Airbag complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2005 Mazda MPV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V404000 (Air Bags) however, the nearest dealer location was nearly 5 hours away. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and attempted to send a mechanic from the dealer to the residence for the recall repair however, the dealer declined. The contact was then referred to a Subaru dealer for assistance; however, the manufacturer failed to send the part to the dealer. The contact had gone back and forth with the manufacturer and other dealers but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Mazda MPV. The vehicle was traveling 40 MPH when the vehicle slid on the ice and crashed into the median onto the highway. The air bags did not deploy. This was the only time that the vehicle had been involved in a crash. The manufacturer told the contact that there was nothing they could do to assist him. The contact is concerned about the safety risk. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileages were 45,000 .
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mazda MPV. While the contact's wife was driving 15 MPH, she struck another vehicle on the driver's side door. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to send documentation from the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Mazda MPV. The contact stated that the driver side air bag was faulty. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14V773000 (air bags). However, the recall only included the passenger side air bag. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, who advised the contact that the drivers side airbag was discontinued and the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.
Tl* - the contact was driving a Mazda MPV with an odometer reading of 75000 miles, in foggy conditions on a two lane highway, her vehicle was hit from behind causing her to hit the vehicle in front of her. The contact stated that the traffic had stopped, and she was slowing down. At the time of the impact, the vehicle was traveling at approximately 20 MPH. The second vehicle behind her did not stop and struck her vehicle at approximately 40 MPH, according to the police. The airbags did not deploy. The seat belt failed and the front passenger was injured. There were a total of three passengers in the vehicle, all of the passengers were belted and all sustained minor injuries. The vehicle sustained both front & rear end damage and had to be towed away. The contact has a police report and pictures of the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Mazda MPV. The contact stated that 48 hours after purchasing the vehicle from Honda of winter haven in winter haven, florida, the passenger side air bag deployed when the key was inserted into the ignition. The front passenger's right arm and lung were bruised and was taken to the hospital by the driver. The passenger was treated and released. The police was contacted, but a report was not filed. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Mazda MPV. While traveling 45 MPH the vehicle crashed into the side of another vehicle. None of the airbags deployed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not inspected for the air bag failure or repaired. The current and failure mileages were 172,000. Updated 07/06/12
I was just setting in my 2002 Mazda MPV es and with the key turned to on spot not to start the vehicle so that I could put down my window. After a minute or so my SRS airbags in my driver seat and passenger seat deployed without any warning. Injury to myself was moderate. My biggest disappointment is that Mazda would not help me at all and suggested I turn it into my insurance under comp. Insurance is only taking care of the damage from this defective product and I have to pay out of pocket to have the other airbags checked for safety. I bought my vehicle new and never had been in any accident.
Related recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2005 MPV, 2004 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 and 2004 MPV vehicles nationwide. Mazda is also recalling 2005-2006 MPV vehicles in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Mazda MPV vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington,…
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018 for MPV vehicles.
Air bags › Frontal
As a result of an ncap test, certain minivans fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection." the front passenger seat air bag was not correctly wiring.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new wiring harness in the front passenger seat air bag system. The recall bagan March 5, 2004. Owners should contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500.
Air bags › Frontal
On certain passenger vehicles, some of the passenger air bag modules were not properly welded and May not deploy in a collision.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger air bag module. Owner notification began October 4, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy…
NHTSA investigations
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Frequently asked questions
Which Mazda MPV years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2000 (15), 2004 (14), 2001 (11), 2003 (10) and 2005 (10) model years. Airbag complaints make up 10% of all complaints for the 2000.
Is there a recall for Mazda MPV airbag problems?
Yes — 5 recalls, including 19V-781 (inflator module, Oct 31, 2019); 18V-402 (inflator module, Jun 15, 2018); 18V-404 (inflator module, Jun 15, 2018). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mazda MPV airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 108,000 miles; 14% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (28 mentions), followed by the side/window (4).
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.