1997 Mazda 626

I RECENTLY EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 1997 MAZDA 626 AFTER ONLY 61,406 MILES. LUCKILY I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AT THE TIME OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE OF THE CAR. HOWEVER, UPON REPLACING MY TRANSMISSION WITH A "REMANUFACTURED" ONE I HAVE AGAIN EXPERIENCED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THERE ARE SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINEERING OF THE TRANSMISSIONS THAT WENT INTO THIS MODEL YEAR CAR. I HAVE READ SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON CONSUMER COMPLAINT BOARDS ON THE INTERNET. WHAT HAS EXASPERATED THIS SITUATION EVEN MORE IS WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR REPAIRS THE DEALERSHIP (ACTUALLY TWO DIFFERENT ONES) RECOMMENDED THAT I PURCHASE A TRANSMISSION COOLING KIT FOR ABOUT $100.00 AS THEY STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION JUST COULDN'T TAKE THE HEAT OF THE DEEP SOUTH (I LIVE IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA). THIS REALLY IRKED ME. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT THESE TWO DEALERSHIPS WERE TRYING TO GET ME TO PAY FOR THIS KIT WHEN IT IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINEERING OF THE TRANSMISSIONS OR ASSOCIATED ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. I CALLED MAZDA USA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR THIS KIT INSTALLATION AND THEY DID NOT THINK IT WAS AT ALL NEEDED. IN OTHER WORDS THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING EVEN IN THE SOUTH ACCORDING TO MAZDA MOTORS NORTH AMERICA. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY OTHER MAZDA OWNERS (ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE SOUTH) HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THEIR DEALERSHIPS THAT THEIR TRANSMISSION WOES CAN BE SOLVED BY PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF THIS COOLING KIT. I WOULD HOPE THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN PERSUADED INTO PURCHASING ONE OF THESE KITS WHEN ITS NOT THEIR PROBLEM TO PAY FOR- IT IS THE DEALERSHIP'S OR MAZDA MOTORS RESPONSIBILITY TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM!*AK

WHILE DRIVING 200 MILES ACROSS STATE ON SR 70 MY O/D OFF LIGHT BEGAN TO BLINK AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO THE MAZDA DEALER THAT WEEK AND WAS TOLD THAT I WAS HAVING TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND WAS TOLD THAT CODES P1744, P0741 & P1783 CAME UP DURING A DIAGNOSTICS TEST. I WAS TOLD THAT I SHOULD HAVE A TRANSMISSION SERVICE AND "WAIT AND SEE" SINCE MY GEARS WEREN'T SLIPPING AT THE TIME. LAST WEEK DURING THE SAME DRIVE ACROSS STATE MY O/D OFF LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AGAIN, AND THIS TIME WHILE TRYING TO PASS A CAR ON SR 70 (A 2 LANE HWY) THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AS I WAS IN THE ONCOMING LANE. FORTUNATELY IT KICKED BACK IN AND I DIDNT HAVE THE PROBLEM AGAIN. (HAVENT TRAVELED SINCE THEN) I TOOK IT BACK TO MAZDA AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE TRANSMISSION, (SINCE I HAD CALLED LAST MONTH TO COMPLAIN THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WHY A CAR W/ 57K MILES SHOULD HAVE A FAILING TRANSMISSION, UNLESS OFCOURSE IT WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE TRANS, BUT I AM STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LABOR AND WAS OFFERED NO WARRANTY. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH AND HAVE FOUND THAT THESE 626 TRANSMISSION CHRONICALLY HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT ONLINE. I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. HAVE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE COMPLAINED, WOULD IT COST MAZDA TOO MUCH MONEY OR DO THEY REALLY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM? WELL AS A SINGLE MOTHER WHO RELYS ON HER CAR AND STILL OWES $12K ON IT, IT IS A PROBLEM. A BIG PROBLEM AND I HOPE THAT CORRECTIVE MEASURES ARE TAKEN. *AK

