What breaks most · 1990 to 1994 model years
Mazda Navajo problems by year
Owners have filed 123 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mazda Navajo across model years 1990 to 1994. Three years stand out: 1994 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1991 for tires complaints and 1993 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints.
- Years to check closely: 1994, 1991, 1993
- Complaints on file
- 1231990 to 1994, all trims
- Worst year
- 199449 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 73 fires · 6 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 20Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 39 | 4 | 6 | Tires (8) | |
| 12 | 1 | 4 | Visibility (3) | |
| 22 | 0 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 49 | 2 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (10) |
What fails on the 1994 Mazda Navajo
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 20% |
10 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1994 Mazda Navajo |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 14% |
7 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 12% |
6 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1994 Mazda Navajo |
| Tires | 10% |
5 | 1 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 1994 Mazda Navajo |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1994 Mazda Navajo |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 8% |
4 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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During emergency stopping at high speed vehicle pulls to the right and sometimes to left, replace front end brake system, to no avail, ABS system. Tt
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Brake rotors needed to be replaced, as well as u joints/ power steering/bushings and wheel bearings. Deale has had car for four months. *ak
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Vehicles ABS braking system in bumpy roads veers and in wet weather has long and extended stopping distances.when holding pedal hard it veers. Tt
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mazda Navajo years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1994, 1991, 1993 carry the most filings on the Mazda Navajo. The 1994 alone has 49 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Mazda Navajo problem?
On the 1994 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 10 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mazda Navajo problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mazda Navajo complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.