AI Damage1989 Mazda MX-6: common problems
Owners of the 1989 Mazda MX-6 filed 28 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and seats. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 28
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 54% of all complaints
- 2 Seats 29% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 4 Structure 11% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 7 Equipment 7% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 7% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 15 complaints (54% of all).
- Seats: 8 complaints (29% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (11% of all).
- Structure: 3 complaints (11% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 28 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Owner put vehicle in reverse when vehicle suddenly accelerated backwards and hit a vehicle, then it accelerated forward hitting another parked car; then ran onto the sidewalk. The vehicle stopped when turned off, but did the samething when turned back on and put into gear. Dealer says may have been the rug.
Interior lights work sporadically, radio lighting has never worked since I purchased the car. (4 years ago) . Emergency brake is "unfixable" I have had this serviced two times and it still will not work.
Whil.e driving the electrical system malfunctioned, causing headlights and interior lights to get dimmer. Also,engine check light came on. There was no braking and steering ability at all, had to use the emergenncy parking brake to stop the vehicle which almost caused an accident. Please provide further information.
The manufacturer (mazda) refused to pay for repair of seat belt that the owner replaced (defective), the item was recalled after repair order was complete.
The vehicle suddenly accelerated when in reverse then in drive. Dealer blames the rug.
When releasing the driver's side automatic seat belt, the seat belt does retract into the retractor mechanism.
The driver's side heat restraint: adjustable broke, causing seat tomove up and down/backwards and forwards .
The rivers seat bracket broke and could have caused injury to the driver if involved in an accident.please describe.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 7,081 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 19% most complained about).
On average one model year of the MX-6 has 18 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 28, above average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1989 Mazda MX-6?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, seats, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 28. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (39%), headlights and tail lights (4%), loss of power / limp mode (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1989 Mazda MX-6?
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 1989 Mazda MX-6 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 1989 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.