WHILE DRIVING FROM SARASOTA TO WPB GOING APPROX 65-70 MPH THE O/D OFF LIGHT STARTED BLINKING ALTHOUGH IT WASNT OFF. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE NEXT DAY I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING AND SUGGESTED I HAVE THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED AND WATCH AND SEE SINCE THE TRANS WASNT SLIPPING. WELL 1 MONTH LATER WHILE TRAVELING AGAIN FROM SARASOTA TO WPB NOT ONLY DID THE O/D OFF LIGHT COME ON WHILE TRYING TO PASS THE TRANS DID SLIP. I WAS TOLD THE TRANS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AND SINCE I HAD COMPLAINED TO MAZDA THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON A 57K TRANS SHOULD BE FAILING THEY OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE TRANS BUT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LABOR. AT THIS TIME I HAVE YET TO HAVE IT DONE AND WILL INSIST THAT MAZDA PAY FOR THE LABOR ALSO. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH AND THIS APPARENTLY IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THESE CERTAIN TRANS. I HAD MENTIONED TO STEPHANIE AT MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT I FOUND IT FUNNY THAT MAZDA WILL RECALL GAS CAPS, BUT YET WITH SUCH A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, NOT A THING IS MENTIONED. I ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT THESE TRANSMISSIONS HAVE NOT BEEN RECALLED. IS IT BECAUSE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED? OR IS IT THAT NO ONE HAS DIED? HOW DOES THIS WORK. I AM VERY UPSET WITH THIS AND IT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN C ARE OF. MAZDA WILL NOT DO ANYTHING UNLESS THEY ARE MADE TO. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS. I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS EXACT PROBLEM ON SITES SUCH AS COMPLAINTCENTER.COM, COMPLAINCENTER.COM, YAHOO FORUMS,DUSTBURY.COM/626/TRANS.HTML ETC. ETC.*AK

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 1997 MAZDA 626 FAILED AT JUST OVER 65,000. I TOOK THE CAR TO AN AUTHORIZED MAZDA DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. THE MAZDA MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO COMPLETELY REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. TO SAVE ON THE FINAL COST, I TOOK THE CAR TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, WHO REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION. I AM WRITING TODAY BECAUSE I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT MINE NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM. IF FACT, THE RESEARCH THAT I HAVE DONE (CONSUMER REPORTS, INTERENET, ETC.) INDICATES THAT THERE ARE SEVERE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION ON 1993-1998 MAZDA 626'S (SOME TRANSMISSIONS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT ONLY 30,000 MILES). AND WHILE CERTAINLY NOT CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE, I WAS TOLD BY THE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST WHO WORKED ON MY CAR THEY "WORK ON MAZDA 626'S ALL THE TIME". IN FACT THERE WERE TWO OTHER MAZDA 626'S AT THE SHOP ON THE SAME DAY. ONE WAS A 1997 AND THE OTHER A 1996. MY SINCERE HOPE IS THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN BE RESOLVED.*AK

ABOUT A YEAR AGO MY ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO THE MAZDA DEALER AND THEY SAID THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS BAD. IT WAS REPLACE BECAUSE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. TWO MONTHS AGO MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I WAS AGAIN TOLD THAT MY CATALYTIC CONVER WAS BAD AND IT WAS AGAIN REPLACED. TODAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 75 MILES PER HOUR WHEN MY O/D LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH ON AND OFF. FIVE MINUTES LATER MY CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER. AFTER PULLING OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD MY CAR WOULD NOT CHANGE GEARS. IT WOULD NOT GO FORWARD OR IN REVERSE. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE MAZDA DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD AND THAT IT WOULD TAKE $2500.00 TO BE REPLACED.*AK

I HAVE CONTACTED MAZDA DIRECTLY. THEY REFUSE TO ADMIT THAT THEY HAVE A DEFECT IN THE CD4E TRANSMISSIONS ON THESE CARS EVEN THOUGH ALL REPAIR SHOPS CONTACTED WARN NOT ONLY OF 70+% FAILURE RATE, BUT WARN NOT TO BUY MAZDA REBUILT BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL NOT REPAIRING THE DEFECTS IN THE TRANNY. SAME FAILURE RATE CAN BE FOUND IN THE POST 1995 AND UP FORD CONTOUR WHICH SHARES THE SAME TRANSMISSION. MFR REFUSES TO BE OF ANY HELP. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN PROCEED.*AK