Owners have filed 414 complaints on the Mazda B-Series, covering 1986–2009. The system named most often is Air Bags (106 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 1998, 2000; cleanest: 1987, 1988, 1986. 33 reports describe a crash, 9 a fire, 8 a death. On average the car was 6.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mazda B-Series
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 414 B-Series complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 106 Read
Truck involved in auto accident involving a SUV running a red light at high spped. To avoid being broadsided daughter braked hard to stopped but still hit the SUV rear bumper as he continued to drive thru the red light.. Daughter expected airbags to deployed and shielded her face. No airbags. This was a four lane road…
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda B-Series ZJ57. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V806000, 17V807000, and 23V837000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer had refused to complete the recall due to the air bags that had inflated during a crash. The contact stated that the manufacturer refused to honor…
I broadsided a pick up truck that ran a stop sign. Enough damage was done that my vehicle had to be towed and likely will be written off by the insurance company as totaled. I was diagnosed with blunt trauma to the chest wall with contusions. My airbag never deployed
Tires 52 Read
Retard tire(s) sizes...? B/c fire retardent...? DOT:(aahhmtz000), (pjc49r1204),(mdur18hr) should be a 16" size rim
Www.downeynissan.com titan xd king cab VIN:[xxx]. Mazdaspeed 3 turbo VIN:[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
15" dunlop tire, looked like it was barley used still had the numbs on it. Middle of tire tread peeled off, sending the back end of our truck sideways then rolling in a deep embankment. Truck totaled. Will give more info
Power Train 39 Read
My 2003 mazda b3000 pickup spontaneously shifted from neutral into reverse and crashed the (driver's side) open door into the inside wall of my garage. The vehicle was idling and unoccupied, and the parking brake was not engaged. The force of the crash was enough to bend the door. I called the local police department,…
Brittle metal failure in rear axle caused a shear near the left rear tire. The left rear tire separated from the vehicle while the vehicle was on the highway at 50-55 mph, causing the vehicle to roll several times
Four wheel drive system engaged on it's own, causing severe left turns as front wheel locks up. Has happened three times, even thou fixed twice. There is no locking hub conversion available for this model or the ford ranger it's clone. Will not drive this on snow or ice covered roads. Four wheel drive system…
Vehicle Speed Control 32 Read
Throttle sticks at all times, takes up to 30 seconds to return to idle. No engine braking, you have to ride the brakes at times to compensate for sticking throttle. Dealer is claiming they all do it
Factory recall we were notified to have our cruise control on our 2002 mazda 4wd-b400 pu disconnected because of a factory recall. We did this in october 2007. To date we have heard nothing about the repairs. Our dealers keeps telling us that they are waiting for parts. Where in the world are these parts manufactured…
Dealer confirms this recall was completed nov 1, 2007 I called today to confirm, and gave my new address: 4133 224th lane se, unit #101, issaquah, wa 98029-5203. How do I get this recall removed - important for potential future sale... Dealer is lee johnson chev /mazda of kirkland wa. Updated 02/08/17*lj
Service Brakes 24 Read
My mazda b3000 pickup would not stop at a red light causing an accident. When I engaged the brake the front end shook and then there were no brakes. The day of the accident there was a light rain but I had not driven through any puddles, therefore I don't think it was due to "wet" brakes as I have been told.…
Vehicle was in parked in front of the hardware store with consumer's foot on brake, and vehicle still on. Took foot off brake, and vehicle lunged forward, hit the curb, went up on the sidewalk, and straight into the store
Driving on paved road approaching stop sign, pressed pedal had full pedal no brakes. Proceeded out on to state hwy. I was struck on the bed area by another passenger p.u. Truck, traveling at hwy. Speed
Suspension 24 Read
Takata inflators and other, they keep sending me cards and letters, which warn me not to drive my car. Then they say they will tow my car and provide me with a other car. But their not doing anything. I'm very concerned at this point and I need them to take action and help me
Chassis is rusting out. Drivers side rear spring shackle, bracket fell off and need to be replaced costing me about $500.00. Mazda b2300 is also a Ford Ranger which also has similar issues. My truck has about 170,000 miles on the odometer. The drive train is strong; idles and runs smooth, does not burn oil
Whole unbody frame is rusted
Structure 19 Read
Frame inspection and tire balancing? Damaged my front frame of my pick-up. Bought a michelin tire(s)
This is the second time I've asked this same question. Ford recalled these vehicles and the mazda "b" series pick-up is made by ford shouldn't mazda check theirs too? 2004 ford ranger structure: frame and members:underbody shields summary: on certain pickup trucks, the frame may have a center rail section flange that…
2001 - rear leaf spring shackles & brackets rot off the frame. Replaced both. The entire area of the frame where the bumper, leaf spring, spare tire and trailer hitch attach is all extremely rotted. The garage where repaired mentioned to keep checking the frame periodically, as it may rot faster than they can estimate
Visibility 19 Read
Dome light will not go off. With the dome light on at night, driver is not able to see outside of the cab. This problem was intermittent at first, beginning in april of 1998. Dealer has been contacted 4 times about the problem. However, dealer has not attempted to look at the vehicle. *ak wipers go on and off with out…
Windshield wipers come on any time and when put on turn signal,passenger airbag light dont come on or work went to dealer when I received recall letter they said they would call me on part it been over a year and the problem gets worse with everything.took it to another dealer last week they wanted me to pay 76.00 for…
Defroster failed to operate properly while driving in cold/snowy/icy conditi windshield will ice up while driving, and when defroster is on "high", it fails to clear windshield. Dealership had examined vehicle, and claimed that they have repaired the defect. Please provide any additional information/attachments
B-Series years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2001 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 6 | 3 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 7 | — | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 4 | 2 | |
| 1997 | Electrical System | 2 | 1 | |
| 1996 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1988 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | — | |
| 1987 | Structure | — | — | |
| 1986 | Fuel System, Gasoline | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 322 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.3 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.1 years |
A model average of 1.3 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the B-Series?
By complaint volume, 1999, 1998, 2000 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which B-Series years are the cleanest?
1987, 1988, 1986 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mazda B-Series have?
414 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1986–2009. Of those, 33 describe a crash and 9 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.