Of the 77 airbags complaints filed for the 2008 Mazda Mazda6,
here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 50,000-75,000 mi.
0-25k
0 (0%)
25-50k
0 (0%)
50-75k
2 (66.7%)
75-100k
1 (33.3%)
100-125k
0 (0%)
125-150k
0 (0%)
150k+
0 (0%)
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted.
Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits
and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
Airbags accounts for 69% of every owner complaint on file for this vehicle — the dominant problem area across 4 categories tracked.
Among the 12 model years of Mazda Mazda6 in our records for airbags problems, this one ranks #3 by owner-complaint volume.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2005 MPV, 2004 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V130, 14V362, 14V773 and 15V869.
The failure pattern owners describe
Buyer takeaway: A 2008 Mazda6 with this mileage is at risk for unresolved Takata inflator recalls due to widespread parts shortages that plagued 2015–2016 repairs. Verify with the dealer that all recall campaigns (particularly 15V345000, 15V382000, 15V869000, 16V354000) have been fully completed; do not rely on recall records alone, as some vehicles were marked as repaired without parts being available.
Most complaints (roughly 60+ out of 77) describe the Takata inflator recall parts shortage that plagued 2008 Mazda6 owners from mid-2015 through 2016. Owners received recall notices but waited months—often 6 months or longer—for replacement inflators, with dealers unable to provide firm delivery dates. Several owners made repeated calls to dealers and Mazda; in multiple cases, manufacturers acknowledged the issue but could not provide a repair timeline. In one case, a dealer ordered the wrong part and sent the owner away; another owner was told not to worry about a "prompt letter" and the part was never even ordered. A handful of owners eventually had repairs completed after extended delays, but the systematic gap between recall notification and parts availability left vehicles unrepaired for prolonged periods.
Separately, six owners reported airbag deployment failures during actual crashes at 20–70 mph, including partial deployments (one side only) and total non-deployment. One owner described metal fragments ejected from a deployed airbag that caused facial injury. A rollover event with side curtain airbags produced no deployment. These failures occurred in vehicles covered by the Takata recall campaigns, though the narratives do not always confirm whether the underlying inflator defect or a separate system failure caused the non-deployment.
Two owners reported airbag warning lights illuminated on the dashboard; one dealer stated the vehicle's curtain airbags would need replacement before the main inflator recall could be addressed.
Same Mazda Mazda6 airbags reports on nearby years: 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2009 · 2010
Failure modes owners describe
Takata inflator recall – parts unavailable for extended period
Owners received recall notifications (campaigns 14V344000, 15V345000, 15V382000, 15V869000, 16V354000) but dealers and manufacturer could not supply replacement inflator parts for months or longer. Multiple owners reported waiting 6+ months with no estimated delivery date and repeated follow-up calls yielding no firm timeline. Some dealers ordered wrong parts or provided vague assurances. The manufacturer exceeded what owners considered reasonable timeframes and could not supply replacement hardware.
Symptoms owners cite: Recall notice received but no replacement parts available at dealership; Repeated dealer calls with no firm delivery date; Manufacturer unable to provide estimated repair timeline; Wrong parts ordered by dealer in at least one case; Recall repair appointment scheduled but cancelled due to missing parts; Vehicles reported as repaired when repair never occurred
Repairs/costs cited: Replacement Takata inflator required; owners mention waiting months for parts; one owner reported incorrect part order at dealership. No repair costs cited.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: NHTSA Campaigns 14V344000, 15V345000, 15V382000, 15V869000, 15V896000, 16V354000 issued. Some owners eventually received repairs after extended delays. One owner reported Mazda contacted them and completed all recalls; another stated recall was eventually rectified.
Airbag non-deployment in low-speed and moderate-speed crashes
Owners reported that one or more airbags failed to deploy when the vehicle was struck or crashed at speeds of 20–45 mph. In three cases, only some airbags deployed (driver side yes, passenger side no). In two cases, no airbags deployed during what appears to be rollover or tree-strike events at low-moderate speeds. One vehicle equipped with side curtain airbags did not deploy them during a 4–6 roll event. No deployment failures were documented as actually confirmed by Mazda or a mechanic in the narratives.
