1999 Mazda 626

O/D LIGHT STARTED FLASHING DURING A ROAD TRIP. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED, FLASHING LIGHT WOULD STOP. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE CALLED THE MAZDA DEALER WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR AND THEY ADVISED THAT AS LONG AS THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS NOT FLASHING WE WERE SAFE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. IF THE O/D STARTING FLASHING AGAIN, CUT-OFF/RESTART. THEY ALSO ADVISED US TO GO TO AUTOZONE TO GET ENGINE CODE AND THEN CALL BACK. THE ENGINE CODE=P1744 AND PER THE SERVICE TECH AT MAZDA IT MEANT THAT THE TCC CYLINOID WAS EITHER STUCK; HANGING OR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WE ASKED IF WE COULD DRIVE THE CAR HOME (300MILES) - HE TOLD US YES BUT IF THE O/D LIGHT STARTED FLASHING TO CUT-OFF/RESTART. HE ALSO SAID THAT IF THE ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING THAT WE NEEDED TO STOP AND HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE ENGINE LIGHT DISILLUMINATED ALTOGETHER. WE WERE ON THE ROAD APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR WHEN THE O/D LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. WE STOPPED AND SAW SMOKE BILLOWING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN WE LIFTED THE HOOD TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS ALL OVER EVERYTHING. WE TOWED CAR TO MAZDA DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE TECH SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD OVERHEATED / PURGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID/ AND BURNED SOME COMPONENTS IN TRANSMISSION WHICH RESULTED IN THE NEED FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO BE REPLACED. REPAIR BILL ESTIMATE = $2,900.00. THIS IS A FLAW OR DEFECT AS THE FAIL-SAFE COMPONENTS FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY IN THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT NEVER FLASHED TO WARN US AND TO THE CONTRARY THE LIGHT DISILLUMINATED GIVING THE FALSE APPEARANCE OF ALL THINGS BEING WELL.

AT PRESENT I OWN A 1999 MAZDA 626ES AND AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED WITH MAZDA, FORD, AND THIS VEHICLE OVERALL. THE 626 HAS CAUSED ME A LOT OF HEADACHES AND MONEY. EVERY TIME I TURN AROUND THERES SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS VEHICLE. I RECOGNIZE THAT ALL CARS MUST BE MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO THE DEALER SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES TO GET THE FULL LIFE OUT OF THE VEHICLE (WHICH I DO), BUT THIS IS ABSOLUTELY PREPOSTEROUS! THE PRICIEST EXPENSE WAS THE TRANSMISSION THAT I REPLACED DECEMBER 2002. WITH A PRICE TAG OF $2900.00 FOR A REBUILT TRANSMISSION, YOU WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE REBUILT TO LAST LONGER THAN 1 YEAR. YEP, HERE IT IS JANUARY 2004 AND THE FORD TRANSMISSION THAT WAS PLACED IN MY CAR IS SLIPPING! AND OF COURSE, THE 12 MONTH, 12,000 MILE WARRANTY THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP OFFERS HAS NOW EXPIRED. I JUST FELT A NEED TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE MAZDA BRAND. I KNOW THAT MAZDA HAS DONE AWAY WITH THE 626 AND HAVE REPLACED IT WITH THE MAZDA6&HOPE THE MAZDA/FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS TAKEN PRIDE IN THERE NAME AND TRY TO REBUILD THERE CHARACTER AND BUILT A BETTER VEHICLE. I AM SO DISGUSTED WITH MAZDA, THAT ONE COULDNT PAY ME TO LOOK AT/CONSIDER TO STEP FOOT IN ANOTHER MAZDA AS LONG AS I HAVE BREATH IN MY BODY. DISGUSTED 626 OWNER. *AK

WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER HEARD THE ENGINE MAKING A RATTLING NOISE AND THEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND SUBSEQUENTLY HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED. RECALL#00V134000. THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *JB

THIS IS TOTALLY INCREDIBLE!! HOW CAN THIS MANY COMPLAINTS GO BY WITH OUT MAZDA DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!? I BOUGHT A 1999 MAZDA 626, WITH JUST AT 59,000 ALMOST 60,000 MILES ON IT, THIS SUMMER. AND NOW THIS WINTER, A FEW MONTHS LATER, WITH ALMOST 67,000 MILES... I AM HAVING MOST OF THE PROBLEMS THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS HAVING...FLASHING OD LIGHT AND HORRIBLE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE WARM TO RUN SMOOTH... OTHER WISE IT HESITATES WHEN SHIFTING INTO GEAR AND EVEN THEN IT SHIFTS HARD WHEN RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD... SO BAD THAT I SOUND LIKE I AM PEELING OUT WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP. THIS MAINLY HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR HAS ONLY BEEN RUNNING A LITTLE WHILE. AFTER BEING WARM AND DRIVING A WHILE TRANSMISSION IS OK EXCEPT FOR AT STOP LIGHTS. THEN TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO SHIFT (FEELS LIKE I AM BEING "TAPPED" BY ANOTHER CAR FROM BEHIND). I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MAZDA OR A FORD PRODUCT FOR THAT MATTER! I AM A SINGLE MOTHER AND WORK PART TIME WHILE ATTENDING COLLEGE FULL TIME. I DON'T HAVE ANOTHER CAR TO USE WHILE MINE IS IN THE SHOP NOR THE MONEY TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE!! THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE HANDLED FOR THE CONSUMERS SAKE AND MAZDA/FORD'S REPUTATION! *AK

MY SISTER AND I OWN A 1999 MAZDA 626 LX. I WAS DRIVING OUT OF TOWN WHEN MY TRANSMISSION FAILED. IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO MOVE I HAD TO PUT IT IN OVERDRIVE. ONCE THE CAR WAS GOING AT 60 MPH IT WAS OKAY BUT GOING ANY FASTER AND THE OD LIGHT WOULD START FLASHING. I AM VERY UPSET BECAUSE A MAJORITY OF MY FRIENDS THAT OWN MAZDA'S HAD TRANSMISSION WORK DONE. SINCE MAZDA/FORD WOULD NOT TAKE RESPONSIBIBLITY FOR FAULTY WORK THE OWNERS OF THESE CRAPPY CARS ARE LEFT WITH HUGE BILLS. WE HAVE TO PAY 1450.00 FOR THIS. I AM DEFINITELY GOING TO FILE A LAWSIUT BECAUSE IF SO MANY CONSUMERS ARE COMPLAINING THEN THEY NEED TO TAKE ACTION ASAP.*AK

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND WITH NO PRIOR WARNING OVERDRIVE LIGHT STARTS FLASHING, AND VEHICLE JERKS BADLY, BARELY SHIFTING GEARS, AND WOULD NOT REVERSE. HAD THE CAR ASSESSED BY TWO CERTIFIED MECHANICS, BOTH STATING THAT TRANSMISSION FAILED, AND TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS NOT UNCOMMON FOR THIS CAR-- CALLED MAZDA CORP AND LOCAL DEALER WHO BOTH OFFERED NO HELP, AS OF COURSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AT 70,600 MILES- THIS IS RIDICULOUS CAR WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW AND SHOULD NEED TRANSMISSION REPLACED THIS SOON!!!*AK