1995 Mazda Protege Recalls, Complaints & Specs
4 safety recalls list the 1995 Mazda Protege, and owners have filed 165 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
4 safety recalls for the 1995 Mazda Protege
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Switch (electrical system)
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. Mazda's…
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Switch (exterior lighting)
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The headlight lead wire running through the turn signal lever can fail at the soldered connection to the headlight switch.
Remedy: Dealers will repair the headlight switch.
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Air bags
The tie down hooks can cause undercarriage impacts that can result in unnecessary air bag deployments.
Remedy: Dealers will remove and replace the tie down hooks with modified tie down hooks.
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Engine (engine and engine cooling)
The wire rod used in the manufacture of the engine valve springs can develop minute cracks causing breakage of the springs.
Remedy: Dealers will replace all sixteen (16) valve springs in the engine of the affected vehicles.
165 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 1995 Mazda Protege have filed 165 complaints with NHTSA; 30 describe a crash and 4 describe a fire. Reports cite 53 injuries and 1 death. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 83,489 miles. Complaints peaked in 1996 with 26 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“The air bags exploded while i was out side the car , there was a recall on the air bags & i was never notified by either mazda corp or the dealer & i have been the original owner , there has been nume”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, May 12, 2014 · Air bags
“I was out of the car & both air bags exploded , there was a recall on the air bags , but i was never informed by mazda corp ,i became aware of the recall after the air bags exploded. *js”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, April 29, 2014 · Air bags
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 1995 Mazda Protege. Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 22–30 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 20–26 / 26–35 |
| Fuel | Regular |
| EPA class | Compact Cars |
| Engine | 4 cyl, 1.5/1.8 L |
| Transmission | Automatic 4-spd; Manual 5-spd |
Compare Mazda Protege model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Mazda Protege model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 Mazda Protege | 0 | 2 |
| 1990 Mazda Protege | 1 | 37 |
| 1991 Mazda Protege | 1 | 51 |
| 1992 Mazda Protege | 1 | 63 |
| 1993 Mazda Protege | 1 | 44 |
| 1994 Mazda Protege | 1 | 74 |
| 1995 Mazda Protege | 4 | 165 |
| 1996 Mazda Protege | 1 | 70 |
| 1997 Mazda Protege | 1 | 66 |
| 1998 Mazda Protege | 1 | 46 |
| 1999 Mazda Protege | 1 | 88 |
| 2000 Mazda Protege | 1 | 102 |
| 2001 Mazda Protege | 1 | 50 |
| 2002 Mazda Protege | 0 | 98 |
| 2003 Mazda Protege | 0 | 120 |
Checking a specific 1995 Mazda Protege
How do I know if my 1995 Mazda Protege has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 4 campaigns currently list the 1995 Mazda Protege; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Mazda dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 00V118000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Mazda models
- 6263,130 complaints
- MAZDA32,987 complaints
- CX-52,451 complaints
- MAZDA62,234 complaints
- Tribute2,102 complaints
- CX-91,438 complaints
- CX-71,132 complaints
- Mpv938 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.