Most common 1997 Mazda 626 problems
Share of the 358 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mazda 626 complaints by model year
Best 626 years: 2003, 2002, 2001. Years to avoid: 1995, 1998. Compare all years →
1997 Mazda 626 recalls (3)
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
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 overheat.
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with the sas sensor unit. These vehicles can experience air bag deployments in minor undercarriage impacts.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the sas unit to reduce the probability of unnecessary deployments in low speed undercarriage impacts.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. An external spring in the timing belt tensioner can break and get caught in the timing belt.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tensioner and replace it if necessary.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 1997 Mazda 626:
Speedometer inoperative
See resume for details.
Oversensitive airbag deployment
There is no summary currently available
What 1997 Mazda 626 owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 233 →
Left home to go to work made it about 3 miles from my home and my transmission quit working as I was in the middle of a hwy. I was turning onto from a side street. I was about hit as my Mazda would not go and quit working on a blind corner.
I have had numerous problems out of my transmission on my 1997 Mazda 626 v4 automatic. I have taken my car to a transmission mechanic shop 3 times now and one of the times it had to be towed, and they cannot find what the problem is. The overdrive light would come on and constantly flash and the car would start shifting hard and sometimes would not want to shift into passing gear at all. But once it sets for a few hours and cools down, the overdrive light doesn't come on anymore and the mechanic shop tells me that the car has reset it's self and they cannot detect the defect code by their computer diagnostics. It seems like the overdrive light only comes on when you have had the car on the road for a while, and it gets heated up. I have read several other transmission complaints from other Mazda 626 owners off the internet and in my local residence area. …
Engine & cooling all 41 →
The vehicle is stalling during acceleration and after. Sometimes it's stops and clear itself up and then throws itself into overdrive (o/d off lights starts flashing) all while driving it in the street(city and interstate). When you let the car sit and not run it will not flash but after driving amd not getting any speed it does it again.
December 2004-January 2005- 1. Car overheats constantly 2. The transmission overheated the car and caused complications with the water pump, computer 3. Replaced all items; transmission rebuilt cost to fix $3200.00 couldn't afford to just junk the car, as I had purchased it for $5200 the summer before. So I had to fix it. Within a week of getting the car back, it blew a radiator hose.
Air bags all 36 →
Tl* the contact owned a 1997 Mazda 626. While at a stop, another vehicle lost control and crashed into the front of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained chest and back injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
My wife was driving our 1997 Mazda 626 when she hit a pothole at 19th and spring garden sts in phila., pa. Both airbags went off, breaking the windshield. Her neck was a little red after the incident, but no medical treatment was sought. We found a small dent in the rim, but the tire did not go flat. She drove the car to a place where she could pull off the road. Our insurance company totaled the car. I found that 97 Mazda 626's were recalled. I had a dealer check our VIN number and was told that it had been taken in for the recall. Our insurance company aaa midatlantic is calling this a chargeable accident and raising our rates 40%. I feel that the airbags should not have deployed when hitting a pothole at no more than 25 MPH that did no real damage to the car. Luckily, she was not hurt, but was certainly scared to death when it went off.
1997 Mazda 626 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 23 / 31 / 26 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 21 / 29 / 24 |
| 2.5L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 18 / 24 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Mazda 626 a good car?
Based on 358 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1997 626 rates average: 1.3× as many complaints as a typical year of the 626 at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Mazda 626?
The transmission & drivetrain — 233 complaints, 65% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the engine & cooling (41) and air bags (36).
How many recalls does the 1997 Mazda 626 have?
There are 3 recalls for the 1997 Mazda 626, the most recent from October 19, 2015 (switch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Mazda 626?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2003, 2002 and 2001. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1995 and 1998. See the full Mazda 626 years comparison.
At what mileage do 1997 Mazda 626 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 90,000 miles; 12% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.