The 1995 Mazda Protege has 6 recalls, the most serious being airbags that can deploy without warning when the vehicle bottoms out, and an ignition switch that can overheat and catch fire.
Recalls 1 and 3 describe the same underlying problem: tie-down hooks on the undercarriage can strike a curb or pavement and trigger the airbags unexpectedly, injuring occupants and causing a crash. The ignition switch recall covers a separate issue where grease inside the switch can become conductive, overheat, and raise the risk of fire. On the engine side, valve springs can develop cracks and break, leading to engine noise, piston damage, and stalling. Two recalls address the same headlight wiring problem: a wire running through the turn signal lever can fail at its solder point or fatigue and break over time, causing a gradual or sudden loss of headlights.
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 headlight wire inside the turn lever switch may bend during manufacturing. Over time, this bending can cause the wire to break, leading to gradual or complete headlight failure.
What the fix does
The headlight switch built into the turn lever will be replaced with a new one.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The wire connecting the headlight to the turn signal lever can break at the solder joint where it attaches to the headlight switch.
What the fix does
Dealers will repair the headlight switch to restore the connection.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The tie down hooks can strike a curb or pavement and trigger the airbags to deploy unexpectedly, which may cause injury or loss of vehicle control.
What the fix does
Modified tie down hooks will be installed to reduce the risk of accidental airbag deployment from curb or pavement contact.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The tie down hooks may strike the undercarriage during normal driving, potentially triggering airbag deployment when it shouldn't occur.
What the fix does
Dealers will remove the tie down hooks and install modified versions that won't impact the undercarriage.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The wire used to make engine valve springs can develop tiny cracks that cause the springs to break.
What the fix does
Dealers will replace all sixteen valve springs in your engine.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
