1997 MAZDA 626 Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 55 MPH THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT BLINKED ON AND OFF. THEN, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT GO OVER 40 MPH, AND THE RPMS INCREASED TO 6,000. HAD TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER AND WAIT FOR THE RPMS TO GO DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY STATED THERE WAS TOO MUCH PRESSURE IN THE TRANSMISSION. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC , WHO REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION, BUT THE SAME PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER ONLY 57000 MILES BACK IN 2004. SINCE THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED I HAD TO SPEND $2200 OUT OF MY POCKET. I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM FOR A WHILE NOW AND HAVE NOTICED THAT 1000'S OF THESE 1997 MAZDA 626 CARS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. WHY HASN'T THE NHTSA FORCED MAZDA TO ISSUE A RECALL OR AT LEAST HAVE THEM REIMBURSE CAR OWNERS? *NM

CAR CANNOT PASS SMOG TEST - #10 TEST BOX DOES NOT EXIST. AFTER SPENDING $1300, IT'S BEEN FOUND REPEATED THAT 1997 CAR CONTAINS 1998 PARTS. #10 TIMING/GROUND DOESN'T EXIST ON 1998 BUT NO PROCEDURE TO SMOG WITHOUT IT. ALL OTHER SYSTEMS PASSED. SMOG REFEREE BELIEVES CAR WAS MANUFACTURED THIS WAY BUT POSSIBLE DEALERSHIP ALTERED BUT THEY, OF COURSE, DENY THIS AND STATE THEY WERE ABLE TO SMOG CAR WHEN THEY SOLD TO US (SINCE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SMOG THE CAR, IT OBVIOUSLY WAS PASSED ILLEGALLY BY THEM). NOW WE ARE OUT $1300 REPAIRS, $12,000 FOR COST OF CAR, $75 FOR REGISTRATION THAT THE STATE WON'T GIVE US A STICKER FOR, AND NO USE OF A CAR THAT SITS ON THE STREET. ONLY WAY TO SMOG IS TO SPEND $2500 TO REPLACE ALL THE PARTS TO MAKE IT ALL 1997. CAR ISN'T EVEN WORTH THAT ON TOP OF WHAT WAS ALREADY SPENT. SOMEONE NEEDS TO COME FORWARD TO TAKE CARE OF THIS MESS. IT'S BAD ENOUGH THE CAR CONSTANTLY STALLS. (AND YES, THE MOTOR LIGHT IS ALWAYS FLASHING. IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING, JUST A BEZERK SENSOR-AFTER PAYING $120 4-TIMES TO HAVE IT TURNED OFF, WE JUST PUT MASKING TAPE OVER THE ANNOYING SPOT). *NM

TRANSMISSION FAILURE O/D ON LIGHT FLASHING, CAR FAILS TO SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR, 2ND FAILURE OF THIS NATURE TRANS WAS REBUILT. *NM

DECEMBER 2004-JANUARY 2005- 1. CAR OVERHEATS CONSTANTLY 2. THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED THE CAR AND CAUSED COMPLICATIONS WITH THE WATER PUMP, COMPUTER 3. REPLACED ALL ITEMS; TRANSMISSION REBUILT COST TO FIX $3200.00 COULDN'T AFFORD TO JUST JUNK THE CAR, AS I HAD PURCHASED IT FOR $5200 THE SUMMER BEFORE. SO I HAD TO FIX IT. WITHIN A WEEK OF GETTING THE CAR BACK, IT BLEW A RADIATOR HOSE. *JB

