1998 Mazda 626

OWNER OF 1998 MAZDA 626-CAR JUST TURNED 67K MILES. WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET ON 75 ON THE INTERSTATE THE O/D OFF LIGHT CAME ON AND STARTED BLINKING. TURNED CAR OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THE LIGHT WENT AWAY. NEXT DAY THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING. THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP SAYS THE O/D OFF LIGHT BLINKING MEANS THE TRANSMISSION IS OVER HEATING. (HOW IN THE BLUE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THE OVERDRIVE OFF LIGHT BLINKING MEANS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM?) DEALERS FIRST RESPONSE WAS TO REBUILD TRANSMISSION, I PUSHED BACK AND TOLD HIM TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE, THEY DID A TRANSMISSION FLUSH FOR $130 AND HE SAYS THAT SEEMED TO STOP THE PROBLEM FOR NOW. GIVEN ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME ISSUE WILL BE SELLING THE VEHICLE: I CANNOT BELIEVE THERE IS NOT A RECALL ON THIS. IT SEEMS THAT EVERYONE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY KNOWS THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART THAT GOES OUT. *NLM

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. WHEN STOPPING, TRANSMISSION DOWN-SHIFTS SO HARD THAT ALL PASSENGERS FEEL AS IF THEY WILL BE THROWN THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD, LIKE BEING REAR-ENDED. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION IS VERY SLOW TO SHIFT. WHEN IT FINALLY DOES, IT "KICKS" LIKE HAVING BEEN HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. TRANSMISSION TAKES ITSELF OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL AND OUT OF O/D. MAZDA DEALER SERVICE MANAGER HAS DRIVEN THE VEHICLE AND HAS EXPERIENCED THESE PROBLEMS FIRST HAND, BUT BECAUSE THE CAR IS NOT GENERATING A "CODE", MAZDA'S OFFICIAL POSITION IS THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM. THIS IS EXTREMELY UPSETTING AND UNACCEPTABLE, SINCE I COMPLAINED OF THIS PROBLEM (AND OTHERS) SEPT. 2002. THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL BUT WOULD SPUTTER, THEN JOLT FORWARD INTO TRAFFIC. I MADE THREE SEPARATE TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE FIRST TWO TIMES WAS AGAIN TOLD "THERE IS NO PROBLEM, SINCE WE CAN'T FIND A CODE" - EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON! FINALLY, ON THE THIRD TRIP, THEY WERE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM - SPARK WIRES AND PLUGS. RECENTLY, WHEN THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO FIND THE CURRENT PROBLEM, THEY SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS AN ENGINE MOUNT PROBLEM, SO I PAID NEARLY $700.00 (AND HAD A RENTAL CAR FOR NEARLY THREE WEEKS WAITING FOR PARTS) TO HAVE THAT FIXED. WHEN I GOT THE CAR BACK, THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WAS ACTUALLY WORSE! FURTHER, THE CAR SEEMS TO HAVE SOME SORT OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, AS OCCASIONALLY, ALL THE DASH LIGHTS WILL COME ON WHEN I DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, AND THE LEFT OR RIGHT TURN SIGNAL WILL REMAIN ON, STATIC - NOT BLINKING. I HAVE REPORTED ALL THE ABOVE ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TO MAZDA CORPORATION. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY 63,000 MILES AND IS JUST NOW PAID OFF. I COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS TOLD THERE IS NO PROBLEM. NOW, THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND SINCE MAZDA SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM, I WILL HAVE TO PAY ALL COSTS INVOLVED IN TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT. I INTEND TO RETAIN LEGAL COUNSEL. *NLM

WHILE DRIVING UP I-75N , I NOTICED THE O/D OFF LIGHT HAD STARTED FLASHING AND THE ENGINE SOUNDED STRANGE. AFTER A FEW MILES OF THIS, I CAME UPON A REST AREA AND PULLED OFF THERE. AS SOON AS I STOPPED THE CAR, THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING, AND MAKING A GURGLING, SIZZLING NOISE. I HAD TO CALL AAA TO TOW ME BACK HOME, WHICH WAS 3 HOURS AWAY. AFTER GOING BACK TO TAMPA, HAD MY CAR DROPPED OFF AT AAMCO TRANSMISSIONS. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS COMPLETELY BURNED UP INSIDE. SO I HAD THEM REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. I SPENT ALOT OF MONEY BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT, TOWING, AND ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION WHILE MY CAR WAS BEING REPAIRED. *NLM