1997 MAZDA 626 Complaints

TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH FAILED CAUSING A JERK FEELING WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. NLM

THE ELECTRICAL MODULE FAILED (COMPUTER) CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN, WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THIS WOULD NOT BE COVER UNDER WARRENTY BECAUSE SOMETHING HAD SPILLED INTO IT. CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS HAPPENED BY DESIGN SINCE THE MODULE IS LOCATED IMMEDIATLY FORWARD AND BELOW THE CUP HOLDER MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR THINGS TO SPILL INTO THIS LOCATION. NLM

VEHICLE WAS IN REPAIR SHOP. COMPUTER CHIP AND SENSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, OVERDRIVE LIGHT KEPT BLINKING, AND TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED AND HAS TO BE REBUILT. *AK *ML

RIGHT AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. ALSO, WINDSHIELD WAS BROKEN WHEN AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FIVE TIMES FOR THE SAME SYMPTOMS, THE CAR RUNS VERY ROUGH, STALLS, NO ACCELERATION ETC. IN NOVEMBER, 1998 (25,657 MILES), JIM ELLIS MAZDA IN ATLANTA DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS BEING A DEFECTIVE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE. THIS PART WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. AT 63,000 MILES, THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE GOES BAD AGAIN. HOWEVER, THIS TIME, THE DEALER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AS WELL AS THE "MAZDA" REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT THE REASON THE PART WAS BAD WAS DUE TO ME SPILLING A DRINK ON IT AND THUS BREAKING IT. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE PART HAS AN 80,000 MILE WARRANTY, WHICH BECOMES AND VOID IF THE PART IS DAMAGED THROUGH OWNER NEGLIGENCE. TO MY ASTONISHMENT, THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE IS LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDER THE DRINK HOLDER NEAR THE GEAR SHIFT. THE UNPROTECTED LOCATION OF THIS CRITICAL PART UNDER A DRINK HOLDER IS EXCEEDING HAZARDOUS TO HUMAN LIFE BECAUSE WHEN THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE BREAKS DOWN, THE CAR DOES NOT RUN. LOCATING THIS CRITICAL ELECTONIC PART UNDER A DRINK HOLDER IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND IN MY OPINION REQUIRES AN INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA. IMAGINE IF SOME OF MY GRANDCHILDEN SPILLED A DRINK ON THE INTERSTATE? IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE MAZDA REPRESENTIVES ACKNOWLEDGED TO ME THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW, BUT, IN MY CASE, SINCE I SPILLED A DRINK ON THE CONTROL MODULE, IT INVALIDATED THE WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THEY WERE GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO RELEASE MY CAR TO ME BY ME PAYING 1/2 OF THE REPAIR COSTS AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL. SINCE A REPRESENTATIVE WITH MAZDA ACKNOLWEDGED THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW, I WOULD HAVE TO ASSUME THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT IT AND THAT MAZDA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE TAKE THIS MATTER SERIOUSLY AND INVESTIGATE THIS COMPLAINT. THE CAR BARELY RUNS WITH A DEFECTIVE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE. WITH THIS PART BEING SO EASILY SUSCEPTIBLE TO "DRINK" DAMAGE, THIS IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN. *AK

BRAKES HAVE WORN UNEVENLY AND WHEN BRAKING AT HIGH SPEEDS VEHICLE PULLS TO SIDE. PADS WEAR UNEVENLY AND STICKS AT TIMES. VEHICLE ONCE SPUN 540DEG WHEN BRAKING ON HWY. THIRD SET OF PADS INSTALLED ON VEHICLE SINCE PURCHASED. MOSTLY HWY DRIVING.

WHILE DRIVING WATER PUMP BUSTED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL OUT AND DIE WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

WHEN THE GEAR SHIFT IS IN DRIVE, AND THE BRAKE IS PRESSED, THE CAR SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND SO MUCH THAT IT ACTUALLY CREATES A HUMMING NOISE. THE VIBRATION IS SO INTENSE THAT IT CAUSE EARS TO CLOG UP. TOOK CAR TO BROWNS MAZAD DEALERSHIP, BECAUSE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. WAS TOLD IT WAS THE MOTOR MOUNTS. THEY HAD MY CAR FOR A TOTAL OF TWO WEEKS, WAITING ON A "PART" WHICH HAPPEND TO BE A BOLT AND WHEN I PICK UP THE CAR, IT WAS IN WORSE CONDITION THAN WHEN I BROUGH IT IN. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SOME VIBRATION IS NORMAL, BUT I AM LITERALLY SHAKING WHEN THE CAR IDLES IN THE DRIVE GEAR. NASTY ATTITUDE. I AM STILL COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND I ASKED TO HAVE THE MOUNTS REPLACED, BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS WITHIN 'SPECS' THEREFORE, LIVE WITH IT. THIS COULD BECOME A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD, BECAUSE I HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL GEAR TO STOP THE SHAKING. *AK