT ON THE VEHICLE. I CHANGED MY TIRE WITH A SPARE AND PROCEEDED TO DRIVE WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY AXLE AND ALIGNMENT WAS ALSO SEVERELY DAMAGED. I RETURNED TO THE HIGHWAY AND LOCATED MY BLOWN OUT TIRED AND SAW THAT THE TIRE WAS SHREDDED SEVERELY TOO (THE LOCATION ON THE HIGHWAY WAS CLEAN AND PAVED). ON TUESDAY MORNING I THEN PROCEEDED TO THE FIRESTONE DEALERSHIP IN BOSTON WHERE I WAS REFUSED SERVICE BY THE

20000822ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

RUST CAUSED COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF EXHAUST SYTEM AFTER 22,400 MILES (3 YEARS). BOTH DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED AND COLE MUFFLER (SPECIALIST) STATE THAT MUFFLER AND EXHAUST PIPES SHOULD NOT RUST OR DETERIORATE IN THIS TIME FRAME. AFTER MUFFLER SEPARATED FROM EXHAUST PIPE, IT REMAINED ATTACHED TO UNDERCARRIAGE OF MPV MINIVAN, AND CREATED A HAZARD BY CONTACTING THE TIRE AND BRAKLE CABLES WHILE THE CAR WAS BEING OPERATED.

19990823CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

NO DEPLOYMENT OF NEITHER PASSENGER NOR DRIVER'S AIRBAG RESULTED IN IJURY WHEN VEHICLE COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER. NLM

19990730VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSING COLLISION INSIDE GARAGE, NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG DURING FRONT END COLLISION. MJS

19990730AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSING COLLISION INSIDE GARAGE, NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG DURING FRONT END COLLISION. MJS

19990113SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

OWNER HAS ABS BRAKES. WHILE TRYING TO DEPRESS THE ABS BRAKE PEDAL, VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. ALSO ABS BRAKES LIGHT WOULD COME ON AT TIMES FOR NO REASON. THERE WERE NUMEROUS BRAKE SENSORS REPLACED WHICH DID NOT CORRECT PROBLEM. *AK

19981124SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT

LEFT FRONT STRUT IS WEAK CAUSING DAMAGE TO TIRE.

19981106POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

AT LOW SPEEDS DRIVETRAIN BINDS UP. MAKES POPPING NOISES. VIBRATIONS OCCURS IN ACCELERATOR. DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH DRIVE TRAIN.*AK

19981106VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

AT LOW SPEEDS DRIVETRAIN BINDS UP. MAKES POPPING NOISES. VIBRATIONS OCCURS IN ACCELERATOR. DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH DRIVE TRAIN.*AK

19971204EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

AIR CONDITIONER TAKES TOO LONG TO COOL.

19971204UNKNOWN OR OTHER

CONSUMER GOT HIS FOREFINGER CAUGHT IN THE LOCK SPRING OF THE ASH TRAY.

19971105SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED ON WET PAVEMENTS THE VEHICLE SKIDS TO THE LEFT. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

19970424EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

AIR CONDITIONER FAILED.

19970424VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL

ROUGH IDLE.

19970408VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

WHEN GOING 48 MPH OR MORE AND ROLLING DOWN THE ELECTRIC REAR WINDOWS, THE WAY THE AIR COMES IN, IT CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY, AND THE AIR PRESSURE CAUSES SEVERE DAMAGE TO EARS. *AK

19970402TIRES

OWNER WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH AND THE TIRE BURST. OWNER ALSO SAID THAT THE TIRE SIZE IN THE MANUAL DOESN'T MATCH TIRE CO. SIZE. *AK

19970325VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

PROBLEM WITH DRIVER'S WINDOW.

Compare 1996MAZDAMPV to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1996 MAZDA MPV have?
The 1996 MAZDA MPV has 21 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 MAZDA MPV?
The most-complained component for the 1996 MAZDA MPV is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER.
Is the 1996 MAZDA MPV 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.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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.