When: At 90,000–158,000 miles; crashes occurred at 20–70 mph; one rollover incident in 2010
Symptoms owners cite: Airbag did not deploy during vehicle collision at 20 mph into stopped vehicle; Airbags did not deploy during crash at 30 mph into pole; Driver side airbag deployed but passenger side did not deploy during 40 mph tree collision; No airbags deployed during 45 mph crash into tree; No airbags deployed during high-speed (70 mph) crash with cement barrier impact; Side curtain airbags did not deploy during 4–6 roll barrel roll incident; Metal fragments ejected from deployed airbag, injuring occupant's face
Repairs/costs cited: Vehicles towed or destroyed following crash; vehicle repairs performed by collision facility in one case. One owner received medical attention for face injury and whiplash from metal fragments ejected by deploying airbag.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Campaigns 14V344000, 15V345000, 15V382000, 16V354000 address Takata inflator defect. One owner's vehicle was included in recall campaign 15V345000 but dealer refused to perform the recall remedy.
Airbag warning light illuminated
Two owners reported that the airbag warning indicator light came on and remained illuminated. One owner at 181,598 miles reported the light during the recall part-shortage period; a second owner at 42,000 miles reported the light and was told by the dealer that air curtain airbags would need replacement before the main airbag recall could be addressed. These are unconfirmed complaints with no diagnostic codes provided by owners.
When: At 42,000 and 181,598 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Airbag warning light illuminated on dashboard; Light remained on; dealer stated curtain airbags required replacement before recall repair could proceed
Codes mentioned:15V345000, 15V382000, 16V354000
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer stated that air curtain airbags would need to be replaced before the inflator recall repair could be performed. No repair cost or part numbers cited.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Campaigns 15V345000, 15V382000, 16V354000 issued; manufacturer made aware of at least one warning light complaint.
Synthesized from 77 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer
allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting
14 most recent
airbags
· filed 12/28/2015
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 Mazda 6. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v382000 (air bags); however, the part needed to perform the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN…
airbags
· filed 12/26/2015
Takata recall, I received the recall for the first time in july 2015. Mazda gave me an appointment for sept.9,2015 I went and after being there the whole day. I was told that they had to change my airbag and they order the part.. They told me to go in sept 12 in order to fix the airbag, after spending the whole day there they ordered the wrong item so I had to leave the place without the correct…
airbags
· filed 12/18/2015
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 Mazda mazda6. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 15v345000 (air bags) and 15v382000 (air bags) however, the parts for the repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of this issue. The contact had not experienced a…
airbags
· filed 12/07/2015
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 Mazda 6. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v345000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms…
airbags · 70,000 mi
· filed 12/03/2010
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 Mazda, mazda6. While the contact was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a crash and the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. The dealer stated that the impact did not warrrant air bag deployment. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
airbags
· filed 12/01/2015
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 Mazda 6. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 15v345000 (air bags) and 15v382000 (air bags). The contact was unable to get the part from the dealer for an extended period of time, which was beyond a reasonable time frame. The contact was unable to determine when the parts would become available to receive the repairs. The…
airbags · 65,000 mi
· filed 11/26/2010
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 Mazda 6. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact hit a deer causing her to crash. The air bags did not deploy. The dealer had not been contacted. The manufacturer had not been notified. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 65,000.
airbags
· filed 11/23/2015
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 Mazda 6. The contact received notification of a manufacturer's recall for the air bags. The dealer asked the contact to call back more than twice to determine when the parts would become available. Each time the contact called the dealer, they stated again to follow up and call back. The manufacturer had the dealer schedule an appointment and the parts…
airbags
· filed 11/18/2015
Takata recall: tl* the contact owns a 2008 Mazda 6. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 15v345000 (air bags) and 15v382000 (air bags); however, the parts were unavailable to perform the repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced…
airbags
· filed 11/12/2015
I was notified in february of 2015 that they were recalling the air bags. I got another letter in the mail in august, notifying me that I will be notified about when to make an appointment to get them repaired. No one has gotten back to me and I'm still driving with the faulty air bags.
Had airbags trouble with your 2008 Mazda Mazda6?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the airbags problem on the 2008 Mazda Mazda6?
It's a meaningful issue. 77 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $1,100.
At what mileage does the airbags typically fail?
Across the 18 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most airbags failures cluster between 70,000 and 116,000 miles, with the median around 93,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 70,000; a quarter make it past 116,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $1,100 for airbags repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to airbags?
Yes — 1 active recall(s) cover airbags issues on this vehicle. Recall fixes are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status. Use the VIN decoder at the top of the page to check if your specific vehicle is affected.
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2008/Mazda/Mazda6.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.