1997 Mazda 626

BRAND NEW SET OF 4 TIRES, FR440 (DOT NO.HYRC4FB4703) P195/65R14 PURCHASED FROM FIRESTONE IN MAY 2005. CHECKED AIR AND ADJUSTED AFTER 100 MILES AS ADVISED, AND MONTHLY THEREAFTER. JULY 13TH, 3000 MILES LATER, FRONT DRIVER-SIDE TIRE BLEW, WHILE DOING 70 MPH AT 6AM (NOT HOT ENOUGH FOR TIRES TO BE TOO HOT, ONLY ON ROAD FOR APPROX. 7 MINUTES WHEN IT HAPPENED). GOLF BALL SIZE HOLES IN A PATTERN BLOWN OUT HALF WAY AROUND THE TIRE ON THE SIDEWALL, AND CAN SEE THE PATTERN CONTINUING THE REST OF THE WAY. FIRESTONE REPLACED TIRE FOR $9 DUE TO MY ROAD HAZARD PURCHASE, BUT WOULDN'T COVER THE COST TO GET A NEW WHEEL, CONTROL ARM, SWAY BAR, AXLE, STRUT & STRUT MOUNT. $500 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO MY 97 MAZDA 626LX; COULD'VE BEEN MORE, BUT A FRIEND, MY BOYFRIEND & MYSELF DID ALL OF THE WORK. A SHOP WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE COSTLY. FIRESTONE TENNESSEE OFFICE "INVESTIGATED" AND BLAMED IT ON: "OUR INSPECTION SHOWED DEFORMATION AND RIM FLANGE GROOVING...WE DID OBSERVE SIGNS THAT THE TIRE HAS BEEN OPERATED FOR AN UNKOWN PERIOD OF TIME IN AN OVER-DEFLECTED STATE CAUSING THE DETACHMENT YOU EXPERIENCED." THE FIRST SHOP WE TOOK IT TO AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT ADVISED US THAT IT WAS A FAULTY TIRE AND EVEN THOUGH THEY'D SELL US A NEW TIRE, TO TAKE IT BACK TO WHERE WE PURCHASED IT AS THE SELLER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE; THAT IF IT WAS THEIR TIRE, THEY'D REPLACE THE TIRE, WHEEL & PAY FOR ANY OTHER DAMAGE AS A RESULT. WISHED I HAD BOUGHT MY TIRES FROM THEM. *NM

WELL FIRST OFF I WAS DRIVING AND MY SPEED STARTED TO DROP SO NATURALLY I PRESSED THE GAS HARDER AND HARDER AND THE RPMS JUST KEPT SHOOTING UP AND THE CAR WOULDN'T GO AND MY ENGINE WAS ROARING LIKE A MUSTANG TRYING TO RACE SOMEONE. SO MY OVERDRIVE LIGHT IN THE DASH STARTING BLINKING ON AND OFF AND I KNEW SOMETHING WAS SCREWY SO I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE AND RESTARTED MY CAR. MY CAR WOULDN'T GO ANYWHERE WHEN I PUSHED THE GAS THE RPM NEEDLE WOULD JUST SHOOT UP AS IF I HAD MY CAR IN PARK. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED ALL OVER TOWN, TO FIND THE BEST QUALITY SERVICE ON A NEW TRANSMISSION I LEARNED THAT 626S' HAVE THE WORST TRANSMISSIONS EVER!!! IT COST ME $2,000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. I THINK I DESERVE TO BE REIMBURSED, AS WELL AS THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *NM

