2000 Mazda 626

I HAVE A 2000 MODEL MAZDA 626 WITH APPROXIMATELY 80,000 MILES WHICH I PURCHASED NEW. THE CAR RECENTLY STARTED HAVING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND EVENTUALLY WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I CALLED THE SERVICE MANAGER AND EXPLAINED THE SYMPTOM'S AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION IN ALL LIKELIHOOD WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED WITH A REBUILT UNIT SINCE THEY DO NOT PERFORM TRANSMISSION REPAIRS. THE COST WOULD BE FROM $2500 TO $3000. I WAS VERY MUCH UPSET WITH THIS, SINCE I HAD THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE PERFORMED AND NO MENTION WAS MADE AS TO POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. I CALLED THE MAZDA CUSTOMER OFFICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE WAS LITTLE THEY COULD DO. I TOLD THE REPRESENTING THAT I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THEIR ATTITUDE AND THEIR LACK OF SUPPORT. I HAD TO TAKE THE CAR TO A NEARBY TRANSMISSION SHOP FOR REPAIRS. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REBUILT AT A COST OF OVER $2100. THE REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT IS THAT I HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THROUGH THE INTERNET THAT THERE HAVE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT MAZDA 626 TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. MAZDA HAS DONE NOTHING TO RESOLVE THESE PROBLEMS OR EVEN TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. THE ONLY ACTION THEY HAVE TAKEN IS TO DISCONTINUE THE 626 PRODUCTION. AFTER READING ABOUT ALL THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, I AM SURE THAT MAZDA/FORD WAS AWARE OF THESE PROBLEMS AND HAVE SIMPLY IGNORED THEM. MEANWHILE, MAZDA OWNERS ARE LEFT WITH THE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF DEALING WITH EXPENSIVE REPAIRS AND/OR LOSS OF THE CAR RESALE VALUE RESULTING FROM THE REPUTATION THAT THESE CARS HAVE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WHAT OTHER RECOURSE DO WE HAVE OTHER THAN TO COMPLAIN? *JB

1. I WAS DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL ZONE AT MANHATTAN BEACH, CA. I NOTICED THAT SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR WAS ALWAYS VERY ROUGH, THE VEHICLE JERKS. 2. GOING UPHILL, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED AFTER ACCELERATING THROUGH 1ST GEAR. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS IN THAT THIS OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. HAD I BEEN GOING ANY FASTER OR BEEN MAKING AN UNPROTECTED LEFT HAND TURN, THIS MIGHT HAVE YIELDED IN BODILY INJURY OR FATALITY. 3. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT AT LA CIENEGA TRANSMISSIONS IN CULVER CITY FOR $1395. I HAVE SAVED THE OLD PARTS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION IN THIS MATTER.*JB

NO SPECIFIC EVENT LEAD TO THIS, JUST PARKING THE CAR NORMALLY RUNNING AN ERRAND AND TRYING TO DRIVE HOME. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED (ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO) MY DAUGHTER WAS STUCK AT 11PM THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE INTO ANY GEAR. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER TOLD US THE CABLE UNDERNEATH PROBABLY DISENGAGED. WE TOWED IT TO OUR REPAIR SHOP AND THEY REPLACED THE CABLE. SINCE THEN WHEN THE CAR IS IN REVERSE IT INTERMITTENTLY SEEMS TO STICK CAUSING IT TO DELAY MOVING OR JERKING BACK. WE BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE SHOP AND INSISTED THEY PUT ON A NEW CABLE . LAST WEEK (APPROX AUG 24TH) MY DAUGHTER ONCE AGAIN CALLED THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF THE PARKING SPACE, IT WOULDN'T GO INTO ANY GEAR. THE TOW TRUCK AGAIN TOWED US TO THE SHOP WHERE THEY REPORTED THAT THE CABLE WAS FINE ETC AND THEY COULDN'T LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THIS COSTS ME MONEY AND TIME EVERYTIME I HAVE TO LEAVE WORK, GET IT TOWED AND SPEND REPAIR FEES. NOT TO MENTION THE ADDED STRESS OF THE CAR BEING UNRELIABLE. I DECIDED TO LOOK FOR RECALLS AND KNOWN DEFECTS OUT HERE. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT WITH THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS REPORTED MAZDA/FORD IS NOT HELPING THOSE OF US WHO ARE LOYAL TO MAZDA. I PURCHASED 2(USED) FROM HERTZ AND A 2005 MAZDA 6 A FEW MONTHS AGO. WITH 3 MAZDAS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY IM ESPECIALLY INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT'S BEING DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. WHY HASN'T MAZDA/FORD PAID FOR THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM ??? MAYBE WE SHOULD START A CLASS ACTION SUIT>I EXPECT AT THE LEAST REPAIR TO MY VEHICLE WHETHER OR NOT IT MEANS A NEW TRANSMISSION, NOT A USED OR REBUILT ONE. IM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON THIS CAR! THE FUNNY THING IS A FEW YEARS BACK I HAD A FORD TAURUS THAT JERKED FORWARD SO BADLY IT CAUSED ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT, I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. IN ADDITION WEVE ALREADY HAD THE AXLES REPLACED, AND SEVERAL BRAKE JOBS BUT THE BRAKES CONTINUE TO SQUEAK LIKE THEY NEED NEW BRAKES. *NM

