IllustrationWHILE DRIVING VEHICLE START JERKING OVER 50 MPH AND SPEED COULD DROP ON THE FREEWAY WHERE TRANSMISSION/OVERDRIVE LIGHT WILL START FLASHING.*AK
1996 Mazda 626
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most 626 years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Mazda 626 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 44.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 626 years →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
40–25K
425–50K
1750–75K
3775–100K
38100–150K
15150K+
115 reports with mileage · 244 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 239 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
35 crash reports2 fire reports30 injury reports
Power Train complaints
239 reportsTRANSMISSION BROKE WHILE CAR WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT IN DRIVE, RESTART AND CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE.
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON THE DASHBOARD. SECOND GEAR TO THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. VEHICLE COULD ONLY TRAVEL ABOUT 15MPH BECAUSE SECOND GEAR BURNED OUT. *AK
CAR SEEMED TO DRAG, BECAME VERY SLUGGISH AND ROUGH, MADE ROARING NOISE, SMOKE CAME FROM AXLE AREA, TRANSMISSION FLUID BEGAN LEAKING. FOUND OUT DIFFERENTIAL WAS MESSED UP, NEEDED REPLACEMENT--TWO MONTHS AFTER TRANSMISSION AND AXLE REPLACED (FILED EARLIER C
I HAD BEEN HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH MY 626 FOR SEVERAL MILES BEFORE MY MILEAGE ROLLED OVER TO 50,000. I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THE DEALER'S REPLY BEING "WE CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG". FINALLY I TOOK IT BACK AGAIN AT 56,000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP THEN TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSM…
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I HAD BEEN HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH MY 626 FOR SEVERAL MILES BEFORE MY MILEAGE ROLLED OVER TO 50,000. I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THE DEALER'S REPLY BEING "WE CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG". FINALLY I TOOK IT BACK AGAIN AT 56,000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP THEN TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION! AFTER REPORTING THIS PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY, THEY ARE TELLING ME AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED THAT I NEEDED TO PAY FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. I FOUGHT THIS AND ENDED UP GETTING MAZDA TO PAY FOR $2000 OF THE REBUILT TRANSMISSION. THE COMPANY SHOULD HAVE REPLACE THE WHOLE THING FOR FREE SEEING AS HOW I HAD REPORTED THE PROBLEM PLUS THE FACT THAT MY CAR HAD ONLY 56,000 MILES ON IT. WHAT KIND OF TRANSMISSION GOES OUT AT 56,000 MILES? FROM WHAT I HEAR NOW, MAZDA 626S ARE NOTORIOUS FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. I WISH THE MAZDA COMPANY WOULD TAKE SOME CREDIT FOR PUTTING CHEAP PARTS IN THEIR CARS THAT CONSUMERS PAY HARD-EARNED MONEY FOR...I WON'T BUY ANOTHER MAZDA. *AK
TRANSMISSION INITIALLY SHIFTED ROUGHLY THEN REVVED DURING SHIFTING 3-4, THEN A LOUD BANG DURING BRAKING QUICKLY, THIS PROGRESSED TO LURCHING FORWARD AFTER BRAKING, THEN POPPING NOISES IN LOW GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOP OR AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 40 MPH. AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT CHAIN INSIDE TRANS IS SLI…
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TRANSMISSION INITIALLY SHIFTED ROUGHLY THEN REVVED DURING SHIFTING 3-4, THEN A LOUD BANG DURING BRAKING QUICKLY, THIS PROGRESSED TO LURCHING FORWARD AFTER BRAKING, THEN POPPING NOISES IN LOW GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOP OR AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 40 MPH. AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT CHAIN INSIDE TRANS IS SLIPPING OFF SPROCKETS - REPAIR ESTIMATED AT $950-1150. HAVE APPOINTMENT WITH DEALERSHIP TO GET AN ESTIMATE ON TRANSMISSION WORK. THE ENGINE CHECK COMES ON AND STAYS ON FOR WEEKS AT A TIME. THIS INITIALLY STARTED AT ABOUT 1000 MILES AND HAS CONTINUED TO OCCUR. DEALERSHIP HAS MADE REPAIRS AND ADJUSTMENTS UNDER NEW VEHICLE WARRANTY, AND ACCORDING TO RECALL ADVISEMENTS AND EACH TIME SAYS THAT SHOULD FIX IT, BUT IT CONTINUES EVEN TODAY. THE VEHICLE IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK
OVERDRIVE LIGHT CAME ON, AND ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT HAS COME ON, CAUSING ME TO RETURN THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT PROBLEM IS TRANSMISSION. *AK
TWO TRANSMISSION SHOPS REFUSED TO FIX OR REPLACE TRANSMISSIO. , BOTH STATED MAZDA HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSIONS, I HAD TO TAKE IT TO A MAZDA DEALER FOR A MANUFACTURER TRANSMISSION - $2,200.00! *AK
CONSUMER HAS BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH TRANSMISSION. USUALLY WHEN CHANGING GEARS . *AK *YC
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING DURING RUSH HOUR ON A MAJOR FREEWAY. WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO SAID A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED. THE CAR ONLY HAS 68000 MILES ON IT. WAS THEN TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP WHO DID THE WORK FOR A LOT LESS THEN THE DEALER. *AK
Official recalls
215V674000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Oct 19, 2015
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 1989-1998 MPV, 1990-1995 323, 1990-1998 Protege, 1992-1993 MX-3, 1993-1995 929, 1993-1997 MX-6, and 1993-1998 626 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, grease applied to the contact points inside the ignition switch may become conductive and overheat.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2015. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Experience Center at 1-800-222-5500, option#6. Mazda's number for this recall is 8715J.