1) PURCHASED A USED '97 MAZDA 626 DX, WITH 115000+ MILES ON IT, SUPPOSEDLY IN DECENT CONDITION. THE VEHICLE REQUIRED A NEW FUEL PUMP, SO WASN'T IN ANY KIND OF ROAD USE UNTIL REPLACEMENT. AFTER REPLACING, THE CAR SEEMED TO WORK FINE, BUT HAD ODD 'JUMPS' FORWARD IN LOW SPEEDS AND STOPS (MAKING ME BELIEVE I WOULD RUN STOP SIGNS). THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED THIS LEMON BACK. 2) AFTER HAVING THE CAR 8WKS, & ONLY TESTING IT AROUND THE BLOCK UNTIL ALL TESTS COMPLETED ON THE FUEL SYSTEM, IT BEGAN TO STEAM & MAKE POPPING NOISES DRIVING <400 YARDS AT <20MPH. AFTER TIME, THE NOISES GOT LOUDER, THE STEAM MORE WIDESPREAD, AND WHEN THE GAS WAS PRESSED THERE WAS NOTICABLE LACK OF POWER FOR LONG SECONDS. RADIATOR WAS SUSPECTED DUE TO THE STEAM AND POWER ISSUES. DURING 1 TEST WHILE BRAKING IT JUMPED/LURCHED SIDEWAYS INTO A WEAK BRICK WALL. 3) WE ARE MILITARY MECHANICS, & WE WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE FUEL/TRANSMISSION/OIL SYSTEMS BY MAZDA'S OWN BOOK. WE EVEN REMOVED THE ENGINE, COMPLETELY CLEANED THE OLD GUNK OUT, & REFILLED FLUID WITH ONLY THE FINEST FLUIDS & CLEANSERS, REPLACING ENTIRE SECTIONS OF THE ENGINE WITH NEW PARTS, & STILL HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. PER MAZDA, THEY KEPT DIAGNOSING ANYTHING FROM SENSORS/COMPUTER/REGULATORS/HOSES/FUEL SYSTEM ISSUES. EXTENSIVE SEARCHES ON-LINE TURNED UP A HORRIFYING LIST OF 100'S OF WEBSITES THAT ALL BLASTED FORD'S BUYING OF MAZDA & RESULTANT LOWERING OF QUALITY. ALL SITES REPORTED TRANSMISSION ISSUES, SIMILAR 'DIAGNOSIS' FROM BAD MAZDA DEALERSHIPS, & THE END RESULT BEING YEARS OF TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENTS. TRANNY'S WOULD BREAK DOWN AT EARLY MILEAGES. FEW REPORTS OF SATISFACTION FROM MAZDA IN REPLACING WHAT HAD TO BE KNOWN AS DEFFECTIVE TRANNYS. THE MAZDA 626 (ALL VERSIONS '94 TO '00) HAVE SERIOUSLY NONE-SAFE TRANSMISSIONS. WHEN WE FULLY ELIMINATED THE LAST OF THE POSSIBILITIES, IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION!!! MAZDA REFUSED TO DEAL WITH THIS, NOR ISSUE A VALID SAFETY RECALL OF 626'S! SPENT OVER $2000 ON NEW PARTS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE!!

LEMON - THIS CAR HAS HAD PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT. EVERYTHING FROM TRANSMISSION TO COMPUTER TO TIMING BELTS TO POWER STEERING PROBLEMS. AT ABOUT 70,000 MILES I HAD IT FIXED AGAIN UNDER WARRANTY AND SINCE THEN I'VE HAD TO PAY FOR ALL REPAIRS. LAST YEAR IT WAS THE RADIATOR I GUESS THINGS WEAR OUT BUT IT TOOK MAZDA 2 TRIES TO FIX IT. THIS YEAR I GOT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FOR SOMETHING CALLED THE IDOL AIR CONTROL VALVE AND THE POWER STEERING SOMETHING OR OTHER. THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR AND THE SYMPTOMS ARE SOMETHING I'VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE. AFTER REPLACING THE IDOL AIR CONTROL VALVE IT THE PROBLEM DIDN'T GO AWAY AND I WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST 3500 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO FIX IT. I TOOK IT TO AAMCO AND I FEEL REALLY BAD NOW BECAUSE AFTER 3 TRIES THEY STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY STILL HAVE THE CAR AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN IT WILL BE FIXED NOT TO MENTION IT'S COST A LOT MORE THAN I EXPECTED TO FIX. *NM

