Illustration94,000 MILES ON MY 2002 MAZDA 626 AND THE TRANSMISSION IS SHOT AND STRUTS WERE WORTHLESS. WAS STRANDED ON THE ROAD WHEN THE CAR WOULD GO IN REVERSE BUT WAS DIFFICULT TO OPERATE IN DRIVE AND AT SLOWER SPEEDS AND STOP SIGNS/LIGHTS. *TR
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
Structure complaints
2 reportsCONSUMER HEARD NOISE IN THE VEHICLE. WHEN BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP, NOTHING WAS FOUND. *LA THE NOISE WAS HEARD WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THERE WAS EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE TIE RODS, A NOISE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS, WHICH THE DEALER TIGHTENED THE RIGHT LOWER GRAVEL SHIELD, THE RIGHT FRONT AXLE SEAL WAS LEAKING AND THE SEAT BEL…
Read full complaint
CONSUMER HEARD NOISE IN THE VEHICLE. WHEN BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP, NOTHING WAS FOUND. *LA THE NOISE WAS HEARD WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THERE WAS EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE TIE RODS, A NOISE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS, WHICH THE DEALER TIGHTENED THE RIGHT LOWER GRAVEL SHIELD, THE RIGHT FRONT AXLE SEAL WAS LEAKING AND THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WAS REPLACED BECAUSE OF A RATTLE. *JB
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.