The 1995 Mazda Protege has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,502,077 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 232 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. 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.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE HEADLIGHT LEAD WIRE RUNNING THROUGH THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER CAN FAIL AT THE SOLDERED CONNECTION TO THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH.
Consequence
THE FAILURE OF THE WIRE CONNECTION CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH.
AIR BAGS95V1840001995-10-0351,817 affected
Defect
THE TIE DOWN HOOKS CAN CAUSE UNDERCARRIAGE IMPACTS THAT CAN RESULT IN UNNECESSARY AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS.
Consequence
INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN CAUSE INJURY TO THE OCCUPANTS AND INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REMOVE AND REPLACE THE TIE DOWN HOOKS WITH MODIFIED TIE DOWN HOOKS.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING95V0330001995-02-215,760 affected
Defect
THE WIRE ROD USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE ENGINE VALVE SPRINGS CAN DEVELOP MINUTE CRACKS CAUSING BREAKAGE OF THE SPRINGS.
Consequence
THIS BREAKAGE CAN CAUSE ENGINE CHATTER, DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE PISTONS, AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE ALL SIXTEEN (16) VALVE SPRINGS IN THE ENGINE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
36
21crashes2fires36injuries1deaths
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
14
AIR BAGS
12
4crashes7injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
10
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
10
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH
8
SEATS
8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
7
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
7
Total complaints232
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I was out of the car & both air bags exploded , there was a recall on the air bags , but I was never informed by mazda corp ,I became aware of the recall after the air bags exploded. *js”
“The air bags exploded while I was out side the car , there was a recall on the air bags & I was never notified by either mazda corp or the dealer & I have been the original owner , there has been numerous recalls on the 1995 protege & at no time I was ever contacted that there was a recall period.…”
“The air bags exploded while I was out side the car , there was a recall on the air bags & I was never notified by either mazda corp or the dealer & I have been the original owner , there has been numerous recalls on the 1995 protege & at no time I was ever contacted that there was a recall period.…”
“Tl* - the contact had a 1995 mazda protege which was in a head on crash. The contact stated that the car was traveling at 55 mph under dry conditions when the vehicle was struck by another head on. The contact stated that the driver side air bag did not deploy and as a result the driver was…”
“Driver was hit from behind while sitting at an intersection ,then pushed into a parked vehicle. Left front air bag did not deploy. Driver sustained minor injuries, and did not seek medical attention. Vehicle was towed, and totaled by the insurance company. *ak”
“This is a repeat of nhtsa campaign id number : 00v118000. I had the car repaired at the mazda dealership in year 2000 under the previous recall. 1 month ago the headlights stop working due to a broken wire in the headlight switch assembly. The ground wire broke its solder connection at the base of…”
“1995 mazda protege. Both airbags deployed when my daughter hit a curb. No other damage was evident. Tires and rims had no damage. The bags should not have deployed. Recall 95v184000 describes problem with inadvertent air bag deployment on this vehicle. Mazda claims that my daughters vehicle was…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA99029 Opened 1999-09-30 · closed 2000-05-10
HEADLIGHT WIRE BREAKAGE
IN ITS LETTER DATED APRIL 21, 2000, MAZDA STATED THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF APPROXIMATELY 79,000 MODEL YEAR 1995 AND 1996 MAZDA PROTEGE VEHICLES BUILT FROM JUNE 1994 THROUGH JULY 1995.MAZDA DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ASSEMBLE
InvestigationPE99038 Opened 1999-05-20 · closed 1999-09-30
LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS
BASED ON THE REVIEW OF MAZDA'S INVESTIGATION AND TESTING, EXAMINATION OF TWO FAILED FIELD UNITS (A HEADLIGHT SWITCH AND A COMBINATION SWITCH), AND TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS OF SEVERAL COMPLAINANTS, IT APPEARS THAT THE HEADLIGHT LEAD WIRE WHICH IS ATTACHED TO AND LOCATED JUST BELOW THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER, CAN BE STRESSED…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1995 Mazda Protege as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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