1998 MAZDA 626 Complaints

1) FROM EARLY ON, THE TRANSMISSION WAS ALWAYS JERKING AND SHIFTING LATE. WE TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND ALSO TO A MAZDA DEALER, WHO TOLD US THAT IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER DOING WEB RESEARCH, WE FOUND THAT THESE WERE FORD TRANSMISSIONS THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY FAIL DUE TO OVERHEATING AND THAT EVEN WITH A REPLACEMENT THE PROBLEM WOULD RECUR. 2) ON 2/22/05 THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY FAILED FOR GOOD (AT 130,000 MILES). IN SPITE OF MAZDA'S KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THEIR LACK OF PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO ACCOMODATE US. THE ENGINE RUNS WELL AND THE BODY IS IN GREAT SHAPE, BUT THE VEHICLE IS NOW UNDRIVABLE. ) WE WILL PROBABLY JUNK THE CAR, SINCE IT IS WELL-KNOWN THAT EVEN IF REPLACED, THE TRANSMISSION WILL HAVE A HIGH PROBABILITY OF FAILURE.*AK

IMADE A COMPLAINT EARLIER BUT I FORGOT A FEW THINGS. MY O/D LIGHT SOMETIMES FLASHES AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON. I TOOK IT TO AUTOZONE TO GET THE LIGHT READ AND THE MAN GAVE ME A LIST OF PROBLEMS WRONG WITH THE CAR. I DON'T REMEMBER EVERY THING BUT ONE THING WAS JUST A SENSOR AND THE OTHER PROBLEM WAS SOMETHING WRONG INSIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION.*AK

IJUST BOUGHT MY 626 ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO AND IT IS HAVING MAJOR PROBLEMS THAT IT DID NOT HAVE WHEN I BOUGHT IT. THE TRANSMISSION IS FAILLING, IT JERKS, IT SMOKES, AND SOMETIMES IT WILL NOT EVEN GO. TO GET IT FIXED I WILL HAVE TO PAY ABOUT $3000 UNLESS THEY FIND MORE PROBLEMS IN THE CAR. I SEE MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY DON'T FIX IT.*AK

MAZDA 626 HAS ALWAYS JERKED ON OCCASION WHEN SHIFTING. DRIVING WITHOUT ANY WARNING (NO WARNING LIGHTS OF ANY KIND CAME ON), MY CAR STARTED JERKING AND LURCHING (THIS IS WHILE GOING 45 MPH). WORRIED ABOUT MAKING IT TO MY DESTINATION, JUST BARELY MADE IT TO WHERE I WAS HEADED, HAD IT TOWED FROM THIS SPOT TO DEALER TO EVALUATE BECAUSE I FELT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AT THIS POINT. WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE CLUTCHES HAD BURNT OUT AND THE DEBRIS FROM THIS CAUSED OTHER PROBLEMS, NEEDED NEW TRANSMISSION $2,700 TO FIX. JUST PREVIOUSLY HAD THEM DO SOME TRANSMISSION WORK COSTING ME OVER $500 FOR THE SERVICE. *JB

(1) TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK...O/D LIGHT FLASHING OFF AND ON, CAR SMOKING AND OVERHEATING; (2) TRANSMISSION OVERHAUL...$2000 PLUS $115 TOW BILL; (3) STILL NOT CORRECTED...BUT SO FAR NEW SPRAGE FRONT PLANETARY, TORQUE CONVERTER, TEC VALVES, RETAINER FOR SPRAGE, THRUST BEANING. *AK

TRANSMISSION HAD DIFFICULTY CHANGING INTO 2ND AND 3RD. TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED NOT FAR FROM MY HOME AND NEEDED A REBUILD FOR $1250 18 MONTHS AFTER INITIAL REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION IS AGAIN FAILING. THIS TIME WHEN TRANSMISSION IS WARM THE ENGINE SHIFTS DOWN AND UP FROM THE OVER DRIVE GEAR. WHEN TRANSMISSION IS COLD THE UNIT HAS NO PROBLEM BEING IN OVERDRIVE GEARS.*JB

ON DECEMBER 2004, MY CAR DID NOT START, AAA TOWED THE CAR TO BELFI'S AUTO AND TRUCK REPAIR INC. 162 SOUTH MAIN ST. LODI, NJ. 07644 (973-471-5210). AFTER DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM TO BE THE TIMING BELT SUSPENSION SPRING THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, UPON CONTACTING MAZDA CORPORATION I WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALL DID NOT INCLUDE MY VIN#. I HAD THE REPAIR DONE BY BELFI'S AUTO SHOP. THE RECALL WAS FOR THE 1998 MAZDA 626, WHY ISN'T MY VEHICLE INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL BEING THAT IT IS THE EXACT SAME MODEL? *JB

TRANSMISSION IS GIVING SERIOUS PROBLEM. 1998 MAZDA 626 LX, AUTO TRANSMISSION, 80K MILES. V4. *AK

VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 69,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN PUTTING THE TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE. IT CAN ONLY MOVE FORWARD WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS IN FIRST GEAR. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *NM

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, I STOPPED FOR FUEL. I GOT IN THE CAR TO LEAVE AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AAMCO . TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTER WERE REPAIRED. TWO WEEKS LATER, I HAD TO RETURN TO AAMCO AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS AGAIN REPLACED. THIS IS A WELL MAINTAINED CAR AND NOT ABUSED. THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AAMCO SAID THE TRANSMISSION HAD OVERHEATED CAUSING THE FAILURE. THERE WAS NO APPARENT SLIPPAGE PRIOR TO THE EVENT. *JB