IN FEB. 2005 I PURCHASED A 97 MAZDA 626 WITH 74000 MILES ON IT. ABOUT 2 MONTHS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IT STARTED IDLING AT 500-2500 RPMS AND HAD TROUBLE SWITCHING GEARS. AROUND 75 MPH IT WOULD CUT OUT AND DROP TO 60 MPH BEFORE JERKING BACK INTO GEAR. LAST MONTH MY O/D OFF LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR STARTING LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID. I HAD THAT FIXED, HAD A NEW O2 SENSOR PUT IN, AND MY O/D OFF LIGHT IS STILL COMING ON. NOW MY OVERDRIVE DOESNT WORK AT ALL AND I HAVE TROUBLE SWITCHING IT OUT OF LOW GEARS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION, AFTER ALREADY PUTTING A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY INTO REPAIRS. I HAVE 84000 MILES ON IT RIGHT NOW, AND AFTER SEEING HUNDREDS OF OTHER SIMILIAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE, AM OUTRAGED THAT MAZDA IS DOING NOTHING AS FAR AS A RECALL.

1)NEW CAR PURCHASE AUG 1997 - 5 MILES;2)TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT FEB 1999~38,000 MILES;3)TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT DEC 1999~57000 MILES;4)INFORMED AT 130K MILES THAT I NEEDED ANOTHER TRANSMISSION ( WITH EACH TRANSMISSION CLEARLY HAVING LESS THAN AN AVERAGE OF 60,000 MILES ON IT. IN EACH CASE MY O/D LIGHT FLASHED ON THE DASHBOARD, IMMEDIATELY SENDING A SIGNAL TO TURN ON THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I SENT FORMAL COMPLAINTS TO MAZDA, THE DEALERSHIP AND SINCE HAVE SENT COMPLAINTS TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE. I HAVE LEARNED OF TSB # 0500502 (WHICH YOU DO NOT SHOW ON YOUR SITE). YESTERDAY (07/25/2005) I LEARNED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AND TODAY I LEARNED OF NHTSA. SINCE THERE ARE NO SET NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS NEEDED BEFORE A RECALL IS ISSUED AND CONSIDERING THE SEVERITY OF THIS ISSUE, WHY WAS A RECALL NOT ISSUED? I SENT A COMPLAINT LETTER TO TOWN NORTH MAZDA (DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE) WHILE LOOKING FOR TRANSMISSION REPAIR FACILITIES, I RAN ACROSS THIS ARTICLE AND AM OUT DONE BY THE BLATANT DISLOYALTY AND FAILURE ON THE PART OF MAZDA/FORD MOTORS TO STAND BEHIND ITS PRODUCTS VIA RECALL OR SOME OTHER MEANS. HTTP://WWW.ESTREETJOURNAL.COM/MAZDA.HTM

I WOULD LIKE TO E-MAIL YOUR COMPANY AN EXPRESS MY DISPLEASURE IN MY 1997 MAZDA 626. MY CAR HAS HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS SINCE 48,000 MILES AND MY WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER THIS SAYING THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX A PROBLEM THEY DON'T SEE. {IE: THE TRANSMISSION FLUID BOILED OVER AND OUT A BREATHER TUBE.} WELL THAT BEING SAID I NOW HAVE 62,000 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING MORE THAN EVER. NOW IT SEEMS TO ME WITH ALL THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ON THIS TRANSMISSION YOU SHOULD RECALL AND OR REPLACE THE TRANSMISSIONS FREE OF CHARGE AS I''VE NEVER DONE ANY THING TO RUIN THIS TRANSMISSION. AND 2500.00 DOLLARS IS A BIG CHUCK OF CHANGE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THANK YOU, BRAD LORENZ