1994 Mazda Mpv

Routine

Owners filed 36 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags › frontal. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Air Bags › Frontal8
805
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine7
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline3
000
Vehicle Speed Control2
000
Tires › Tread/Belt2
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components2
100
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip2
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission2
000
Tires1
000
Suspension › Front1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch15V674000
Filed Oct 19, 20151,368,500 vehiclesMazda North American Operations

Defect. 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.

Risk. 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.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Tires
Filed May 22, 2009CA

DEFECTIVE TIRES. STEEL BELTS SPLIT. TIRES READY TO EXPLODE. FUTURA 775 PURCHASED AT PEP BOYS 02/2005. LESS THAN 10,000 MILES DRIVEN ON 55,000 TIRE. SHOWED TIRES TO 4 DIFFERENT AUTO SHOPS AND ASKED IF THIS WAS A NORMAL THING OR IF IT WAS A DEFECTIVE TIRE? ALL 4 SAID IT WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, INCLUDING THE PEOPLE IN THE PEP BOYS GARAGE. THE MANAGER OF THE STORE SAID IT WAS NOT A DEFECT AND WOULD NOT REPLACE THE TIRES, BUT OFFERED TO SELL ME A COUPLE OF NEW TIRES. *TR

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Oct 5, 2003AR

I HAD A MVA ON 9/20/03. A VEHICLE PULLED IN FRONT OF ME AND I COLLIDED WITH THEIR FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG IN MY VEHICLE DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS DRIVING A MAZDA MPV 1994. MPV TOTALED. MPV FRONT END COLLAPSED. *JB

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Mar 4, 2003NY

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH THE VEHICLE HIT A DEER. UPON IMPACT THE FRONT AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. *AK *NLM

Air BagsCrash
Filed Oct 9, 2002125,000 milesNY

THE CONSUMER WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS STRUCK , AND IN THE FRONT CENTER OF THE VEHICLE THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. MR SCC

Exterior Lighting › Back Up Lights
Filed May 7, 2002AL

WHEN WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE WE NOTICED FOR NO APPARENT REASON LIGHTS WOULD COME,TRANSMISSION WENT OUT BEFORE EXPECTED,EVEN WHEN REPLACED BRAKES WOULD MAKE A GRINDING NOISE.AFTER TALKING TO MANY PEOPLE,WE FOUND OUT THAT MPV VANS FOR SEVERAL YEARS HAVE THESE SAME TYPE PROBLEMS*AK

Tires › Tread/Belt
Filed Oct 4, 2001OR

PEOO 020 ; VEHICLE HAD A FLAT TIRE ON PASSENGER'S REAR SIDE. SHE TOOK VEHICLE TO A TIRE PLACE, AND MECHANIC TOLD HER THATTWO TIRE TREADS HAD SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE. FIRESTONE, WILDERNESS, P215/65R15, DOT W2VFH30358. THESE TIRES WERE NOT ORIGINAL TIRES ON VEHICLE, BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM.*AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Jan 4, 2001TX

LIFTERS & ROCKER ARMS REPLACED 3 TIMES - CARBON BUILD UP WAS NEVER FIXED CAUSES ENGINE TO NEED REPLACEMENT. *AK

Tires › Tread/Belt
Filed Jul 30, 2000CA

I SAW THIS 'SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT' REPORT ON CH. 2 IN LA, I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ON MY TIRES, THE TREADS ON THE TIRES CAME OFF THE TIRE WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN A STEEP HILL MAKING A TURN AND MY VAN COULD OF TIPED OVER. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES AT MY COST. *AK( DOT NUMBER: HYMO316 TIRE SIZE: P205/70R15 )

Exterior Lighting › Headlights › Switch
Filed Jun 10, 2000CA

MY DEALER AND REPAIR SHOP SAY THEY HAVE SEEN SEVERAL CASES OF THIS SWITCH FAILURE. IT CAUSES THE HEADLIGHTS TO COME ON BY THEMSELVES. MUST BE A DEFECT IN THE SWITCH ASSEMBLY THAT MAZDA IS AWARE OF. MAZDA SHOULD COVER THE REPAIR. *AK

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Jun 5, 2000LA

ON APRIL 28,2000, THE TRANSMISSION IN OUR L994 MAZDA MPV MINI-VAN WENT COMPLETELY OUT. I WAS TRAVELLING AT AN APPROXIMATE SPEED OF 60 MILES PER HOUR ON INTERSTATE L2 IN BATON ROUGE. WE PURCHASED THE VAN, USED, IN JANUARY 2,000. WHEN WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP, WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION COULD NOT BE REBUILT. WE THEN PURCHASED A USED TRANSMISSION FOR INSTALLATION IN THE VAN. THE TOTAL COST WAS APPROXIMATELY $2,200.00. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE ANY TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS LISTED FOR THE L994 MAZDA MPV MINI-VAN INVOLVING THE TRANSMISSION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *AK