I OWN A '00 626 THAT I BOUGHT FROM MY GRANDMOTHER IN 2-04, WHO HAD BOUGHT IT NEW IN '99. I HAVE SINCE HAD TRANNY ISSUES ON 2 OCCASIONS WITH THE MOST RECENT REQUIRING A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT WITH WHAT THE TECH. DESCRIBED AS "AN IDENTICAL FAILURE PRONE UNIT". MY GRANDMOTHER HAD A NEW (NOT REBUILT) AND IDENTICAL TRANSMISSION INSTALLED AT ~42K MILES AS NOTED IN THE SERVICE LOG. I DID A SEARCH ON THE WEB AND I WAS SHOCKED AT WHAT I FOUND. NUMEROUS CASES OF FAILURE, AT ALARMINGLY SIMILAR INTERVALS AND ALL HAD THE COMMONALITY OF BEING EQUIPPED WITH AUTO. W/ OD TRANNY MFG'D BY FORD AND INSTALLED IN 4 CYL. MAZDA 626'S. FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER THE HIGH FAILURE RATE HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH "THE INADEQUATE COOLING DESIGN" AND SUBPAR MATERIALS USED IN THE "CLUTCH PACKS". SO BECAUSE OF THIS WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE WITH WE WILL HAVE SHELLED OUT ~$2500 (EXC. LABOR) FOR A REBUILT TRANNY THAT IS EXPECTED TO FAIL IN LESS THAN 30K MILES REGARDLESS OF THE SERVICE INTERVALS. THERE ARE SUGGESTIONS ON THE INTERNET HOW TO GAIN SOME ADDL. LIFE OUT OF A UNIT, ALBEIT SMALL. TO ME IT WOULD SEEM THIS RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD FALL ON THE MANUFACTURER AND NOT ON THE CONSUMER. AS A CONSUMER I'M EXPECTED TO TRUST AN AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER TO PROPERLY DESIGN AND TEST A VEHICLE AND IT'S SUBSYSTEM PRIOR TO RELEASING IT UPON THE PUBLIC. FAILING THAT IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR FLAWS SUCH AS THOSE NOT RELATED TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AS IS APPARENT IN THIS CASE. WHICH IN TURNS IS WHAT BRINGS ME HERE. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS THE CONSUMER AND PUBLIC AT LARGE HAS ONLY ONE ADVOCATE AND THAT IS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, WHICH IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY AND CONSUMER RIGHTS HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE THIS ACCOUNTABILITY. EVERYONE SINGLE PERSON PRIVY TO THIS COMPLAINT SHOULD TAKE A MOMENT AND CONSIDER ANYONE THEY KNOW WHO OWNS OR DRIVES AN AUTOMATIC MAZDA 626 OF THE YEARS 98-02 WITH THE ABOVE MENTIONED GENERIC AND COMMON CONFIGURATION IS IMPACTED BY THIS DESIGN FLAW. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MAZDA 626. TRANSMISSION DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT CONTINUES TO FLASH , AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE AND WILL NOT SHIFT .THE VEHICLE WAS TAKING TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPAIRED. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 102000 MILES. HE IS NO LONGER DRIVING THE VEHICLE. *AK