1998 MAZDA 626 Complaints

WE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT OUR 1998 MAZDA 626 BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WITH ONLY 76,691 MILES ON THE CAR. WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS, SO THAT MILEAGE IS CORRECT. THE TOTAL COST TO HAVE IT REBUILT WAS $2,222.87. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THERE CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT WITH SERIOUS, IF NOT FATAL INJURIES. WHEN WE LOOKED ON THE INTERNET, WE FOUND MANY OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THE PROBLEM, WHICH MAZDA IS AWARE OF IS, IT THAT THEY PUT A FORD TRANSMISSION IN THE MAZDA 626, BUT THIS TRANSMISSION WAS MEANT FOR A SMALLER, LIGHTER CAR, WHICH IS THE REASON FOR THE OVERHEATING AND EVENTUAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THEIR BULLETIN TSB# 0500502.ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM. MAZDA HAS REFUSED TO REPLACE THESE TRANSMISSIONS OR COMPENSATE OWNERS FOR THIS PROBLEM. SINCE THIS TRANSMISSION FAILURE HAPPENS VERY SUDDENLY, IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE IS GRAVELY INJURED OR KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. PLEASE MAKE MAZDA DO THE RIGHT THING!*AK

I OWN A 1998 MAZDA 626 4 CYLINDER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED TWICE NOW, 1ST REPAIR WAS OVER $2,000 SECOND REPAIR WILL BE JUST AS MUCH OR MORE. AFTER CHECKING MESSAGE BOARDS ON THE INTERNET AND TALKING TO TRANSMISSION MECHANICS THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH ALL THESE FORD/MAZDA VEHICLES. WITH A FAILURE RATE THIS HIGH AND CONTINUAL PROBLEMS WITH THESE VEHICLES OVER SEVERAL YEARS SOME SORT OF RECALL NEEDS TO BE MADE. THERE IS ALSO A DANGER FACTOR WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS, THEY HAVE A HUGE TENDENCY TO OVER HEAT CAUSING TRANSMISSION FLUID TO BOIL OVER THROUGH THE DIPSTICK CAUSING OIL SLICKS ON STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. *NM

MAZDA DEALER DIAGNOSIS PO732 AND PO734 INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE OF 1998 MAZDA 626. *NM

I HAVE A 1998 MAZDA 626 WITH 2 FAILED TRANSMISSIONS COSTING $1800-$2100 EACH. THIS IS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS! THE FIRST ONE FAILED AT ONLY 70,000 MI.,NOW THE SECOND REBUILT ONE HAS FAILED AT 140,000 MI. NEVER BUY MAZDA AGAIN!! *NM

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY DURING NORMAL RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, TRANSMISSION STARTS TO SLIP. CAR GOES SLOWER AND SLOWER UNTIL IT FINALLY WON'T MOVE AT ALL. HAD TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED AT REGULAR 30K INTERVALS. CAR WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANS WAS SHOT, RUINED, KAPUT, ETC...ESTIMATE OF $2500. HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE IN MY CAR. AND THE DEALER REFUSES TO HELP OR EVEN TALK ABOUT HELPING ON THE REPAIR COST. MY CAR ONLY HAS 89K ON IT!! NOW THE CAR IS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY COLLECTING DUST, I DON'T HAVE $2500 TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS WELL AWARE OF SINCE MOST MAZDA 626'S ARE HAVING THIS FAILURE. *JB

TRANSMISSION FAILURE... ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT ON THE FREEWAY WHEN MY CARS TRANSMISSION FAILED. LUCKILY THERE WAS SOME TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY. IT HAS BEEN DOING THAT FOR THE PAST MONTH. *NM

I BOUGHT A MAZDA 626 1998 MODEL DURING FEBRUARY' 06. IT HAD 69K MILES ON IT. LAST MONTH, WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE CAR, WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS, IT DID NOT MOVE ON THE ROAD. LUCKILY I WAS ON THE LOCAL ROAD. SO I COULD PUT TURN AND PUT IT ON A PARKING LOT AT A SPEED OF 5 MILES/HR. WHEN I CONTACTED FIRESTONE THEY TOLD THE TRANSMISSION IS A FAILURE AND IT HAS TO BE REPLACED. I SPENT A TOTAL OF 2400$ FOR THE REBUILT TRANSMISSION. I AM TOTALLY UPSET ABOUT THIS. I MEED MAZDA NORTH AMERICA TO REFUND MY MONEY BACK. THANKS. VINOD. *NM

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 1998 MAZDA 626 WITH 89,000 MILES JUST FAILED. ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC, A PUMP FAILED, AND NOW MY CAR HAS "NO FORWARD GEARS." I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT TRANSMISSION FAILURES ARE VERY COMMON WITH THIS MODEL, DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW OF WHICH MAZDA IS AWARE. I AM CURRENTLY HAVING THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT MAZDA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT RECALLING THIS MODEL AND CORRECTING THIS PROBLEM. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. IT WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DETERMINED THE TIMING SPRING FRACTURED. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, #00V134000, REGARDING THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE JERKED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. AT 50,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION WAS FLUSHED AND THE FLUID WAS BLACK. THE REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE SEALS ON THE GASKETS WERE WORN AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WITHIN 30,000 MILES. THEN, WHILE TRAVELING 40 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED A REBUILT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED.