1996 MAZDA 626 Complaints

TRANSMISSION HAD BIG PROBLEMS, EVEN AFTER USING THE CAR EXTREMELY CAREFULLY. JUST HAD 57000 MILES AND HAD TO GET MAJOR REPAIRS DONE TO THE TRANSMISSION. *AK

AFTER BUYING THE CAR (USED) A YEAR AGO I FIRST HAD TO REPLACE THE 02 SENSOR, THEN WHILE DRIVING THE O/D LIGHT WOULD START FLASHING AND THE RPMS WENT CRAZY BETWEEN GEARS, AFTER A RESTART IT WOULD GO AWAY ONLY TO DO IT AGAIN. THIS ONLY LASTED 2 DAYS, SO I THOUGHT IT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN A BIG DEAL. THEN THIS PAST WEEKEND UP IN THE MOUNTAINS, IT WAS DRIVING FINE UNTIL I CAME TO A STOP LIGHT, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD, I PUT IT IN THE AUTO 1ST GEAR THEN 2ND AND IT LURCHED FORWARD ONLY TO GO A MILE BEFORE NEVER MOVING AGAIN. IT WILL COST $3,000 TO REPLACE.*AK

JUNE 28, 2002 -- WELLINGS MAZDA, RICHMOND, IN "PERFORMED RECALL SSP-34 AIR BAG CAMPAIGN. MARCH 2004, MATT CASTRUCCI'S AUTO MALL, "BODY ELECTRICAL: CUSTOMER STATES AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON PLEASE CHECK OUT AND ADV," AND "CUSTORMER STATES CAR IS RUNNING ROUGH, WAS TOLD VALVE COVER GASKETS ARE LEAKING AND ON THE SPARK PLUGS PLEASE CHECK OUT." RESULTS WERE: "CHECKED OUT LIGHT IS NOT ON, NO CORRECTION AT THIS TIME." AND "CHECKED OUT REPLACED VALAVE {SIC} COVER GASKETS AND INTAKE GASKETS CLEANED SPARK PLUG WIRES AND PLUGS. RECHECKED OK" SEPT. 19, 2004 -- WHILE MOTIONLESS AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, BOTH FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. WE DO HAVE RELIABLE WITNESSES. THE DRIVER (ME) IS A PHYSICS PROFESSOR, THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER IS A PH.D. CANDIDATE, THE LEFT REAR PASSENGER IS A PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR, AND THE RIGHT REAR PASSENGER JUST FINISHED LAW SCHOOL. THERE WAS ALSO A PEDESTRIAN STANDING 3 FEET AWAY AND A HELPFUL DRIVER IN THE ADJACENT (ALSO MOTIONLESS) CAR.*AK

EVERYTIME I DRIVE THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT COMES ON AND WHILE DRIVING IT HESITSTE ON FREEYWAY I CHECK TO THE MECHENIC HE SAY ITS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND IT IS THE PROBLEM WITH MAZADA 626 AND NEVER BEEN CORRECTED AND THEY DIDNT BUIL T IT CORRECTLY SO I THINK MAZADA SHOULD BRING THEM BACK

O/D LIGHT FLASHING ON VEHICLE; INDICATIVE OF A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. HISTORY OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON PRE-98 626S. HARD SHIFTING INTO DRIVE/REVERSE DURING COLD ENGINE; SLIPPAGE OF ENGINE. *AK

JUST BOUGHT A USED 96 MAZDA 626LX. VERY WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND HAD BEEN CHECKED OUT BY A MECHANIC THROUGHLY. A DAY LATER IT STARTED TO VIBRATE SO WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE MOTORMOUNT. WE WERE WRONG. SO WE JUST IGNORED THE VIBRATION. A FEW DAYS THE LATER IT WOULD'T START UP AND WE HAD TO GO AND GET THE BATTERY CHECKED OUT. NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE MECHANIC TOLD US TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST FIX IT B/C THE FLUIDS WERE BLACK. WHICH THEY WEREN'T WHEN PURCHASED. SO AFTER ALL THIS WE ARE HAVING TO PAY FOR A TRANSMISSION. THE CAR SHOULD BE RECALLED AND TAKEN OFF THE MARKET. I THINK MAZDA NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IT IS DAMAGING THEIR REPUTATION. AND HAVE MADE ME DECIED TO NEVER BUY ANY KIND OF MAZDA AGAIN. *AK

WHILE SHIFTING VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE ON ITS OWN. A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE SHAFT SOLENOID NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

1996 MAZDA 2.0 626 LX. OVERDRIVE FLASHES FROM 4TH TO 3RD. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO FIX/FIND PROBLEM TO NO SATISFACTION. MAZDA DEALER ADVISED NEW TRANSMISSION NEEDED-SIGHT UNSEEN. SEEMS TO BE A MORE THAN PREVELANT SITUATION. *AK

THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON INDICATING THAT THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED. HOWEVER, THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. THEREFORE, THE CONSUMERTOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. *AK THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WENT OUT THREE TIMES. *SC

I BOUGHT A 1996 MAZDA 626 WITH 85,000 MILES ON IT. I HAD A TRANSMISSION TUNE-UP DONE WITHIN A MONTH OF THE PURCHASE. NOW, AT 94,000M THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPAIRED AT COSTS EXCEEDING $1500! THE PROBLEM WAS SAID TO BE OVERHEATING OF THE TRANSMISSION. ALSO, THE O/D LIGHTS CONTINUE TO FLASH AFTER 15-20 OF DRIVING AROUND.*AK