2000 MAZDA 626 Complaints

I OWN A 2000 MAZDA 626, FOR THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT THE MONTGOMERY MAZDA (CHARLOTTE, NC) DEALERSHIP TWICE AND IT IS STILL NOT REPAIRED. THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT, I CLEARLY TOLD THEM THAT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACT AS IF IT IS TRYING TO CHANGE GEARS BUT CAN'T (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND I AM ALREADY IN GOING 45 MPH SO IT SHOULD BE IN THE 5TH GEAR) THE RPMS GO UP TO 4 AND THEN IT JERKS (HARD) WHEN IT CATCHES UP AND THE RPMS DROP. THEY CLAIMED THAT IT NEEDED A TUNE UP, NEW SPARK PLUG WIRES (I ALREADY REPLACED THESE TWICE) AND A NEW FUEL FILTER. I SPENT $356 TO GET ALL OF THIS DONE AND ON THE WAY TO WORK THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AGAIN. I CALLED THEM BACK AND TOLD THEM THAT THE PROBLEM WAS STILL NOT FIXED AND THEY CLAIMED THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT COULD BE. I TOOK THE CAR BACK AGAIN THAT FOLLOWING MONDAY AT 7:30 AM (ORIGINALLY TOOK IT THERE ON THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2006) AND THEY CLAIMED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. AFTER WAITING FOR ABOUT 5 HOURS I CALLED SINCE I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING FROM THEM AND ANOTHER SERVICE PERSON TOLD ME THAT MY CAR HAD JUST BEEN SITTING THERE. WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP, THEN THEY TOLD ME THAT IT MIGHT BE THE ENGINE RELAY OR MAYBE THE TRANSMISSION. I ASKED THEM IF THEY CHECKED IT THEY STATED NO. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER TRANSMISSION PLACE AND THE PERSON STATED THAT IT WAS LOW ON TRANSMISSION FLUID AND THAT WAS THE PROBLEM BUT AFTER THEY FIXED THAT THE CAR WAS STILL DOING THE SAME THING. I LOOKS AS IF I WILL NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. EVERY MECHANIC I HAVE TALKED TO SINCE THINKS IT IS THE TRANSMISSION, I FOUND THAT MAZDA RELEASED A BULLETIN TELLING THE THEIR MECHANICS WHAT TO DO IF OD OFF LIGHT IS FLASHING AFTER LONG DRIVING AND THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AND THE MAZDA SERVICE DEPARTMENT DIDN'T EVEN MENTION IT AND I CLEARING TOLD THEM THAT IT ONLY DOES IT AFTER I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR A WHILE. *NM

1) DRIVING ON LOCAL AND INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HRS, TRANSMISSION BEGAN SHIFTING IRREGULARLY AND ERRATICALLY. SOMETIMES IT WOULD SKIP A SHIFT, OR DOWNSHIFT SUDDENLY CAUSING VEHICLE TO LURCH TO A STOP, OR SLOWER SPEED. 2) TOOK CAR TO MAZDA DEALER. HIS DIAGNOSIS WAS COMPLETE AND TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY ANOTHER INDEPENDENT. THERE WAS NO FIX AVAILABLE OTHER THAN A COMPLETE REBUILD. THERE WAS NO ADVANCE WARNING OR EARLIER SIGNS OF TROUBLE. 3) HAD TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY REBUILT. COST WAS $2,000 PLUS COST OF A RENTAL CAR. *JB

TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE/ TRANSMISSION MOUNT FAILURE ON MY 2000 MAZDA 625 4 CYLINDER AUTO. MILEAGE 117,000. OVERHAUL COSTS $2300 TWO MONTHS AGO REPLACED CV JOINTS. THIS IS PREMATURE FAILURE IN MY OPINION. MOST VEHICLES EXCEED 160,000 BEFORE THEY START HAVING THIS TYPE OF FAILURE. *JB

THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SECOND FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED IN EARLY 2003 WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER THE 3 YEAR/36,000 MILE WARRANTY (IT HAD ABOUT 33,000 MILES ON IT). THE PROBLEM WAS THE ONE OUTLINED IN THE MAZDA TSB # 0500502. I HAD THE FLUID COOLER INSTALLED AT THAT TIME AS WELL AS A REPLACEMENT FACTORY REFURBISHED FORD/MAZDA TRANSMISSION (THE DEALERSHIP SOLUTION). I WAS TOLD AT THAT TIME THAT THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY MORE PROBLEMS FOR THE LIFE OF THE (NEW) TRANSMISSION, WHICH I TOOK TO MEAN THAT IT WOULD LAST ABOUT 100-120,000 MILES. WELL, HERE I AM, LESS THAN 50,000 MILES LATER AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD A MAJOR FAILURE. WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR BEGAN TO MAKE A SOUND I CAN ONLY LIKEN TO TIN CANS IN A TUMBLER. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF TRANSMISSION FLUID ON THE GROUND. A GOOD MECHANIC WILL REBUILD IT FOR $2800. THAT IS MORE THAN HALF THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE (~$5000). THIS DEFECT IS APPARENTLY MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE MATTER OF KEEPING THE TRANSMISSION COOL, IT IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM THAT AFFECTS THE MECHANICALS OF THE TRANSMISSION AND HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF THE FLUID. SINCE THE WARRANTY ON THE CAR HAS EXPIRED, AS WELL AS THE WARRANTY ON THE WORK THE DEALERSHIP DID 3 YEARS AGO TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM INITIALLY, I AM STUCK WITH A HUGE REPAIR BILL AND NO DESIRE TO OWN THE CAR. WHEN THE REPAIR IS COMPLETE, I WILL BE SELLING THE CAR. *JB

I HAVE A 2000 MAZDA 626 6 CYLINDER AND FOR SOME REASON IT HAS STARTED TO JUST PERIODICALLY CUT OFF WHEN AT A STOP, FEELS LIKE IF I HIT MY BRAKES A CERTAIN WAY, IT WILL CUT OFF. I HAVE ALSO HEARD 2 OTHER PEOPLE WITH SAME VEHICLE WITH LIKE PROBLEM. PLEASE ADVISE IF ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE ABOVE. *JB

2000 MAZDA 626 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED AFTER 82,000 MILES BUT HAS FAILED TWICE SINCE THE REPAIR. IN ALL THREE CASES THE AUTOMOBILE TRANSMISSION HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO SWITCH INTO REVERSE FROM BEING PARKED. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS, SWITCHING INTO REVERSE IS COMPARABLE TO SWITCHING INTO NEUTRAL. *JB

2000 MAZDA 626 TRANSMISSION FAILURE, AFTER 61247 MILES. HAD FLUID REPLACED AT 50,000 MILES. *NM

THE BRAKE PADS MUST BE REPLACED EVERY 6-8 MONTHS BECAUSE OF WEAR, THE BRAKES CAN BE FELT GRINDING WHEN APPLIED. ACRID, BURNING RUBBER SMELL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WHEN WAITING AT TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND STOP SIGNS. DEALER REFUSED TO EXAMINE THE CAR WITHOUT A RECALL LETTER, HOWEVER RESEARCH REVEALED THIS CAR'S VIN # IS IN THE RECALL GROUP. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR IS LOCKED AND CANNOT BE UNLOCKED. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE BRAKE PADS MUST BE REPLACED EVERY 6-8 MONTHS, BECAUSE THE BRAKES DO NOT PROPERLY STOP THE VEHICLE, THERE IS A LOUD NOISE, AND THE BRAKES CAN BE FELT GRINDING WHEN APPLIED. THERE HAVE BEEN NO OTHER ATTEMPTED REPAIRS TO THE BRAKES.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK AND COULD NOT BE OPENED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY A MECHANIC. UPDATED 9/22/2006 - *NM