The 1997 Mazda 626 has 4 recalls, the most serious being an ignition switch that can overheat and start a fire, and a faulty airbag sensor that can trigger the airbag during a minor undercarriage bump rather than a real collision.
The airbag concern involves the SAS sensor unit, which can misread small impacts to the undercarriage and fire the airbag unexpectedly, raising the risk of injury to the driver or passenger. On the engine side, a spring in the timing belt tensioner can break and get caught in the timing belt, which can cause the engine to stall without warning.
At a glance
What can fail
Grease at the ignition switch contact points may become conductive and overheat in certain 1989–1998 Mazda vehicles.
What the fix does
Dealers will replace the ignition switch at no charge.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
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At a glance
What can fail
The side airbag sensor can trigger airbag deployment during minor undercarriage impacts that shouldn't deploy the airbags.
What the fix does
Dealers will reprogram the sensor to prevent unnecessary airbag deployment from low-speed undercarriage impacts.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
A spring inside the timing belt tensioner may break and get caught in the timing belt, causing the engine to stall.
What the fix does
The dealer will inspect your vehicle and replace the tensioner if needed.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The external spring in the timing belt tensioner can break and become wedged in the timing belt.
What the fix does
Dealers will inspect the tensioner and replace it if needed.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
