Owners have filed 189 complaints on the Mazda Millenia, covering 1995–2002. The system named most often is Engine And Engine Cooling (49 reports). Worst years by volume: 1995, 2001, 1998; cleanest: 1996, 1997, 2002. 22 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire, 3 a death. On average the car was 4.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mazda Millenia
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 189 Millenia complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine And Engine Cooling 49 Read
Vehicle was traveling at about 55 mph when all of sudden the driver smelled smoke coming from the front of the engine. Consumer pulled over to the right, and noticed that the engine was smoking. Results showed that the engine failed
The contact owns a 2002 mazda millenia. While driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact pulled over to inspect the vehicle and noticed that the door locks began locking and unlocking by themselves repeatedly. He took the vehicle to the dealer, but they were unable to identify a…
Problems with fuel system practically since date of purchase. Notified mazda motors but was brushed aside. 1/13/03-engine decarbon/fuel injector cleaner;12/17/03-replace all spark plugs;02/06/04 - replaced shorted out knock sensor; 07/23/04 - engine decarbon/fuel injector cleaner; 08/23/04 - replaced sticking idle air…
Air Bags 25 Read
No summary listed for above vehicle
I was involved in a wreckon may 7. My car was struck on the drivers side by another car and then the front of my car hit a tree. The driver's side air bag deployed, but the front airbags did not
There was no deployment of the driver's side or passenger's side air bags when vehcle was hit by a van traveling at a high rate of speed. The whole front end of the vehicle was sheared off. Vehicle was totalled
Power Train 25 Read
While parked and idling, vehicle suddenly accelerated and inadvertently jumped out of gear and forced vehicle forward into a palm tree before stopping. Vehicle at body shop for repairs. *ak the consumer stated that the dealer refused to do a computer check to determine the reason why the vehicle took off while it was…
The vehicle was stationary on a city street. Started the vehicle, foot on the brake and shifted into drive.vehicle was idling at normal RPM. When the foot was removed from the brake petal, the car lurched forward at full throttle. My foot never touched the gas pedal. It traveled about 10 feet striking a vehicle. I was…
Consumer stated that transmission failed. Consumer had three transmissions replaced, and currently will have the fourth transmission replaced. While driving consumer would get the feeling as if someone hit her in the rear. Then, vehicle jerked when consumer pushed on the gas pedal. She, took the vehicle to the dealer,…
Electrical System 15 Read
Consumer stated that she purchased a mazda last year in july, drove it to las vegas, and while she was there, vehicle lost power. She took vehicle to a mechanic , and was told that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. While driving between 50-65 mph vehicle intermittently lost power. Also, consumer's daughter drove in…
Car was turning off when stopped, took to a mazda dealer cables were replaced, problem continued. Mazda burned, fire started under the hood, firefighters could not find the cause
While driving on the highway, the electrical system failed
Suspension 10 Read
The dealership effected repairs to the vehicle. The cause was "left front damper fork broke and it cut the axle boot and strut is sligh". Tech notes include "tly bent, replaced fork strut, left axle on left front and performed alignment". Repairs covered by warranty. Repair cost $1,269.06. This incident may be simliar…
At 35-45 mph driver's side front vehicle dropped. Vehicle was towed to dealer, lower control arm had broken
Front end suspension! I have for the past year been trying to get them to adhere to my findings. There are sounds coming from the end, as though there was a helicopter coming in from the distant. The faster you go the louder it gets. Also, driving real slow or pulling in and out of parking spaces there is a rubbing…
Service Brakes 7 Read
ABS brakes; when applying brakes in normal conditions the pedal went to the floor and brakes failed to stop vehicle, causing an accident. Dealer determined that the cause was a faulty master cylinder
While driving 35 mph in severe cold weather brake pedal commenced to make a popping noise while braking. Vehicle lost braking and rear ended another vehicle in front. Upon impact, neither frontal air bag deployed. Dealer and manufacturer were notified. *ak the consumer stated the vehicle was totaled. Updated 12/12/07
Consumer experienced multiple problems with this vehicle and dealer was aware of them. While driving the hood unexpectedly opened. This caused the windshield to shatter. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. While shifting consumer noticed that the gears engaged slowly, then hesitated.…
Steering 7 Read
The tilt-steering motor failed, leaving the steering wheel locked in the extreme-up ("bus-driver") position. No warning; I just put the key in the ignition and the wheel did not come down (it automatically swings out of the way when you take the key out of the ignition). This is a safety issue because, although the…
Nine months after the power steering wheel tilt motor failed, I again experienced the same failure, leaving the steering wheel locked in the extreme-up ("bus-driver") position. No warning; I just put the key in the ignition and the wheel did not come down (it automatically swings up out of the way when you take the…
Vehicle has been to dealerships on numerous occasions for the tcs off and tcs and check engine lights appearing on dash. When this occurs vehicle has serious driveability problems and is very dangerous to drive in traffic situations. It is currently at the dealership for the 4th attempt to fix/repair this problem.…
Fuel System 6 Read
I was pulling into a parking spot in front of the grocery store, when the car started to rev up the engine and drive at speed hitting a supporting column in front of the store. The car jumped the cement block and front was on sidewalk. Passenger side front fender, wheel, smashed. Accelerator stuck
Fuel cuts out to engine at 2000-2500 RPM. Results in severe bucking and no capability to accelerate, creating a very dangerous condition. Has occured at different speeds from 20 to 50 mph. Condition then persists at any speed but clears itself when restarting engine. Has happened 3 times at intervals up to 4000 miles.…
While driving at speeds above 55 mph get strong fuel odor inside carwhich makes passangers and driver roll down windows to get fresh air because fuel smell
Millenia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2000 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 9 | — |
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 | 118 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.6 |
| Worst single series | 7 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.1 years |
A model average of 1.6 hides a worst series at 7. 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 Millenia?
By complaint volume, 1995, 2001, 1998 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 Millenia years are the cleanest?
1996, 1997, 2002 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mazda Millenia have?
189 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1995–2002. Of those, 22 describe a crash and 1 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.