1997 Mazda 626

WIFE WAS DRIVING 75 MPH ON TURNPIKE WHEN SHE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THERE WAS NO BLINKING LIGHTS, NO NOISE, NO ANYTHING TO ALERT HER THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL PROBLEM. IT JUST QUIT. ADDITIONALLY, SHE WAS NEARLY INVOLVED IN A HIGH SPEED REAR-END COLLISION. LUCKILY, THE INDIVIDUAL BEHIND HER SWERVED AND MISSED HER CAR. SHE COASTED TO THE SHOULDER WHERE SHE WAS, AGAIN, NEARLY HIT. ONCE STOPPED, SHE WAS UNABLE TO GET THE CAR TO DO ANYTHING IN ANY GEAR. I HAD TO TRAVEL OVER AN HOUR TO GET HER. IT WAS 97 DEGREES AND SHE WAS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITHOUT ANY SHELTER EXCEPT FOR HER CRIPPLED VEHICLE. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED, SHE HAD BEEN IN THE HEAT LONG ENOUGH TO START EXPERIENCE MUSCLE CRAMPS FROM ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO GET SOMEONE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE ISSUES? IF SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT, MAZDA WOULD HAVE HAD A LAWSUIT ON THEIR HANDS. IS THIS WHAT IT IS GOING TO TAKE? SOMEONE JUST NEEDS TO "COWBOY UP" AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. ADDITIONALLY, I FOUND OUT TODAY THAT IT WILL COST ABOUT $2000.00 TO FIX. THIS IS WITH A REBUILT TRANSMISSION THAT SUPPOSEDLY HAS NEW PARTS AND SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO SUDDEN FAILURE LIKE THE OEM TRANSMISSIONS (PER THE TRANSMISSION SUPPLIER).

A MONTH AFTER WE BOUGTH THIS CAR WE'VE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WE'VE REPLACED TWO O2 SENSORS ($300.00 EACH) AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER VALVE ($450.00). CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON, STATING PROBLEM INSIDE TRANSMISSIONS. NOW OVERDRIVE LIGHT COMES ON AND BLINKS WHEN IT COMES ON AND STARTS TO BLINK THIS MEANS THE TRANSMISSION IS MELTING AND YOUR CAR WILL QUIT ON YOU WHILE YOUR DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. ALSO, WHEN YOU PRESS ON THE GAS THE RPM'S TOP OUT BUT THE SPEED DOESN'T INCREASE. I HAD THE GAS PEDEL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR BOARD AND THE CAR HAD NO POWER. HOPEFULLY, THIS PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WILL BE RESOLVED BY YOU, SINCE MAZDA SEE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH BUILDING CARS THAT CAN POSSIBLY HURT OR KILL SOMEONE.

I OWN A 1997 MAZDA 626 ES V6. THE FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILED AT ABOUT 68000 MILES, AND NOW, AT ALMOST 200K MILES, ANOTHER IS HAVING PROBLEMS. THIS IS APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM, AS I HAVE FOUND A NUMBER OF WEBSITES WITH LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE CD4E AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST TRANSMISSION I WAS TOLD DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT. ACCORDING TO EACH OF THESE WEBSITES DISCUSSED ABOVE, THIS IS ONE OF THE COMMON PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. THE PROBLEM WE ARE HAVING NOW IS ANOTHER APPARENTLY COMMON ISSUE. THE O/D LIGHT WILL BLINK ON AND OFF CONTINUOUSLY, AND THE CAR WILL SHIFT FROM 3RD TO 4TH REPEATEDLY WHILE DRIVING. MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR WITH THREE OF OUR CHILDREN DAILY, THEREFORE, THE PROBLEMS DEEPLY CONCERN ME, SINCE SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS ON THESE SITES INVOLVE THE TRANSMISSION LOCKING UP AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE NHTSA, THE REP INFORMED ME 335 COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED REGARDING THIS VEHICLE, WITH MANY OF THEM FOR THE SAME REASON. ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMPLAINED ON THE ABOVE MENTIONED SITES HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MAZDA THESE PROBLEMS ARE NOT MAZDA'S, BUT THE CONSUMERS. ACCORDING TO MOST OF MY RESEARCH, ALL 626 MODELS FROM 1994 TO 2000 ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION, AND BEING THIS IS A FORD TRANSMISSION, THE FORD PROBES OF CORRESPONDING YEARS ARE AFFECTED AS WELL. THE FIRST TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED, THE OLD TRANSMISSION IS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FAILURE WERE AS FOLLOWS: I MISSED FOUR DAYS OF WORK DUE TO THIS BEING OUR ONLY VEHICLE AT THE TIME. MY WIFE WAS THE ONE DRIVING, AND WAS STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF STATE HIGHWAY 101 WITH MY SON AND INFANT DAUGHTER AFTER THE TRANSMISSION STOPPED WORKING ALTOGETHER WHILE DRIVING AT ROUGHLY 65 MPH.

MAZDA PREMATURE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 90000. O/D LIGHT BLINKS AND TRANSMISSION OVERHEATS. POOR PLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION FILTER. THIS TRANSMISSION IS MANUFACTURED I BELIEVE FROM 95-2000 AND MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE AROSE THROUGHOUT ALL PRODUCTION YEARS. ALL OVER THE INTERNET INCLUDING A CLASS ACTION BEING FILED IN MICHIGAN. I THINK IT SHOULD BE NATIONALLY FILED. DEALERSHIPS ARE NON RESPONSIVE. *AK