The 1990 Mazda Protege has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 1,368,500 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 45 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. 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.
Complaints by component
SEAT BELTS
11
1crashes1injuries
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
5
1crashes1injuries
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
4
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Seat belt track jammed, dealer will not cover, although there appears to be a recall for this issue already. *tr”
“This part is designed with no retainer as on previous parts which would have prevented this failure. Most compact mazda and ford models have this type tie rod end. I have talked to several ford escort owners that have experienced the same failure. The parts were as new as five months old and…”
“When backing out of driveway placed car in drive and depressed gas, and vehicle lurched forward and crashed. Gas pedal was stuck to the floor.*ak”
“Driver's side motor belt failed to operate, leaving driver without any restraint. Dealer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was not covered under manufacturer's recall, and repairs would only be made at consumer's cost.*ak”
“The vehicle experiences excessive vibration from the steering wheel, car windows and back rear doors. Nlm”
“At cold temperatures the high-beam (headlights) fail to come on. Normal(low beam) lights shut off at this point resulting in no headlights. After vehicle has warmed high-beams work as expected.”
“Consumer was driving vehicle when the motorized shoulder restraint would not release properly. She was pulling and heard a clicking noise, and belt was stuck. Dealership (big sky auto ) mechanic called mazda manufacturer, and was told the vehicle was too old, and they would not fix. *ak”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA94039 Opened 1994-11-30 · closed 1997-11-26
AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAIL
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE94059 Opened 1994-07-28 · closed 1994-11-30
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1990 Mazda Protege as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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