BRAND NEW SET OF 4 TIRES, FR440 (DOT NO.HYRC4FB4703) P195/65R14 PURCHASED FROM FIRESTONE IN MAY 2005. CHECKED AIR AND ADJUSTED AFTER 100 MILES AS ADVISED, AND MONTHLY THEREAFTER. JULY 13TH, 3000 MILES LATER, FRONT DRIVER-SIDE TIRE BLEW, WHILE DOING 70 MPH AT 6AM (NOT HOT ENOUGH FOR TIRES TO BE TOO HOT, ONLY ON ROAD FOR APPROX. 7 MINUTES WHEN IT HAPPENED). GOLF BALL SIZE HOLES IN A PATTERN BLOWN OUT HALF WAY AROUND THE TIRE ON THE SIDEWALL, AND CAN SEE THE PATTERN CONTINUING THE REST OF THE WAY. FIRESTONE REPLACED TIRE FOR $9 DUE TO MY ROAD HAZARD PURCHASE, BUT WOULDN'T COVER THE COST TO GET A NEW WHEEL, CONTROL ARM, SWAY BAR, AXLE, STRUT & STRUT MOUNT. $500 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO MY 97 MAZDA 626LX; COULD'VE BEEN MORE, BUT A FRIEND, MY BOYFRIEND & MYSELF DID ALL OF THE WORK. A SHOP WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE COSTLY. FIRESTONE TENNESSEE OFFICE "INVESTIGATED" AND BLAMED IT ON: "OUR INSPECTION SHOWED DEFORMATION AND RIM FLANGE GROOVING...WE DID OBSERVE SIGNS THAT THE TIRE HAS BEEN OPERATED FOR AN UNKOWN PERIOD OF TIME IN AN OVER-DEFLECTED STATE CAUSING THE DETACHMENT YOU EXPERIENCED." THE FIRST SHOP WE TOOK IT TO AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT ADVISED US THAT IT WAS A FAULTY TIRE AND EVEN THOUGH THEY'D SELL US A NEW TIRE, TO TAKE IT BACK TO WHERE WE PURCHASED IT AS THE SELLER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE; THAT IF IT WAS THEIR TIRE, THEY'D REPLACE THE TIRE, WHEEL & PAY FOR ANY OTHER DAMAGE AS A RESULT. WISHED I HAD BOUGHT MY TIRES FROM THEM. *NM

WELL FIRST OFF I WAS DRIVING AND MY SPEED STARTED TO DROP SO NATURALLY I PRESSED THE GAS HARDER AND HARDER AND THE RPMS JUST KEPT SHOOTING UP AND THE CAR WOULDN'T GO AND MY ENGINE WAS ROARING LIKE A MUSTANG TRYING TO RACE SOMEONE. SO MY OVERDRIVE LIGHT IN THE DASH STARTING BLINKING ON AND OFF AND I KNEW SOMETHING WAS SCREWY SO I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE AND RESTARTED MY CAR. MY CAR WOULDN'T GO ANYWHERE WHEN I PUSHED THE GAS THE RPM NEEDLE WOULD JUST SHOOT UP AS IF I HAD MY CAR IN PARK. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED ALL OVER TOWN, TO FIND THE BEST QUALITY SERVICE ON A NEW TRANSMISSION I LEARNED THAT 626S' HAVE THE WORST TRANSMISSIONS EVER!!! IT COST ME $2,000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. I THINK I DESERVE TO BE REIMBURSED, AS WELL AS THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *NM

