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2001 Mazda 626

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most 626 years

Owner complaints for the 2001 Mazda 626 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 44.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

140 reports with mileage · 48 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 139 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports4 fire reports11 injury reports

Power Train complaints

139 reports
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53,000 miles · Jul 1, 2005
Power Train

TRANSMISSION HAS ALWAYS BEEN ACTING UNUSUAL BUT I MISTAKINGLY THOUGHT IT WAS HOW THE RIDE WAS IN THE BRAND NEW 2001 MAZDA 626 WHEN BOUGHT IN APRIL 2001. IT WAS HEAVY AND I WAS USED TO DRIVING HEAVIER CARS. 53,000 MILES LATER THE TRANSMISSION DIES AND THE SERVICER AT THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME ITS "BURNT." WANTS TO CHARGE $3700 TO R…

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TRANSMISSION HAS ALWAYS BEEN ACTING UNUSUAL BUT I MISTAKINGLY THOUGHT IT WAS HOW THE RIDE WAS IN THE BRAND NEW 2001 MAZDA 626 WHEN BOUGHT IN APRIL 2001. IT WAS HEAVY AND I WAS USED TO DRIVING HEAVIER CARS. 53,000 MILES LATER THE TRANSMISSION DIES AND THE SERVICER AT THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME ITS "BURNT." WANTS TO CHARGE $3700 TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WHEN I STILL OWE $3700 ON THE CAR IN PAYMENTS. RESEARCH ON THE WEB TELLS ME THE TRANSMISSION HAS A COOLING SYSTEM ISSUE WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED (@ ABOUT $800) IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. DYING TRANSMISSION CAUSED CAR TO ROLL BACK IN D...BEWARE!!!

NHTSA ODI #10127238

78,140 miles · Jun 17, 2005
Power Train

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AFTER 78,000 MILES, AND IT COST OVER $2600 TO FIX.

NHTSA ODI #10125615

Mileage unknown · Jun 16, 2005
Power Train

MAZDA 626 TRANSMISSION FAILURE, AT 75,000 MILES. DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY IF THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS THIS TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY. WAS TRAVELLING ON A FREEWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ... CAR STALLED IMMEDIATELY. COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC LANES ... VERY DANGEROUS RESULT.

NHTSA ODI #10125509

58,000 miles · May 7, 2005
Power Train

MAZDA 626 2001 58,000 MI, TRANSMISSION FAILURE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT FOR A COST OF $2400.

NHTSA ODI #10120176

69,395 miles · Apr 26, 2005
Power Train

I HAVE HAD MY 2001 MAZDA 626 FOR 3 YEARS. THERE IS ONLY 69,000 MILES ON THIS CAR, AND NOW MY TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM HERE. MAZDA SHOULD HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES RECALLED. I DO NOT FEEL THAT CONSUMERS SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE WITH THE EXPENSE OF REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION AFTE…

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I HAVE HAD MY 2001 MAZDA 626 FOR 3 YEARS. THERE IS ONLY 69,000 MILES ON THIS CAR, AND NOW MY TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM HERE. MAZDA SHOULD HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES RECALLED. I DO NOT FEEL THAT CONSUMERS SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE WITH THE EXPENSE OF REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION AFTER A CAR BEING ONLY 4 YEARS OLD. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10118517

48,000 miles · Apr 12, 2005
Power Train

VEHICLE BROKE DOWN AND O/D OFF LIGHT FLASHED. VEHICLE OVERHEATED. HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. EXTENDED WARRANTY DECLINED TO PAY FOR SERVICES.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10116840

72,200 miles · Apr 8, 2005
Power Train

I PURCHASED A 2001 MAZDA 626 IN JULY OF 2002 AND HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES ON THE CAR. I'VE HAD TO CHANGE USUALLY TWO TIRES AT A TIME EVERY SIX MONTHS. AS OF TODAY ALONG WITH PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES MY TRANSMISSION BLEW OUT AND I'M BEING QUOTED $3,300 TO REPLACE IT. THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING ON ANY CAR THAT IS…

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I PURCHASED A 2001 MAZDA 626 IN JULY OF 2002 AND HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES ON THE CAR. I'VE HAD TO CHANGE USUALLY TWO TIRES AT A TIME EVERY SIX MONTHS. AS OF TODAY ALONG WITH PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES MY TRANSMISSION BLEW OUT AND I'M BEING QUOTED $3,300 TO REPLACE IT. THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING ON ANY CAR THAT IS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD. IT HAS 72,000 MILES ON IT. I'VE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE COME ACROSS 200 OTHER INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. SOME OF THEM WITH BRAND NEW MAZDA'S AND SOME OF THEM WITH THE SAME CAR THAT IS OLDER THAN MINE. IT'S AMAZING TO ME THAT MAZDA CAN GET AWAY WITH SELLING THIS CAR FOR SO LONG WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE THREE CHILDREN THAT ARE IN THE CAR WITH ME DAILY AND I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE CAR DIED ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD. BUT YET, MAZDA CAN CONTINUE TO PUT THIS CAR ON THE ROAD EVEN WITH ALL OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS. MY PARENTS HAD A 1994 MAZDA 626 THAT THEY PURCHASED BRAND NEW WITH ZERO MILES AND THEY HAD THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM, HAD THE CAR REPAIRED AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITHIN TWO MONTHS. THEY ARE ASTONISHED THAT THE MAZDA 626'S ARE STILL ON THE ROAD WHEN THEY HAVN'T CORRECTED THE PROBLEM AND HAVE THE NERVE TO SELL THIS CAR WITH PRIDE IN THEIR DEALERSHIPS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10116591