98V249000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
Oct 8, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE SAS SENSOR UNIT. THESE VEHICLES CAN EXPERIENCE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS IN MINOR UNDERCARRIAGE IMPACTS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE SAS UNIT TO REDUCE THE PROBABILITY OF UNNECESSARY DEPLOYMENTS IN LOW SPEED UNDERCARRIAGE IMPACTS.
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
4RQ99022 · Headlight Failure
Opened Dec 20, 1999 · Closed Aug 30, 2000
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
OBTAINED RECALL 99V-358
SQ98024 · Speedometer Inoperative
Opened Oct 29, 1998 · Closed Sep 10, 1999
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train
SEE RESUME FOR DETAILS.
EA97012 · Oversensitive Air Bag Deployment
Opened May 23, 1997 · Closed Oct 9, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags
IN MAY OF 1997, ODI UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS WITH 51 COMPLAINTS.ODI IS NOW AWARE OF 88 COMPLAINTS OF ALLEGED INAPPROPRIATE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENTS.TYPICAL COMPLAINTS ALLEGE THAT THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AFTER THE VEHICLE HIT A POT HOLE AT BETWEEN 20 AND 45 MPH, OR THAT THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WHILE DRIVING AT BETWEEN 20 OR 60 MPH FOR NO APPARENT REASON.APPROXIMATELY 25 DRIVERS ALLEGED THAT THEY DID NOT HIT ANYTHING IN THE ROADWAY.MAZDA WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OFALL 1995 AND 1996 MODELS OF THE MAZDA 626 AND MX-6, AS WELL AS A SMALL NUMBER OF 1997 MAZDA 626 MODELS, EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME SAS UNIT.THE SAS UNIT CONTROLS THE AIRBAG SYSTEMIT CONTAINS A BUILT-IN CRASH SENSOR TO DETECT VEHICLE DECELERATION DURING A COLLISION.AFFECTED MODELS WERE ASSEMBLED FROM JUNE 1, 1994 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 10, 1996 AND HAVE A VIN WITHIN THE FOLLOWING RANGES: MAZDA 626:1YVGE22**S5300001 THROUGH 1YVGE22**V5599030 MAZDA MX-6: 1YVGE31**S5300001 THROUGH 1YVGE31**T5589965ALL OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEIR VEHICLE MAY EXPERIENCE AN UNNECESSARY AIRBAG DEPOYMENT IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.THEY WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO BRING THEIR VEHICLE TO A MAZDA DEALER TO REPROGRAM THE SAS UNIT TO REDUCE THE FREQUENCY OF UNNECESSARY DEPLOYMENTS.
PE97006 · Inappropriate Air Bag Deployment
Opened Jan 30, 1997 · Closed May 23, 1997
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags
IN JANUARY OF 1997, ODI OPENED A PE BASED ON 9 ODI COMPLAINTS.ODI IS NOW AWARE OF 51 COMPLAINTS OF ALLEGED INAPPROPRIATE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS.TYPICAL COMPLAINTS INCLUDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS AFTER THE VEHICLE HIT A POT HOLE WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 20 AND 45 MPH AND AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 20 AND 60 MPH FOR NO APPARENT REASON.APPROXIMATELY 21 DRIVERS ALLEGED THAT THEY DID NOT HIT ANYTHING PRIOR TO THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT.IN FOUR OF THESE INCIDENTS THE DRIVER CLAIMS TO HAVE LOST CONTROL AND HIT A CURB AFTER THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.IN ADDITION THERE ARE FOUR INCIDENTS WHERE THE DRIVER ALLEGES THAT THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AFTER A TIRE BLOWOUT WHILE DRIVING.LESS COMMON INCIDENTS INCLUDE ALLEGATIONS OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYING AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE AND REMOVING THE KEY, CROSSING RAILROAD TRACKS, WHILE BEING TOWED, WHILE BRAKING, AFTER HITTING A CURB, AND AFTER HITTING A MANHOLE COVER.ODI IS UPGRADING THIS INVESTIGATION TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE REPORTS GATHERED TO DATE, THE SENSORS USED IN THE VEHICLES, AND TO ASSESS THE IMPACT THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT HAS ON HIGHWAY SAFETY.