1998 Mazda B-Series Truck Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe two things: original-equipment Firestone tires losing tread or sidewall material, and an idle or throttle that surges on its own so the truck can be hard to slow. A smaller set of complaints covers cruise control switch and cable recall work, rusted rear frame and suspension parts, and clutch or driveline behavior.

1. 1
   Tires

   Tire tread and sidewall separation (original tires)

   • 18 complaints (27%)
   • median 168,000 mi at 12.4 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2010

   Complaints describe tread peeling away from the casing, sidewall blisters or cracks where the tread meets the sidewall, and tires that went out of balance or cupped. Several owners say the failures happened at highway speed and that the tires had been inspected and found correctly inflated shortly beforehand, and some went through a second set within a short mileage span. Many note the tires came on the truck new and that they believed a tire recall should have covered them. Mostly reported on original-equipment tires at low to moderate mileage, often on trucks driven at highway speeds.

   What to check: Read the tire date codes and inspect the tread face and both sidewalls for cracks, blisters or uneven wear; tires of this era are far past normal service life regardless of remaining tread.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I would like to report a quality issues about goodyear's tracker 2 tires. In early summer of 2007, I had 4 tires of this brand installed at wal-mart. These tires were sold at wal-mart with claims for 50,000 miles warranty. By now, it has been not more than 3 years and got close to 40,000 miles. On last saturday morning when I was driving on south bound I-77, about 1 mile a way from exit 58 in virginia, the tire on the bear driver's side blew up. I had to call police for road assistance in order to install the spare tire. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10312623, filed 2010-02, 168,000 miles

   “While driving the truck started to make a strange noise coming from the front.I pulled over got out of the vehicle and check the front.what I found was that half the top surface of the tire was gone showing bare metal.the tire still had air in it.this same tire was in excellent condition that same day. ( DOT number: tire size: p23575r15 )”

   NHTSA complaint #731245, filed 2000-09
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Engine idle surges and throttle hangs open

   • 10 complaints (15%)
   • median 50,000 mi at 10.8 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2017

   Owners describe the engine revving toward 3000 rpm while stopped at a light with the clutch in or in neutral, rpm climbing with no pedal input, and a throttle that stays open after release so the truck will not slow normally. Narratives say the usual workaround was shifting to neutral and shutting off the ignition, and that dealers either found no fault or said the repair was no longer covered even though a bulletin for the symptom existed. Reported from roughly 35,000 to 128,000 miles, typically at stops and idle, and sometimes during cold-start fast idle.

   Recall 99V062002Recall 07V347000

   What to check: During a test drive, let the engine idle in neutral and confirm the rpm settles and the pedal returns fully; ask whether the cruise control cable and speed control switch recall work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Throttle sticks wide open on my 1998 Mazda b2500 truck. Only recourse is to turn engine off to slow down. Have had it in to Mazda shop twice for this problem. First time under warranty, could not find the problem second time, Mazda says not covered under warranty, even though they had a TSB for this problem. I don't want to be a fatal statistic, because of yet another vehicle manufacturers failure to act.”

   NHTSA complaint #10308574, filed 2010-02, 68,000 miles

   “1998 Mazda b2500 se extended cab: problems with engine idle speed during idle situations (e.g., stop sign, stoplight, garage start) w/ clutch disengaged; engine revs from 1000 RPM to 3000 RPM and then quickly back down to 1000 RPM. This is dangerous because it could be a potential root cause of an accident.”

   NHTSA complaint #10051327, filed 2003-12, 50,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Cruise control switch heat, leaks and recall parts

   • 5 complaints (7%)
   • median 181,823 mi at 8.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2012

   Complaints describe the speed control deactivation switch corroded or leaking fluid, with smoke noticed while changing a fuse, and steering-wheel cruise buttons that became very hot whenever the headlights were on. Several owners also report that the cable could hold the throttle open, and that the dealer had no recall parts, told them the campaign was closed, or never performed the work. Reported from 1999 through about 2012, across a wide mileage range including trucks well over 100,000 miles.