90,000 miles · Mar 27, 2005
Power Train

MY 2001 MAZDA 626 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS BURNT-UP TWICE WITH A TOTAL OF 90K MILES. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WELL DOCUMENTED WITH THIS MODEL AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE MANUFACTURE IS GOING TO DO ABOUT IT. THE FIRST FAILURE WAS REPLACE BY MAZDA AND THE SECOUND APPEARS TO BE MY RESPONSABILITY EVEN THOUGH I'VE ONLY LOGGED 50K …

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MY 2001 MAZDA 626 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS BURNT-UP TWICE WITH A TOTAL OF 90K MILES. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WELL DOCUMENTED WITH THIS MODEL AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE MANUFACTURE IS GOING TO DO ABOUT IT. THE FIRST FAILURE WAS REPLACE BY MAZDA AND THE SECOUND APPEARS TO BE MY RESPONSABILITY EVEN THOUGH I'VE ONLY LOGGED 50K ON THE REPLACED TRANIE. I HAVE PERFORMED ALL THE MAINTENANCE AND EACH TIME I HAVE THEM LOOK FOR THE PROBLEM THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS THE SAME UNTIL IT FAILS; IT'S NORMAL FOR THIS CAR! THE OTHER ANSWER IS TO BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH IS A WASTE CONSIDERING THEY ALREADY KNOW OF THE PROBLEM AND THE FIX. I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO PAY TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT'S STRANDED ME ON THE HIGHWAY, CAUSED TRAFFIC JAMS AND TOWING FEES AND LEFT ME WITH A CAR THAT COSTS ME MORE IN REPAIRS THEN IT'S WORTH.

NHTSA ODI #10114823

65 miles · Mar 15, 2005
Power Train

ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY, 2005, MY 2001 MAZDA 626 BEGAN EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WHILE CHANGING GEARS. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN SPUTTERING, CHANGING GEARS VERY ROUGHLY AND BACKFIRED. AS THIS WAS TAKING PLACE, THE O/D LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING ON AND OFF. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT AND TURNE…

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ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY, 2005, MY 2001 MAZDA 626 BEGAN EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WHILE CHANGING GEARS. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN SPUTTERING, CHANGING GEARS VERY ROUGHLY AND BACKFIRED. AS THIS WAS TAKING PLACE, THE O/D LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING ON AND OFF. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. IT TOOK ABOUT FORTY-FIVE MINUTES BEFORE IT TURNED ON AGAIN. EVER SINCE THIS INCIDENT, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM ( ROUGH GEAR SHIFTING). IT IS NOW AT A TRANSMISSION SHOP WHO HAS EXPLAINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAS BURNED OUT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF A COOLING SYSTEM. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY CONSUMERS WITH MAZDA 626'S THAT WERE MANUFACTURED IN THE YEARS 1992 TO 2002 WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HAD THE PROBLEM FIXED AS YET, I WILL DO SO AND REQUEST TO KEEP THE OLD PARTS IF NECESSARY.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10114125

68,000 miles · Feb 23, 2005
Power Train

LESS THAN ONE MONTH AGO I HAD A FLASHING ENGINE LIGHT ON MY 4CYL-MAZDA 626. THE DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS THE CONVERTER AND CHANGED THAT OUT. NOW THE O/D LIGHT IS FLASHING AND THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO SHOPS FOR CHECKING AND OF COURSE IT IS THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE NOT AND CANNOT HAVE IT REPAI…

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LESS THAN ONE MONTH AGO I HAD A FLASHING ENGINE LIGHT ON MY 4CYL-MAZDA 626. THE DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS THE CONVERTER AND CHANGED THAT OUT. NOW THE O/D LIGHT IS FLASHING AND THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO SHOPS FOR CHECKING AND OF COURSE IT IS THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE NOT AND CANNOT HAVE IT REPAIRED AT THE RECOMMENDED COSTS..AND STILL PAY THE CAR NOTE. ALSO, I DO NOT THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE IT AT 68,000 MILES ON A CAR THAT HAS BEEN SERVICED AND MAINTAINED PROPERLY.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10112005

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.