1997 Mazda 626

IN JUNE OF 2002, THE OD WARNING LIGHT STARTED TO FLASH. I WOULD STOP THE CAR AND SHUT IT OFF AND THEN RESTART IT AND THE OD LIGHT WOULD GO OFF. ON ONE OCCASION, THE OD LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON AND THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I LOST POWER AND THE TACHOMETER JUMPED FROM ABOUT 2500 RPM TO OVER 4000 RPM AT ABOUT 60 MPH. I PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF AGAIN AND ABOUT AN HOUR LATER RESTARTED IT WITH THE OD AND ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS STILL ACTIVATED. THERE WAS NOT VERY MUCH POWER GOING TO THE TRANSMISSION. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD GET THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHECKED EVEN THOUGH THAT TYPE OF MAITENENCE WAS NOT SCHEDULED UNTIL 60,000 MILES AND MY CAR ONLY HAD 57,000 MILE ON IT. I AGREED TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT AND CHANGE THE FLUID. HE RESET THE WARNING LIGHTS AND CLEANED OUT THE TRANSMISSION AND CHANGED THE FLUID. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, I AM DRIVING TO KANSAS CITY WHEN I NOTICE THE OD LIGHT COMING ON AGAIN. I PULLED OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND TURNED OFF MY CAR AND RESTARTED IT. 4 TIMES I DID THIS WITH THE THE OD LIGHT GOING OFF AND THEN COMING BACK ON. FINALLY, THE OD LIGHT CAME ON, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND THE SPEEDOMETER WENT FROM 65 TO 0. SMOKE STARTED TO COME FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND TRANSMISSION OIL BLEW EVERWHERE. I COASTED TO A GAS STATION AND LET THE CAR SIT FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS. I STARTED THE CAR AND NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SINCE IT WAS LOW, I ADDED ENOUGH TO BRING IT BACK TO FULL. I WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT I COULD PROBABLY EXPECT TO HAVE TO REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION VERY SOON SINCE THESE PROBLEMS I AM HAVING ARE VERY COMMON FOR THE 1997 MAZDA 626. I THINK THAT MAZDA SHOULD HAVE TO TELL ITS CUSTOMERS THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS AND FIX IT BEFORE IT COSTS PEOPLE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIR BILLS.*AK