2001 Mazda 626

I HAVE PUT SO MUCH MONEY IN THIS CAR. ALTERNATOR, TRANSMISSION, BRAKES, TIRES AND BALL JOINTS. NOW THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDS REPLACED, WIPER MOTOR AND QUARTER PANELS ARE ALL RUSTED OUT. I AM DISABLED AND THIS IS MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION. SHOULD ALL OF THIS SHOULD OF GONE WRONG? IT WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION. I HAVE HAD THIS CAR EIGHT YEARS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MAZDA 626. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WATER RESERVOIR OFF THE RADIATOR HAS TO BE REPLACED FOR THE FIFTH TIME. THE RESERVOIR HOLDS THE OVERFLOW FROM THE RADIATOR. THERE IS A CRACK IN THE SEAL WHERE THE SEAL MEETS. SHE HAS HAD TO PAY FOR EACH REPAIR BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

COOLANT RESERVOIR ON MAZDA 626 MODELS HAS A DESIGN FLAW. OUR VEHICLE HAS REQUIRED 4 OF THESE SINCE WE'VE OWNED IT. EACH TIME, THE PART IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AS IT IS OVER 12 MONTHS OLD. FAILURES OCCURRED ON 5/30/06 AT 118K AND AGAIN ON 6/1/07 AT 138K, AND NOW ON 7/11/08 AT 162K. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THEY ARE MANUFACTURED WITH A SEAM ON THE BOTTOM. THE SEAM LEAKS AND SO COOLANT GRADUALLY LEAKS FROM THE RESERVOIR UNTIL YOU NOTICE YOUR VEHICLE SLOWLY RUNNING HOT. SINCE I WATCH MAY GAUGES CLOSELY, I ALWAYS SEE WHEN THIS IS HAPPENING. REPLACING COOLANT WILL PREVENT THE ENGINE FROM OVERHEATING BUT REPLACING THE RESERVOIR IS ALWAYS REQUIRED. LOCALLY THIS PART COSTS $100. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE LABOR TO REMOVE/DISCARD THE OLD RESERVOIR AND TO ATTACH THE NEW ONE. OUR LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP HAS 50 OF THESE IN STOCK AT ANY GIVEN TIME. SEEMS LIKE A LARGE INVENTORY FOR A PART. THIS ITEM NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED SO THAT THE SEAM IS MORE DURABLE OR SO THAT THERE IS NO SEAM AT THE BOTTOM WHERE THE LEAKS KEEP OCCURRING. OTHERS NOT AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM MAY HAVE ALLOWED THEIR ENGINES TO OVERHEAT CAUSING MUCH MORE COSTLY PROBLEMS IN THEIR ENGINES. WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE IN THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS CAUGHT IT EARLY AND THAT WE HAVE A GOOD MECHANIC NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A DEALERSHIP BUT WHO IS MAZDA CERTIFIED. *TR

2001 MAZDA 626 RIGHT REAR TIRE SIDEWALL SPLIT IN TWO AREAS. CONSUMER STATES THAT LEFT REAR TIRE WAS INSPECTED AND HAD SIMILAR CRACKING FORMING. CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THAT TYPE OF DAMAGE. *KB THE WIPER BLADES WERE REPLACED. THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED DUE TO A BAD EGR FLOW WHICH WAS CLOGGED DUE TO CARBON BUILD-UP. *JB

AS WELL AS OTHER 626'S MY TRANSMISSION HAS BLOWN. WAS DRIVING IT, DOWN THE ROAD, THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED ABOUT 7 TIMES, AND IT REVVED, THEN WENT DOWN AND REVVED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. TOOK IT TO AAMCO TRANSMISSIONS AND THEY DROVE IT AND LOOKED AND TOLD ME THAT ITS SHOT. OF COURSE THIS ALL HAPPENS AFTER SPENDING $1200 FOR A DEALER ONLY CATALYTIC CONVERTER. WHY WOULD ANYONE BUY THIS CAR KNOWING THAT THEY FALL APART, AND HAVE DEALER ONLY PARTS!? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MAZDA 626. ON APPROXIMATELY NOVEMBER 22, 2007, WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER AGREED TO PAY HALF OF THE REPLACEMENT COST FOR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. ON APPROXIMATELY OCTOBER 15, 2006, (15,000 MILES LATER) THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS REPLACED AGAIN. THE CONTACT REQUESTED INFORMATION AS TO WHETHER THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS FLAWED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THIS TYPE OF FAILURE WAS RARE AND THE CAUSE COULD NOT BE EXPLAINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 84,000.

IN AUGUST 2001, I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW MAZDA 626. IN MAY 2003, I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. AT 23,000 MILES, THE FOLLOWING HAD TO BE REPLACED: TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY, THERMOSTAT AND RADIATOR SUB-TANK. AT 31,000 MILES, MY CAR WAS IN THE SHOP FOR 11 DAYS IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE FOLLOWING: MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR, FUEL PUMP, FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR, VALVE IDLE AIR CONTROL, THERMOSTAT GASKET AND THE THROTTLE BODY GASKET. NOW AT 48,000 MILES, I RETURNED FROM A TRIP, GOT IN MY CAR AND STARTED DRIVING. AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES, I NOTICED THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS REALLY HOT, THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND IMMEDIATELY THE CAR DIED AND STARTED SMOKING (LEFT MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF STRANDED ON THE 405 FWY AT MIDNIGHT). I WAS TOLD I NEED A NEW ENGINE (ENGINE LONG BLOCK, ALL WATER HOSES, RADIATOR, KNOCK SENSOR, GASKET SET AND SPARK PLUGS). THE COST: $8400. THEY OFFERED TO REDUCE THE COST TO $5200, HOWEVER I DON'T SEE HOW THIS IS HELPFUL FOR THE CAR IS PROBABLY WORTH LESS THAN THAT AND EVEN IF THEY DID REPLACE THE PARTS I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THEY WOULD JUST START FALLING APART AGAIN. I DRIVE MY CAR LESS THAN 10 MILES A DAY, SO I DEFINITELY DO NOT THINK THAT ALL THIS DAMAGE IS FROM NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, RATHER I BELIEVE THAT MAZDA IS MAKING INFERIOR PARTS.

THE ENGINE LIGHT ON MY CAR HAS RECENTLY COME ON, AND GOES OFF PERIODICALLY ALSO. I TOOK IT TO HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED AND THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS THE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER & O2 SENSORS ON MY 2001 626 4.0 CYLINDER. HE SAID THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD TO BE BOUGHT FROM MAZDA ONLY AND IT WAS $672, AND THE 2 O2 SENSORS WOULD BE $416.00 AS WELL.....IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO'VE HAD THESE PROBLEMS??? ALSO, IS THERE A WARRANTY ON THE CONVERTER??