1) PURCHASED A USED '97 MAZDA 626 DX, WITH 115000+ MILES ON IT, SUPPOSEDLY IN DECENT CONDITION. THE VEHICLE REQUIRED A NEW FUEL PUMP, SO WASN'T IN ANY KIND OF ROAD USE UNTIL REPLACEMENT. AFTER REPLACING, THE CAR SEEMED TO WORK FINE, BUT HAD ODD 'JUMPS' FORWARD IN LOW SPEEDS AND STOPS (MAKING ME BELIEVE I WOULD RUN STOP SIGNS). THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED THIS LEMON BACK. 2) AFTER HAVING THE CAR 8WKS, & ONLY TESTING IT AROUND THE BLOCK UNTIL ALL TESTS COMPLETED ON THE FUEL SYSTEM, IT BEGAN TO STEAM & MAKE POPPING NOISES DRIVING <400 YARDS AT <20MPH. AFTER TIME, THE NOISES GOT LOUDER, THE STEAM MORE WIDESPREAD, AND WHEN THE GAS WAS PRESSED THERE WAS NOTICABLE LACK OF POWER FOR LONG SECONDS. RADIATOR WAS SUSPECTED DUE TO THE STEAM AND POWER ISSUES. DURING 1 TEST WHILE BRAKING IT JUMPED/LURCHED SIDEWAYS INTO A WEAK BRICK WALL. 3) WE ARE MILITARY MECHANICS, & WE WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE FUEL/TRANSMISSION/OIL SYSTEMS BY MAZDA'S OWN BOOK. WE EVEN REMOVED THE ENGINE, COMPLETELY CLEANED THE OLD GUNK OUT, & REFILLED FLUID WITH ONLY THE FINEST FLUIDS & CLEANSERS, REPLACING ENTIRE SECTIONS OF THE ENGINE WITH NEW PARTS, & STILL HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. PER MAZDA, THEY KEPT DIAGNOSING ANYTHING FROM SENSORS/COMPUTER/REGULATORS/HOSES/FUEL SYSTEM ISSUES. EXTENSIVE SEARCHES ON-LINE TURNED UP A HORRIFYING LIST OF 100'S OF WEBSITES THAT ALL BLASTED FORD'S BUYING OF MAZDA & RESULTANT LOWERING OF QUALITY. ALL SITES REPORTED TRANSMISSION ISSUES, SIMILAR 'DIAGNOSIS' FROM BAD MAZDA DEALERSHIPS, & THE END RESULT BEING YEARS OF TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENTS. TRANNY'S WOULD BREAK DOWN AT EARLY MILEAGES. FEW REPORTS OF SATISFACTION FROM MAZDA IN REPLACING WHAT HAD TO BE KNOWN AS DEFFECTIVE TRANNYS. THE MAZDA 626 (ALL VERSIONS '94 TO '00) HAVE SERIOUSLY NONE-SAFE TRANSMISSIONS. WHEN WE FULLY ELIMINATED THE LAST OF THE POSSIBILITIES, IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION!!! MAZDA REFUSED TO DEAL WITH THIS, NOR ISSUE A VALID SAFETY RECALL OF 626'S! SPENT OVER $2000 ON NEW PARTS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE!!

LEMON - THIS CAR HAS HAD PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT. EVERYTHING FROM TRANSMISSION TO COMPUTER TO TIMING BELTS TO POWER STEERING PROBLEMS. AT ABOUT 70,000 MILES I HAD IT FIXED AGAIN UNDER WARRANTY AND SINCE THEN I'VE HAD TO PAY FOR ALL REPAIRS. LAST YEAR IT WAS THE RADIATOR I GUESS THINGS WEAR OUT BUT IT TOOK MAZDA 2 TRIES TO FIX IT. THIS YEAR I GOT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FOR SOMETHING CALLED THE IDOL AIR CONTROL VALVE AND THE POWER STEERING SOMETHING OR OTHER. THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR AND THE SYMPTOMS ARE SOMETHING I'VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE. AFTER REPLACING THE IDOL AIR CONTROL VALVE IT THE PROBLEM DIDN'T GO AWAY AND I WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST 3500 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO FIX IT. I TOOK IT TO AAMCO AND I FEEL REALLY BAD NOW BECAUSE AFTER 3 TRIES THEY STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY STILL HAVE THE CAR AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN IT WILL BE FIXED NOT TO MENTION IT'S COST A LOT MORE THAN I EXPECTED TO FIX. *NM

DT: CALLER WAS DRIVING HER CAR AND ENGINE STALED AT SPEEDS 20, 25, 35, 45 OR 55 MPH. CAR RAN GOOD FOR A WHILE THEN IT JUST STALLED WHEN ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED. . NUMEROUS TIMES CALLER HAD VEHICLE SERVICED, BUT IT IS STILL DID NOT WORKING PROPERLY. *AK