1991 Mazda B-Series Truck: common problems

Owners of the 1991 Mazda B-Series Truck filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 14
involving a crash: 3

What fails most often

1 Engine and cooling 21% of all complaints
2 Seat belts 21% of all complaints
3 Service brakes 21% of all complaints
4 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
5 Seats 14% of all complaints
6 Fuel system 7% of all complaints
7 Tires 7% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (21% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Seat belts: 3 complaints (21% of all).
Service brakes: 3 complaints (21% of all).
Electrical system: 2 complaints (14% of all).
Seats: 2 complaints (14% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 14 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

stalls while driving2 · 14%
seat belts1 · 7%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 7%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Engine and cooling	3	1
Seat belts	3	0
Service brakes	3	0
Electrical system	2	0
Seats	2	2
Fuel system	1	0
Tires	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

1991 mazda b-2600i stalled while driving. When the vehicle stalled it was rear ended by another vehicle. The vehicle was then pushed off the left side of the road into a ditch. The truck sustained damage to the rear bumper, tailgate and truck bed.
Engine and cooling · crash · 2006-07-24 · NHTSA complaint #10163703
Driver's seat broke into two in a 10 mph rear end collision, resulting in injuries.
Seats · crash · 1999-01-20 · NHTSA complaint #523380
Left front seat broke into two in a 10 mph rearend collision.
Seats · crash · 1997-12-18 · NHTSA complaint #523185
Tl* the contact owns a 1991 mazda b-series truck. The contact stated that exhaust fumes entered the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was salvaged and the contact was informed that the failure was due to an incorrectly installed intake manifold. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified.
Engine and cooling · 2014-08-14 · NHTSA complaint #10622225
I started noticing the problem 6 years ago, I thought the engine was not completely warm up thats why it was kind of stalling while running. Need to investigate this issue, because there are still plenty of mazda b2200 out there everyday. My brother in law have the same experience as mind.
Electrical system · 2000-10-26 · NHTSA complaint #734873
The engine control module malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to completely shut down. Consumers investigation has revealed the cause of the failure to be the leakage of one or both of the filter capacitors on the circuit board (ecm).
Engine and cooling · 2000-01-24 · NHTSA complaint #855413
Tires are constantly losing air .dealer stated that there was a recall, but this vehicle was not included in the recall.
Tires · 1999-08-31 · NHTSA complaint #846251
The seat belt retractor does not operate properly. When opening the door and closing the door, part of the seat belt is hanging outside of the truck. Also when getting into the truck and putting the seat belt on, it has a lot of slack in the belt.
Seat belts · 1998-03-20 · NHTSA complaint #822049

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19954
19962
19971
19981
19992
20002
20061
20141

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 9,551 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 26% most complained about).

On average one model year of the B-Series Truck has 36 complaints (20 years in the data). This year has 14, below average.

What to check before buying

Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1991 Mazda B-Series Truck?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, seat belts, service brakes. Total complaints: 14. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (14%), seat belts (7%), smoke, burning smell, fire (7%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 Mazda B-Series Truck?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1991 Mazda B-Series Truck from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1991 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.