Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Mazda 626 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
My wife struck a curb with the right-front tire at about 25-30 MPH. The drivers side airbag deployed, though not the passenger side. When I looked on the dot website I found that 97 626 drivers-side airbags had been recalled for deploying too easily. When I spoke with the dealer they said that my VIN was not covered under that recall. My insurance company paid for the repair, less our $300 deductible, and put in a complaint on the airbag. Because they were paying around $1800, I thought the insurance company would investigate the airbag deployment. My question is, if there was nothing wrong with my car, why did the airbag deploy when there was no body damage, and why didn't the passenger side airbag deploy when the passenger side wheel was struck? Either the driver's side deploys too easily, or the passenger side doesn't deploy when it should.
On Sunday afternoon, October 8, 2006, I was driving locally to visit a friend in a new home. I had just turned off a busy thoroughfare onto a side road when a huge explosion went off in my face. I was traumatized and blinded at first- all I knew was that I couldn't see, and had been hit in the face with a tremendous force--I immediately thought I had been in a collision, but could not figure out where another car could have come from--I was able to stop the car, undo my seat belt and get out of the smokey interior--a woman driving behind me pulled up and helped me to the curb, saying "get away from the car!" since it looked as if it was going to explode! …
I have failed 2 times trying to type this letter of complaint. Well,I have a 1997 Mazda 626 lx 4 cylinder,2 liter engine sedan.,the engine light stays on all thew time now. First time I took it back to granger in garden city,ga and they sent it to fairway fordmazda in abercorn st in savannah,ga. They kept it about 6 weeks and the engine light stayed off about 2 years. Then it started coming back on in February 2005,so I took it to a certified mechanic here in pooler,ga.he cleared the sensors,lasted about 1/2 day,tool\k it back,he said it was number 2 sensor,replaced it,lasted about a day and now it stays on all the time. Number 2 sensor was what it was the first time. I;m also expercing some jerky motion in this car and it could be the transmission. …
We had just bought my 1997 Mazda 626 from a family member and had only had it about 3 weeks. My mother in law had used my car and was coming down the drive and hit a pot hole when the air bags deployed hitting her in the face and busting the windshield. She had to be taken to the hospital for injuries sustained due to the airbags deploying. I then went online where I saw that Mazda had a recall on my car model. I called Mazda and they said there was nothing they could do, that I would have to contact my insurance company. Due to this being an older vehicle I have only liabilty insurance. The car continues to set in the same state as the day the airbags deployed, unable to be driven.
Dt*: the contact stated that while driving 1o MPH and crossing over a metal sewer cover (three to for 4 inches higher above the level of the road), the front driver air bag deployed. The vehicle was considered a complete loss since the price to repair the airbag outweighed the value of the vehicle. There is a NHTSA recall, # 98V249000, regarding air bags: frontal: sensor/control module. The VIN was not included in the recall.
Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. Impact was on left and right front of vehicle. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy, resulting in minor injuries. The vehicl's sensor system failed. The transmission was rebuilt. The vehicle had been in accident by the previous owner and dealer refused to take it back.
Dt: the air bag light on the dashboard keeps blinking. The consumer says that this problem is not electrical. Dealership suggested that it was a sensor that needed replacing. Consumer was going to have to pay for the repairs on the car out of pocket. The air bag light has been flashing a month.
Airbags deployed while driving on a surface street without braking. Driving 30 miles and hour and the bags exploded with no impact of any kind. I was burned and brused. Mazda will not take responsibility for this and insists that I have my insurance pay for repair. The bags were on fire.
Related recalls
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.
NHTSA investigations
Oversensitive airbag deployment
There is no summary currently available
Airbag complaints in other 626 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 1997 Mazda 626?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the air bags of the 1997 Mazda 626, 10% of the model year's 358 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (22 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Mazda 626 airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 98V-249 (sensor/control module-inactive, Oct 8, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Mazda 626 airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 1 fire and 20 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.