1996 MAZDA 626 Complaints

I OWN A 1996 MAZDA 626 THAT I PURCHASED FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AT 20K IN 1999. MY TRANSMISSION FINALLY JUST FAILED AT 101K AND I SPENT $2000 FOR A REBUILT TRANS. THE OD LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON FOR OVER 12 MONTHS BUT WOULD GO OFF WHEN CAR IS RESTARTED.I RECENTLY DISCOVERED THE CHRONIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THE 626 AND WILL GET RID OF IT ASAP. BEFORE THIS MAJOR FAILURE, I HADN'T NOTICED ANY TRANSMISSION-RELATED PROBLEMS BUT I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MAZDA/FORD.*AK

IM A USED CAR DEALER AND I SELL MAZDA 626'S 1996 TO 1999 THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO KEEP GOING OUT I REPLACED THEM AND THEY GO OUT AGAIN. THIS IS COSTING ME MONEY AND MY CUSTOMERS.*AK

WHEN SHIFTING GEARS TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SHIFT TO FIRST AND SECOND GEARS. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK *MR

OCTOBER 2003 79,500 MILES OD LIGHT BLINKING, ROUGH IDLE, STICKY HARD GAS PEDAL, REMEDY : NEW TRANSMISSION, IDLE CONTROL VALVE 80,000 MILES TRANSMISSION FAILURE NO WARNING LOST 2ND, 3RD,4TH GEAR. REMEDY: REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS TOLD PART FAILED. PICKED UP CAR ON FEB 17TH DROVE CAR FOR 5 MILES 2ND AND 3RD, GEAR BLOWN AGAIN. *JB

MAJOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS WITH 1996 MAZDA 626, CURRENTLY AT 89,000 MILES. *AK

SINCE MY 1996 MAZDA 626 PURCHASE I'VE HAD 3 TRANSMISSIONS. THE 1ST BREAKDOWN HAPPENED ON ROUTE 70 A HIGHLY TRAVELED ROADWAY MY WIFE 7 MONTHS PREGNANT. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. HOWEVER LOOKING AT MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS, THERE SEEMS TO BE SERIOUS MECHANICAL PROBLEMS AND MAZDA SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THERE WAS A PROBLEM WHEN SHIFTING INTO OVER DRIVE. THE OVER DRIVE LIGHT FLASHED CONSTANTLY, WHICH CAUSED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. THE DEALER FOUND THAT A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *JB *SC *JB

STATUS OF RECALL ON 1996 MAZDA 626.*MR CONSUMER INQUIRED AS TO THE STATUS OF GETTING THE VEHICLE RECALLED FOR THE TRANSMISSION. *PH

MY CAR HAS 79,170 MILES ON IT. I BORROWED MONEY & WORKED 2 JOBS TO MAKE THE PYMT. I WAS OKAY WITH THAT B/C I THOUGHT I PURCHASED A DEPENDABLE & RELIABLE CAR. TWO YEARS AGO W/O WARNING, WHILE SITTING AT A STOPLIGHT, MY CAR LUNGED FORWARD. I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP, & HAD THE CAR SERVICED. IT WASNT DIAGNOSED THAT I HAD TRANS. PROBLEMS TIL I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A BUSY HWY. IN EARLY MORNING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, THAT MY CAR LUNGED FORWARD AGAIN & LOST ALMOST 50% OF ITS POWER. IN AN INSTANT MY CAR WENT FROM TRAVELING AT 70+ MILES PER HOUR TO 40 MILES PER HOUR. I LOST MY ENTIRE TRANS. AT 57,000 MILES. MAZDA CORP. HELPED THAT TIME. I PAID $700 FOR LABOR, MAZDA PICKED UP THE REST. NOTE  I HAD ALREADY PAID @ $1300 IN OTHER REPAIRS. TWO YEARS & 22,000 MILES LATER I AM FACING THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. I WAS TRAVELING FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY. ABOUT AN HOUR INTO MY TRIP, MY OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHED OFF & MY CAR DOWNSHIFTED BY 20 MILES. WHEN I RETURNED HOME, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. AFTER THE 2ND VISIT & MY PERSISTENCE TO DIG FOR THE TRUE PROBLEM, THE NEWS FROM MAZDA CORP. IS TRANS. FAILURE & ITS MY PROBLEM. AS I LISTEN TO OTHER NON- MAZDA CAR OWNERS, SAYING THEIR CARS HAVE CLOSE TO 200,000 MILES ON THEM WITH LITTLE OR NO PROBLEMS, I AM HURT, DISAPPOINTED & FRUSTRATED TO KNOW MY CAR WILL NEVER MAKE IT. I AM BEING FORCED TO BUY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT I HAD NO PLANS TO BUY FOR A FEW MORE YEARS. I AM NOW GOING HAVE TO TAKE A HARD FINANCIAL HIT B/C MAZDA CORP. BUILT A CAR WITH REPEATED TRANS. FAILURES, & THEY WILL NOT HELP THEIR CUST. WHEN IT FAILS MORE THAN ONE TIME. THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE TRANS. FREE OF CHARGE; LABOR INCLUDED, & TELL THE CUST. THE FIX WILL NOT LAST. I TRUSTED MAZDA CORP. TO BUILD A RELIABLE, DEPENDABLE & SAFE VEHICLE. WHAT I HAVE IS A CAR WITH TRANS. FAILURES THAT HAS NEARLY COST ME MY LIFE, & IS PUTTING IN ME IN DEBT. THIS HAS GOT TO BE LEGALLY WRONG, & I KNOW ITS MORALLY WRONG. I WANT MONETARY RESTITUTION FOR THIS UNNECESSARY BURDEN.*AK

MY 1996 MAZDA 626 HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING TROUBLE SHIFTING AND THE O/D OFF LIGHT KEPT FLASHING SO I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP. I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS ABOUT TO GO. I FOUND THIS REALLY STRANGE SINCE THE CAR ONLY HAS 81K MILES ON IT AND I THOUGHT MAZDA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY RELIABLE. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT MANY HAVE HAD THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM (SEE THESE 2 WEBSITES: HTTP://WWW.CARTRACKERS.COM/FORUMS/LIVE/YOURLEMON/189.HTML ; HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWMORECOMMENTS_REVIEW_17103_3.HTML ) AND MAZDA HAS DONE NOTHING TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. *AK