Owners filed 15 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the power train › automatic transmission. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Wheels › Rim | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Control Module (tcm/Pcm/Tecm) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Exterior Lighting › Headlights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Starter Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
I WAS STOPPED AT STOPLIGHT AND BOTH AIRBAGS INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYED. I HAVE A 1996 MAZDA MILLENNIA S AND NO OTHER PASSENGERS WERE IN THE CAR. THE FORCE OF THE AIRBAG TORE SOME SKIN OFF MY LEFT ARM AND THE INSIDE OF MY LEFT ARM IS VERY BRUISED FROM THE ELBOW TO THE WRIST. THE FORCE OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SHATTERED MY WINDSHIELD. *TR
I HAVE A 1996 MAZDA THAT HAS HAD TWO TRANSMISSIONS IN IT. AFTER RESEARCHING I HAVE FOUND THAT BETWEEN 1994-2002 THESE TRANSMISSIONS HAVE FAILED GREATLY. MY TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP AT A SPEED OF 55MPH AND MY FAMILY AND I ALMOST WENT THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE BY MAZDA TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM AND COMPENSATE THE VICTIMS OF THIS POORLY DESIGNED MACHINE. *TR
SOMETHING POPED LOUD IN THE REAR OF THE CAR AND THEN SKIDDED SIDEWAYS DOWN THE ROAD, HIT THE DITCH WITH THE NOSE OF THE CAR, THEN PROCEEDED TO FLIP 5 TIMES, AND HIT A HOUSE. BUT THE PROBLEM IS THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. WHY DID THE AIR BAGS FAIL?*AK
CAR WAS TURNING OFF WHEN STOPPED, TOOK TO A MAZDA DEALER CABLES WERE REPLACED, PROBLEM CONTINUED. MAZDA BURNED, FIRE STARTED UNDER THE HOOD, FIREFIGHTERS COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE.
WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH CONSUMER HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO INDEPENDENT SHOP, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED FUEL OIL PRESSURE WAS LEAKING. *AK
DEAR SIRS -I AM AN ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1996 MAZDA MILLENIA PURCHASED NEW IN SEPT 1996 ON MAY 20TH 2002 WHILE TRAVELLING ON I-17 20 MILES SOUTH OF FLGASTAFF ,AZ , THE MOTOR SUDDELY SEIZED WITH NO IDIOT LIGHTS GOING OFF ,WATER TEMP GAUGE WAS READING NORMAL ..LUCKILY , I WAS IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE AND 250YDS FROM AN EXIT WHICH I COASTED TO ..MAZDA USA HAS REFUSED TO ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY CITING THAT THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY (36/50,000). MAZDA HAS REVIEWED THE SERVICE RECORDS AND FOUND THEM TO BE AT INTERVELS FAR EARLIER THAN SCHEDULED MAINTENACE ...THE REFUSAL BY MAZDA TO STAND BEHIND THEIR MOTORS WITH 34,372 MILES DOES NOT SPEAK WELL OF MAZDA..TO THIS DATE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE "MELTDOWN"*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON PERIODICALLY ALONG WITH THE HOLD AND TCS LIGHTS, TWICE WHEN THE HOLD AND TCS LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING, THE CAR REFUSED TO GO INTO OVERDRIVE, DEALER STATES THE ECM COMPUTER NEEDS REPLACED BUT MEPP CLAIMS OFFICE REJECTED THIS. *SLC
THE ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON SPORADICALLY EVERY TIME WE CHECK IT OUT IT GOES BACK OUT THEN THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON WE HAD THE OIL REPLACED THEN THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF WE THEN TOOK THE CAR TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THE HEADER BROKE COMPLETELY OFF THE CAMSHAFT AND IT WOULD BE $5,000 TO FIX OUR WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED BY 42 DAYS AND THEY REFUSED TO HONOR AN EXTENSION AND TOLD US TO PAY OR TAKE THE CAR OFF THE PREMISES. I CONTACTED THE MAZDA WARRANTY DEPT WHO REFUSED TO EXTEND IT AND I ALSO SPOKE WITH THE DEALER WHO SOLD ME THE CAR WHO SAID THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO ABOUT IT. EVEN THE ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE HANDLING MY FINANCE ACCOUNT COULD DO NOTHING TO HELP. THIS CAR IS ONLY THREE YEARS OLD AND WE ONLY HAD IT FOR 13 MONTHS WITH ONLY ONE PRIOR OWNER DAMAGE OF THIS CALIBER WITHOUT HAVING BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IS A BIT EXTREME. OTHER MAZDA OWNER HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM SEEMS LIKE AN ENGINE DEFECT.
WHEEL RIMS CORRODED REQUIRING REPLACEMENT.
SUSPENSION DOES NOT ISOLATE FEEDBACK FROM ROUGH ROADS. DASHBOARD GETTING LOOSE. INTERIOR TRIM GETTING LOOSE. SOMETIMES (ON THE BUMPY ROADS), TRACKTION CONTROL SYSTEM DISABLES WHILE DRIVING. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
INTERMITTENT STARTING PROBLEMS: INITIALLY, WHEN KEY IS TURNED THERE IS A GRINDING SOUND AND ENGINE FAILS TO TURN OVER. SUBSEQUENTLY, WHEN THE KEY IS TURNED AGAIN THERE IS A LOUD POPPING NOISE BUT THE ENGINE TURNS OVER. *AK
THE LOW BEAM ILLUMINATION IS VERY DEFICIENT. LIGHTING GOES OUT A SHORT DISTANS THEN STOPS ABRUPTLY, LIGHT CARRIES ONLY ABOUT TWO TO THREE CAR LENGHTS AHEAD OF VEHICLE.
WHEN VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A INTER-SECTIONAL CRASH; GOING ABOUT 10-15 MPH; WHERE THE WHOLE FRONT END OF VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED AND THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS. THE VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED. *AK
15 of 15 complaints, reproduced as filed.
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.