One problem related to dash wiring has been reported for the 1998 Mazda B3000. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The air bag indicator light on my dashboard stayed lit, indicating a problem. I immediately took the vehicle to brown's Mazda @ 7400 richmond highway in alexandria, va on 9/9/1999. They ran the truck through numerous diagnostic tests until informing me that the wiring harness had a short in it, and would need to be replaced. They further indicated that the harness was not a part of the manufacturer's 60,000 mile warranty on safety equipment. I said that it was the air bag that was showing up as malfunctioning, therefore, it was an airbag or safety related item. They only agreed to replace the part, but I would be responsible for the 6 hours of labor. I noticed from TSB#97-24-14, Nov 97 that the wire harness terminal repair kit was a recall problem for the 1998 Ford ranger pick-up. My 1999 Mazda pickup and the Ford ranger are essentially identical vehicles. My question is, has there been a lot of problems with the wiring harness, vis a vis, the air bag system on 1998 Mazda pickup trucks? I've only had the vehicle 18 months, and I admit, I've put on a lot of miles (59,624 at time of the malfunction), however, I find it strange that the harness goes out right around the magic 60,000 warranty mark.