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed May 23, 2000CA

CONSUMER WAS AT STOP LIGHT WHEN TRYING TO TAKE OFF AND VEHICLE DIDN'T MOVE AT ALL. THROTTLE WAS TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER TOWED VEHICLE TO DEALER. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Feb 29, 2000GA

THIS PROBLEM WITH THE LIFTERS HAS BEEN REPORTED TWO SEPARATE TIMES. BOTH TIMES WE WERE GIVEN A MAJOR RUN AROUND IN ORDER TO GET THIS ISSUE TAKEN CARE OF. ON THE FIRST VISIT WERE TOLD THAT KNOCKING WAS NORMAL FOR A ENGINE TO DO. WHICH I STRONGLE DISAGREED WITH. AFTER GOING INTO THE ENGINE IT WAS FOUND THERE THERE WAS SOME COLLAPSED LIFTERS. SOON AFTER THE REPAIR THE PROBLEM RESURFACED, THIS TIME SPACERS WERE INSTALLED. I WAS TOLD THAT NOT ENOUGH OIL WAS REACHING THE LIFTERS. AFTER THIS THE KNOCKING WAS GONE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND I THOUGH THE PROBLEM WAS TAKEN CARE OF. UNTILL WE MOVED TO GEORGIA IN JULY OF 98 THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN WITH US UNTILL PRESENT. I CAN SAFTLY SAY THAT I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF THE VAN THE OIL IS CHANGED ON A 2000 MILE CYCLE SO I WOULD THINK THAT THE OIL SHOULD BE ABLE TO REACH THE LIFTERS FINE. EVEN THOUGH I WAS TOLD BY THE MAZDA DEALER THAT THE KNOCKING NOISE WOULD NOT CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE, I HAVE TO DISAGREE. THE CAM SHAFT HAS TO HAVE SOME KIND OF WEAR AS WELL CONSIDERING THATS WHAT THE PUSHES THE LIFTERS UP.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Nov 8, 1999MS

-ALMOST EVERY TIME WE START THE ENGINE, A VERY LOUD CLACKING NOISE PERSIST FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN AFTER THE VAN IS WARMED UP THE CLACKING SOUND SUBSIDES TO A MINIMAL NOISE LEVEL BUT IS NEVER THE LESS STILL APPARENT. AT FIRST " STARTS" IN THE MORNINGS IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING LOUDER. IT SOUNDS LIKE THER IS NO OIL IN THE ENGINE AND THE VALVES ARE JUST CLICKING AND KNOCKING LIKE CRAZY. I CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 3-4000 MILES AND MAKE SURE IT IS CONTINUALLY FULL. I CALLED THE MAZDA MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT AT METRO MAZDA, 1087 I-20 WEST FRONTAGE RD., JACKSON MS, 601-944-1333 AND WAS TOLD BY ONE OF THE MECHANICS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT , BECAUSE MOST OF THE MPV'S HAVE THAT PROBLEM.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Jul 23, 1999CA

SPRING INSIDE ENGINE LIFTERS GAVE OUT.CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY.CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

Seat Belts › Front › RetractorCrash
Filed Jun 11, 1999KY

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AT 35 MPH, SEATBELTS DID NOT RETRACT, AND AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Apr 11, 1999CA

ROCKER ARM/LIFTERS ARE NOISY, CONTACTED DEALERSHIP, RECOMMENDED REPLACING ALL LIFTERS, COST BET. $850-$1200.

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Nov 12, 1998IN

IN A DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT DRIVER'S AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THIS ACCIDENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Mar 17, 1998HI

TRANSMISSION FAILURE.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Jan 19, 1998TX

HYDRAULIC LASH ADJUSTERS WERE IMPROPERLY DESIGNED AND RESTRICT OIL FLOW.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Dec 31, 1997PA

ROCKER ARM AND SHAFT REPLACED RESULTING IN ENGINE NOISE, HOWEVER CARBON BUILD UP STILL PRESENT.

20 of 36 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
200612200Do not drive
200536300Do not drive
200471510Do not drive
2003113420Routine
2002124450Routine
200170320Routine
2000149530Routine
19992000Routine
199819130Routine
199722130Routine
199618100Routine
199519100Routine
1994 — this page36100Routine
199351130Routine
199261100Routine
199166310Routine
199047330Routine

Compare every Mpv year →

Reading this record

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.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Oct 19, 2015. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.