   Recall 07V347000Recall 99V062002

   What to check: Have a dealer run the VIN for open speed control campaigns and ask for paperwork showing the switch and cable repairs were actually done, not just scheduled.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have heard that ford has been having problems with their cruise control switches. I have a 1998 Mazda 2500 pickup, so my truck may have some of the some problems. Last year the cruise control on and off buttons on the steering wheel, which are back lit, became very hot when the headlights were on, regardless of the cruise control being engaged or not. The control lights have since burned out. This is a minor inconvenience if it is only a burned out light. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10164900, filed 2006-08

   “Would like to know why the 89 madza b-2500 was not included in the cruise control switch. This model was made by ford along with the ranger pickups with the same problems. They replaced the cruise control cable when the recall was open.”

   NHTSA complaint #10200409, filed 2007-08
4. 4
   Suspension

   Rear frame and leaf spring mount rust

   • 6 complaints (9%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 12.8 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2000–2018

   Complaints describe rear leaf spring shackles and frame sections rusted through until the springs pushed up into the bed, with the spare tire carrier and rear bumper also affected. Owners note the body and bed showed little rust, so the corrosion was not obvious from above, and one report adds front ball joints with heavy rust, cracked boots and disintegrated stabilizer bushings plus squeaks and popping over bumps. Reported from about 66,000 to 128,000 miles, including vehicles kept in warm-weather states.

   What to check: Get underneath and check the rear frame rails, shackles, spring hangers and spare tire carrier for scaling or perforation, and have the front ball joints and stabilizer bushings inspected on a lift.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 98 Mazda which is made by ford....VIN sticker on the door states such. Same as 98 ranger. Both of my rear leaf spring shackles have rusted off so severely that they went through the bed of the truck. The rear end of the frame is rotting off and the spare tire support and tire as well. The truck only has 66,000 miles and runs great. This is a safety issue as my rear bumper could fall off, the spare tire could fall off, and the frame already broke letting the leaf springs go right through the bed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11110089, filed 2018-07, 66,000 miles

   “With 80k on the truck the leaf spring mounts had become oxidized to the point of failure. When this happened my spring came through my bed. There is no body rust, or bed rust. After reading forums I am not the only one with the problem. With 90k on the truck the frame rust through and cracked. There was never a large problem with frame rust before 98 as I have two bronco it's. Ford must have changed steel because there are plenty of guys puzzled with the same problem. Thank you for your time stanley shaffer”

   NHTSA complaint #10229740, filed 2008-06, 80,000 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Clutch pedal and driveline shudder

   Mentioned in 4 of 57 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe a clutch pedal that traveled most of its range before the truck moved, and in some cases a pedal that would not depress at all so no gear could be selected; one owner had to shut the engine off to shift. Another report describes shuddering on stopping and pulling away from a stop, traced by an independent shop to the driveshaft. Owners say dealer diagnoses varied from no fault found to a recommendation to replace the entire clutch system, and one repair followed a service bulletin. Reported across a wide mileage range, in some cases within the first two years of ownership.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test the clutch engagement point and pedal feel in a lot, check the pedal pad and cover for damage, and ask whether any clutch or driveline bulletin work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The problem I experienced with my vehicle was sporadic. The clutch pedal would not depress and I was unable to get my vehicle into any gear. It did not matter how fast I was going or what gear I was shifting to. In order to get my vehicle into gear I had to shut the engine off, then shift into gear and restart the engine. This happened to me in traffic and on the highway. When this occurred I was unable to move my vehicle and was afraid that another vehicle would hit me. …”

   NHTSA complaint #708726, filed 1999-07

   “Truck shudders 4 to 5 times coming to a complete stop and taking off from a complete stop all the time and occasionally also shudders in 2nd gear[truck is an automatic]. This has occurred since the 1st day I picked up the truck. It has been back to 2 different Mazda dealers after I had the transmission checked by an independent shop which gave the truck a clean bill of health and then took to independent shop for a diagnostic check where they found the problem to be the driveshaft. …”

   NHTSA complaint #712752, filed 1999-10

Buying note. On a truck of this age, tires, rear frame and suspension rust, and clutch and throttle behavior are the things owners most often describe, so check them closely before buying. Ask for recall paperwork on the cruise control cable and speed control switch campaigns.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 57 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.