IllustrationTRANSMISSION FAILED. *SLC
1997 Mazda 626
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most 626 years
Owner complaints for the 1997 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
90–25K
1025–50K
3450–75K
5275–100K
49100–150K
7150K+
161 reports with mileage · 197 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 233 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports5 fire reports22 injury reports
What owners actually said
358 reportsENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CAR OVERHEATED. CAR BROKEDOWN ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER'S SERVICE SHOP. HAD TO PUSH CAR THREE BLOCKS THE REST OF THE WAY. WAS TOLD THAT THE RADIATOR LEAKED INTO ENGINE. ENGINE IS DAMAGED MUST BE REPLACED. HAVE TO BUY NEW ENGINE AND NEW RADIATOR. NO OTHER WARNINGS BEFORE THAT.
I HAVE HAD THE CAR LESS THAN 3 MONTHS AND ALREADY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON CONSTANTLY. ALSO, EVERYTIME I TRY TO CHANGE GEARS THE TRANSMISSION STALLS AND IT SEEMS AS IF I AM IN NEUTRAL. IT HAS A HARD TIME AFTER I CHANGE GEARS IN EITHER GOING FOWARD AND REVERSE. IT STALLS THAN JUMPS AND MOVES. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CARS WITH …
Read full complaint
I HAVE HAD THE CAR LESS THAN 3 MONTHS AND ALREADY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON CONSTANTLY. ALSO, EVERYTIME I TRY TO CHANGE GEARS THE TRANSMISSION STALLS AND IT SEEMS AS IF I AM IN NEUTRAL. IT HAS A HARD TIME AFTER I CHANGE GEARS IN EITHER GOING FOWARD AND REVERSE. IT STALLS THAN JUMPS AND MOVES. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CARS WITH MORE MILEAGE THAN THIS AND I NEVER HAD SUCH PROBLEMS. I SHOULD NOT BE PAYING AS MUCH AS I AM FOR A CAR THAT IS FAULTY. I WOULD SUGGEST TO MAZDA TO RECALL ALL THESE CARS VERY SOON.
O/D OFF LIGHT BEGAN BLINKING AFTER 30 MIN OF DRIVING, DEALERSHIP REPLACED CPU, NEXT WEEK SAME PROBLEM--WHEN BLINKING BEGINS THE CAR JERKS FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR AND RESETS AFTER CAR TURNED OFF--AFTER SEVERAL TIMES IT BEGINS DRIVING ROUGHER AND ROUGHER IN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR.( DOT NUMBER: )
VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO OVERDRIVE AND BUCKED AT HIGH SPEEDS. THEN, TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS. PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED.*AK
TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. OVERDRIVE LIGHT CAME OUT, AND GEARS STARTED COMING OUT.*AK
THROTTLE PEDAL STICKS AND VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE FORWARD AFTER PEDAL IS DEPRESSED SEVERAL TIMES. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK
VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS, IT WOULD JERK AND KNOCK WHILE DRIVING.*AK
CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER 2 DAYS AFTER BUYING IT BRAND NEW DUE TO FAULTY FIRESTONE TIRES P195/65R14, DEALER STATED TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE, TIRES WERE NOISY. *SLC
BRIDGESTONE RADIAL TIRES P195/65R14 EXPERIENCED THE BEGINNING OF TREAD SEPARATION, THERE WAS A SMALL HOLE IN MIDDLE OF TIRE AND WHEN TIRE WAS REMOVED, TIRE CAVED IN THE MIDDLE AND ALL AROUND THE TIRE. *SLC
Official recalls
315V674000 · 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.
98V206001 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine
Sep 8, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. AN EXTERNAL SPRING IN THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER CAN BREAK AND GET CAUGHT IN THE TIMING BELT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN POSSIBLE ENGINE STALLING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TENSIONER AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY.
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
2RQ02004 · Oversensitive Airbag Deployment
Opened Feb 8, 2002 · Closed Aug 19, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags
There is no summary currently available
SQ98024 · Speedometer Inoperative
Opened Oct 29, 1998 · Closed Sep 10, 1999
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train
SEE RESUME FOR DETAILS.