The 1998 Mazda 626 has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,492,500 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 499 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 1989-1998 MPV, 1990-1995 323, 1990-1998 Protege, 1992-1993 MX-3, 1993-1995 929, 1993-1997 MX-6, and 1993-1998 626 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, grease applied to the contact points inside the ignition switch may become conductive and…
Consequence
If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2015. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Experience Center at 1-800-222-5500, option#6. Mazda's number for this recall is 8715J.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING00V1340002000-05-0931,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. AN EXTERNAL SPRING IN THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER COULD BREAK.
Consequence
THE BROKEN SPRING MAY GET CAUGHT IN THE TIMING BELT, RESULTING POSSIBLE ENGINE STALLING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL CHECK THE TENSIONER INSTALLED AND REPLACE IT IF THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE AFFECTED TENSIONER.
EQUIPMENT98V2430001998-10-0273,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN A HOT, HUMID ENVIRONMENT WITH THE WINDOW OPEN AND AIR CONDITIONER RUNNING, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR CONDENSATION TO ENTER THE AUDIO UNIT AND CAUSE A SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence
IF THE SHORT CIRCUIT OCCURS AT ONE SPECIFIC SET OF TERMINALS, THE SPEAKER CAN OVERHEAT AND IN SOME CASES, CATCH FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL AFFIX ALUMINUM TAPE OVER THE AUDIO UNIT TO PREVENT WATER FROM ENTERING.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO A PROGRAMMING ERROR, THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) INSTALLED CAN, UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS, TRIGGER A SHIFT IN AIR-FUEL RATIO TO AN OVERLEAN CONDITION.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN AN ENGINE STALL, WHICH COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND/OR A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE PCM WITH THE CORRECT ENGINE CONTROL LOGIC.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
278
1crashes2fires1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
42
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
14
POWER TRAIN
13
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
1fires5deaths
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
9
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
8
5crashes3injuries
Total complaints499
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Takata recall. The transmission cd4e tranny doesn't have switch gears unless you use excessive rpm.”
“Takata recall. The transmission cd4e tranny doesn't have switch gears unless you use excessive rpm.”
“Since owning the mazda 626 I have had a very big problem the transmission slipping. It will slip going into second gear. If its below 60 degrees the car wont shift into drive until the motor gets hot enough. The car is like this every single day and does it every time it is driven. Also the…”
“Since owning the mazda 626 I have had a very big problem the transmission slipping. It will slip going into second gear. If its below 60 degrees the car wont shift into drive until the motor gets hot enough. The car is like this every single day and does it every time it is driven. Also the…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mazda 626. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v674000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mazda 626. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v674000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mazda 626. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and the ignition failed to release the key. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v674000 (electrical system) and stated that the part needed for the repair was not available. The…”
“I was driving 60mph slowing down to the speed limit which was 55 all of a sudden something popped there was nothing on the road and my steering wheel locked the car went in to the wall and flipped over twice. Everything on the vehicle was damaged including the windows. *tr”
Defect investigations
InvestigationSQ98024 Opened 1998-10-29 · closed 1999-09-10
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Mazda 626 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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