1999 Mazda 626

STALLED OUT IT FIRST HAD TO GET THE RPMS UP TO GET IT TO SHIFT, OD LIGHT FLASHED ON AND OFF. NOW THE CAR WONT PULL AT ALL. HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR TWO AND HALF YEARS. HAD IT TOWED TO COLEMAN-TAYLOR TRANSMISSION. THET WANT $3,000.00 TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION. ALL THIS HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF TWO DAYS. I DON'T HAVE $3,000.00 TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. SINGLE PARENT TRYING TO PUT MY ONLY CHILD THROUGH COLLEGE. I HONESTLY CAN'T BELIEVE THERE HASN'T BEEN SOME KIND OF RECALL WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED. HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED BACK TO MY HOUSE. PLEASE, PLEASE HELP!*AK

I PURCHASED MY 1999 MAZDA 626 IN DECEMBER 2000. SINCE THAT TIME, THERE EXISTS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH DOWNSHIFTS ROUGHLY AND HAS THREATENED TO FAIL ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. RECENTLY, A FRIEND WHO HAS THE SAME MODEL TOLD ME THAT MAZDA INSTALLED FORD TRANSMISSIONS IN THEIR 626 MODELS AND THAT THESE PARTICULAR TRANSMISSIONS WERE NOT SUFFICIENT TO OPERATE IN A 626. HER TRANSMISSION FAILED COMPLETELY AND SHE HAD TO REPLACE IT. SHE TOLD ME THAT THE MAZDA DEALERSHIPS ARE WELL AWARE OF THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM AND THAT THERE IS A HUNDRED-DOLLAR "FIX" THAT CAN STOP THE TRANSMISSION FROM FAILING. I LOOKED THROUGH YOUR DATABASE ONLINE. THE PROBLEM WITH MAZDA TRANSMISSIONS IS WELL-KNOWN AND WELL-DOCUMENTED AND YET: 1. THERE IS NO RECALL. 2. MAZDA HAS NEVER INFORMED ME OF A POTENTIAL PROBLEM OR POTENTIAL "FIX." I SUPPOSE I WILL EITHER HAVE TO TAKE MY CHANCES WITH THE "FIX" AND SPEND MORE MONEY ON A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN INSTALLED OR PAY APPROXIMATELY $2,000 WHEN MY TRANSMISSION FINALLY FAILS. IF THIS IS A DOCUMENTED CONDITION WHICH EVERYONE SEEMS TO KNOW ABOUT, WHAT IS NHTSA'S POSITION AND WHY ISN'T MAZDA BEING CALLED TO BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I AWAIT YOUR RESPONSE. *AK

WE BOUGHT A USED 1999 MAZDA 626 EX FROM A MAZDA DEALERSHIP IN NOVEMBER 2000. IT WAS A "GOLD CHECK CERTIFIED" CAR. WHILE WE WERE BUYING THE CAR, THE DEALERSHIP WAS SOLD TO CAPITAL MAZDA OF CARY. WE NEVER RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT THE CAR, THOUGH WE DID RECEIVE SOLICITATIONS FOR SERVICE AND REPAIR WORK, WARRANTIES, OR TO BUY A NEW CAR. IN APRIL 2004, WE DROVE THE CAR FROM RALEIGH NC TO CHARLESTON SC, AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. WE HAD OUR 3 YEAR OLD AND 1 MONTH OLD IN THE CAR, IN THE HEAT, WALKING TO GET HELP. THE AAMCO DEALER TOLD US IT WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT OF THE FORD TRANSMISSION. THERE WAS A CRACK INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION WHICH HE SAID WAS AN "INHERENT DEFECT." WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO REPAIR IT SO WE COULD GET HOME. WE ARE VERY UPSET THAT WE HAD TO PAY $2000 TO FIX IT WHEN IT IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM - WE FEEL THAT MAZDA SOLD US A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. NOW, LESS THAN THREE MONTHS LATER OUR CAR BROKE DOWN WHILE MY SISTER WAS TAKING IT TO GET THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT LOOKED AT. SHE WAS STRANDED. WE HAVE HAD TO SPEND ANOTHER $275 ON TRANSMISSION WORK AND THE PROBLEM IS NOT RESOLVED. WE ARE STILL PAYING FOR THIS VEHICLE AND CANNOT AFFORD TO SELL IT, NOR CAN WE AFFORD TO KEEP REPAIRING IT. WE ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING ANY CLASS ACTIONS BEING DEVELOPED AGAINST MAZDA REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT IS WIDELY KNOWN THAT FORD TRANSMISSIONS ARE NO GOOD, YET MAZDA HAS NOT TAKEN ANY STEPS TO RECALL THESE.*AK