1998 Mazda 626

I WAS DRIVING MY 1998 MAZDA 626 IN NORMAL TRAFFIC AND STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. AFTER THE LIGHT CHANGED, I ACCELERATED AS NORMAL AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT TO A HIGHER GEAR AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE. I PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT WHERE I FLAGGED DOWN MY HUSBAND AND TOLD HIM THERE WAS A PROBLEM. HE THEN GOT IN AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT TO A HIGHER GEAR. HE DROVE THE CAR TO MAZDA KNOXVILLE IN THE FIRST GEAR. THE SERVICE MANAGER LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND TOLD US THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD GONE OUT AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. HE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WE INSTALL A "TRANSMISSION COOLER" TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. HE SAID THAT MAZDA PUTS THESE TYPE OF COOLERS IN NEWER MODELS. I HAD NO WARNING, NOR HAD I HAD ANY PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION.*AK

ON APRIL 15TH, 2004 I WAS DRIVING TO WORK IN MY 1998 MAZDA 626 LX AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP THEN FAILED COMPLETELY. I HAD TO DRIVE OFF THE HIGHWAY IN FIRST GEAR. I THEN TOOK MY 626 TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY INFORMED ME MAZDA TRANSMISSIONS HAD A FAULTY DRUM. HE INFORMED ME THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. I PICKED UP MY VEHICLE FROM THE TRANSMISSION SHOP ON APRIL 23RD, 2004 AND ON APRIL 24TH, 2004 I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING AND THE THE CAR BEGAN TO DECELERATE AND ALSO BEGAN SMOKING. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY INFORMED ME THE TRANSMISSION HAD BLOWN ONCE AGAIN. THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION A SECOND TIME AND ON SUNDAY, MAY 2ND, 2004 I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH ONCE AGAIN. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE SAME TRANSMISSION SHOP. I CALLED MAZDA AND THEY INFORMED ME THEY WERE AWARE OF THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION AND STATED I NEEDED TO INSTALL A TRANSMISSION COOLER TO KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING. THEY INFORMED ME A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN DONE ON THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION. THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION IS NOT AVAILABLE. DURING THIS TIME I NOT ONLY HAD TO PAY FOR A NEW TRANSIMSSION AND COOLER I ALSO HAD TO PAY FOR TOWING COSTS AND CAR RENTALS FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS.*AK

I PURCHASED MY 1998 MAZDA 626LX IN DECEMBER 2000 WITH 65,000 MILES ON IT. IN JULY 2002 THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL AT 65 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ON AND THE AIR CONDITIONING TURNED ON. THE CAR SUDDENLY SHIFTED INTO SECOND GEAR AND PROCEEDED TO STRIP ALL THE GEARS IN THE TRANSMISSION (AS I WAS TOLD BY THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP) RENDERING MY CAR USELESS FOR THREE MONTHS WHILE I SAVED THE MONEY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. I PUT A REMANUFACTURED ONE IN FROM PHOENIX HARD PARTS (NEVER GOT MY REBATE, SO DON'T GO TO THEM FOR HELP!). IT COST ME $1300 FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND $1200 IN LABOR TO HAVE IT INSTALLED. NOW THIS TRANSMISSION OVERHEATS (FLASHING O/D LIGHT) AFTER ONLY AN HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE! PLEASE SOMEONE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. IT MAY NOT BE CHILD SEATS, BUT THIS IS COSTING LOTS OF PEOPLE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!*AK

I PURCHASED A 1998 MAZDA 626 LX SEDAN IN NOVEMBER 1998. AT SOME POINT IN THE YEAR 2002 THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HESITATE WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR AND THEN THE OVERDRIVE OFF LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH. OCEAN MAZDA IN MIAMI, FLORIDA TOLD ME THERE WAS AN INCORRECT GEAR RATIO BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR. WHEN I TOLD THEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM THEY STATED THAT THEY DID NOT REPAIR TRANSMISSIONS, THEY ONLY REPLACED THEM. I WAS TOLD THE COST OF THAT WITH PARTS AND LABOR WOULD BE $4,000.00 WHICH I DID NOT HAVE AT THAT TIME. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE MY MAZDA UNTIL THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON ME ON MARCH 28, 2003 WHILE I WAS TRAVELING FROM TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA BACK TO MIAMI. I HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE FOR TWO MONTHS AND THEN COULD NOT AFFORD TO HAVE IT REPAIRED UNTIL MARCH 4, 2004. AT THE TIME OF MY TRANSMISSION FAILURE THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 65,000 MILES ON IT. IT COST ME $2,400.00 TO HAVE A REBUILT TRANSMISSION INSTALLED AT A LOCAL SHOP AND NOW I AM ON PINS AND NEEDLES HOPING THAT IT WON'T FAIL AGAIN FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 3 - 5 YEARS. THE GENTLEMAN WHO INSTALLED THE REBUILT TRANSMISSION STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SIMPLY GOT TO HOT AND BURNED UP THE COMPONENTS INSIDE. READING OTHER COMPLAINTS I AM NOT THAT OPTIMISTIC THAT IT WON'T FAIL AGAIN AND I'M JUST HOPING IT WILL LAST LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO SAVE AND GET ANOTHER CAR (NOT A MAZDA THOUGH).*AK

I HAVE A 1998 MAZDA 626, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH OVERDRIVE. JULY 2003 THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP WHILE I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND ALMOST WAS HIT. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I COULD BARELY PULL OVER TO THE SIDE TO OBTAIN TOWING SERVICE. I PAID AAMCO IN RENTON, WA $4000 TO REPAIR THE CAR. WELL, GUESS WHAT... IT HAPPENED AGAIN. ON JULY 3RD 2004, I WAS DRIVING OUT OF TOWN FOR THE 4TH OF JULY, AND MADE IT ONLY 30 MILES OUT OF TOWN AND THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT WAS FLASHING AGAIN AND BEGAN TO POUR TRANSMISSION FLUID ON THE ENGINE. THERE WAS SO MUCH SMOKE I COULD BARELY PULL THE CAR OFF I-5 IN ORDER TO SEEK A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER. I HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED BACK TO SEATTLE, AND AGAIN IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE FORD CD4 TRANSMISSION IS IN THE CAR, AND IT IS A PIECE OF GARBAGE. WHERE IS THE RECALL AND ALL THE MONEY I DUMPED INTO THIS CAR GOING? I STILL OWE ON THE CAR AND CANNOT TRADE IT IN WITH IT'S CURRENT SHAPE. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS 85,000 MILES AND IT NOW HAS 100,000 MILES. OUT OF WARRANTY BUT OUT OF POCKET. THANKS MAZDA. *LA

(1) EVENTS LEADING TO FAILURE: THE TRANSMISSION IN MY MAZDA 626 FAILED WHILE RIDING DOWN THE STREET WITH NO WARNINGS. THE CAR WAS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND ONLY HAD APPROXIMATELY 65000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME. THIS CAR HAS BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD HAVE LASTED LONGER THAN 65K000MILES. 2) FAILURE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES: PPARENTLY SEVERAL PARTS IN THE TRANSMISSION WERE BAD. IN THE END, I ENDED UP PAYING OVER 2500 TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT WITH A YEAR WARRANTY. (3) AFTER THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED, I'VE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH MY TRANSMISSION LEAKING/SMOKING. THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP IS FULLY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND I HAVE INVESTED OVER 4000 TOTAL IN THE CAR AS OF TODAY. IN MY HONEST OPINION, MAZDA SHOULD NOT BE IN BUSINESS IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS AFTER THE CAR IS FOUR YEARS OLD.*AK