IllustrationTHE CAR STARTED TO NOT WANT TO CRANK IT WOULD CRANK SOMETIMES THEN ONE DAY WE WENT TO THE STORE THEN WHEN WE WENT TO LEAVE THE STORE IT FINALLY JUST STOPPED TRYING TO CRANK ONLY MAKING A CLICKING SOUND AND WHILE TRYING TO CRANK IT THE STEERING COLUMN STARTED SMOKING AND ALMOST CAUGHT ON FIRE I BELIEVE IT IS THE IGNITION SWITCH
2002 Mazda 626
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Mazda 626 do not stand out strongly from 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
60–25K
925–50K
1750–75K
1675–100K
7100–150K
5150K+
60 reports with mileage · 27 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 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
4 reportsSMOKE CAME FROM AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN. *TR
I HAVE A 2002 MAZDA 626 4CYL WITH 71,200 MILES. I HAD JUST PAID IT OFF LAST MONTH AND COME TO FIND OUT MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT ON ME. WHEN ACCELERATING IT SOUNDS AS IF GEARS ARE GRINDING. THERE WAS A COUPLE TIMES OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT IN AND WAS TOLD MY BATTERY CONNECTION…
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I HAVE A 2002 MAZDA 626 4CYL WITH 71,200 MILES. I HAD JUST PAID IT OFF LAST MONTH AND COME TO FIND OUT MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT ON ME. WHEN ACCELERATING IT SOUNDS AS IF GEARS ARE GRINDING. THERE WAS A COUPLE TIMES OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT IN AND WAS TOLD MY BATTERY CONNECTION WAS LOOSE. OTHER THAN THAT THERE WAS NO EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS AND HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN. I HAVE TRIED TO CHANGE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND THE DEFECTED TRANSMISSION IS STILL IN THE VEHICLE CONTINUING WITH GRINDING NOISE. TOOK IT BACK IN AND TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION IS ABOUT TO NEED REBUILDING I HAVE READ MANY PROBLEMS ONLINE DATING BACK TO 1996 REGARDING THESE 626'S TRANSMISSIONS AND HERE IS ANOTHER ONE. *TR
CAR DOES NOT RUN/START OR ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON AND IT IDLES INAPPROPRIATELY. THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED 10/02. IT WENT TO THE DEALER 11/02 AFTER ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND CAR WOULD NOT START/DRIVE. CAR RETURNED 36 DAYS LATER. CAR NOW HAS ENGINE LIGHT ON AND IS AT A DIFFERENT DEALER FOR THREE DAYS
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.