2002 Mazda 626

2002 MAZDA 626, 4 CYLINDER AUTOMATIC CAR DROVE FINE UNTIL 2 DAYS AGO WHEN IT STARTED STUTTERING ON TAKEOFF. TOOK IT TO A MAINTENANCE SHOP WHO SAID 1ST GEAR IS PRETTY MUCH GONE AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. RESEARCHING ON THE WEB HAS INDICATED THAT THIS IA COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 4 CYLINDER MAZDA 626 AUTOMATICS. *NM

DT: CONSUMER STATES SHE HAD AN ACCIDENT ON 7-8-05. SHE WAS HIT ON THE FRONT END OF HER CAR BY SOMEONE TRAVELING WEST. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND AS A RESULT THE CONSUMER WAS INJURED. SHE HAS NOT TALKED TO THE DEALER OR THE MANUFACTURER. SHE DOES NOT KNOW HOW FAST THE PERSON WHO HIT HER WAS GOING. THE CONSUMER WAS GOING APPROX. 55-60 MPH. THERE HAD BEEN NO PREVIOUS AIR BAG PROBLEMS. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT HAD NOT COME ON. SHE DID APPLY HER BRAKES PRIOR TO IMPACT. SHE WAS WEARING HER SEAT BELT. THERE IS A POLICE REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT. *JB

1) THERE WAS NO WARNING OF IMPENDING FAILURE ON THE TRANSMISSION ON THIS VEHICLE. IT SIMPLY CEASED TO FUNCTION IN FORWARD SPEEDS IN A MATTLER OF LESS THAN HALF AN HOUR. *AK 2) IT WAS PARKED ON STREET FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS AFTER HAVING BEEN DRIVEN 20 MILES ON THE FREEWAY. AFTER STARTING THE CAR, I SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND FOUND THERE WAS NO DRIVE GEAR. SHIFTING DOWN, THERE WAS SECOND AND FIRST AVAILABLE. AS I WAS LESS THAN 10 MILES FROM MY HOME, I DROVE THERE ON BACK STREETS, USING SECOND GEAR. WITHIN A MILE OF MY HOME, SECOND GEAR FAILED AND FIRST GEAR BARELY ENGAGED. I HAD TO HAVE IT PUSHED FROM A BUSY INTERSECTION TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT WAS TOWED TO A SERVICE FACILITY FOR AN ESTIMATE. 3) AS OF TODAY, I HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED. AFTER AN EXTERNAL INVESTIGATION TURNED UP NO ANSWERS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ONLY WAY TO APPROACH THE REPAIR WOULD BE TO OPEN UP AND EXAMINE IT. AN INITIAL "GUESSTIMATE" WAS $900 TO $2800.

HEARD NOISE AND BAD VIBRATION FROM FRONT LEFT , IT GOT WORSE AND LOUDER WHEN MAKING TURNS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, WHO STATED THAT FRONT WHEEL BEARING WAS BAD. AROUND TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE SAME THING HAPPENED, HEARD LOUD NOISE ON FRONT RIGHT, GOT LOUDER WHEN TURNING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, WHO REPLACED FRONT RIGHT BEARING. CAR ALWAYS SERVICED AT DEALER, TWO WEEKS BEFORE TOOK CAR TO DEALER FOR PULLING TO THE RIGHT. DEALER STATED IT NEEDED AN ALIGNMENT AND BALANCING. DID THAT NEXT DAY AND SAME THING HAPPENED WITHIN THE PAST MONTH. I HAD NEW FRONT BRAKES, NEW TIRES, NEW RIGHT AND LEFT BEARINGS, AND SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO BALANCE AND ROTATE TIRES. ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION, BUT DEALER INSISTED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG, SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT CHANGE GEARS LIKE IT SHOULD WHEN GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS. VEHICLE STALLED SEVERAL TIMES. ALSO, HAD TO REPLACE COOLANT BOTTLE THREE TIMES, AND ONCE CAR OVERHEATED. IT WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *AK

MY 2002 MAZDA 626 HAD A MAJOR TRANSMITION FAILURE AT 45000 MILES. I TOOK IT TO THE MAZDA DEALER AT THE FIST SIGN OF THIS PROBLEM WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD THAT ALL THE PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING WAS NORMAL. WARRANTY RAN OUT ON DECEMBER 31, 2004. IT COST ME $3100 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I TOOK IT IN FOR BURNT TRANSMITION FLUID. THE DEALER JUST CHANGED FLUID ,AND SAID THAT IT WAS NORMAL FOR THE FLUID TO BE LIKE THAT. *AK

PURCHASED A 2002 MAZDA 626 LX 4 CYLINDER IN NOV 2001.FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILURE @ 30,000 MILES. REPLACED DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION WITH A NEW ONE. ECOND TRANSMISSION FAILURE @ 59,000 MILES.*AK THE CAR IS USED FOR OFFICE COMMUTE ONLY. PROPER MAINTENANCE WORKS ARE DONE AT THE DEALER'S SERVICE CENTER AT REGULAR INTERVALS. ALL THE SERVICE HISTORY IS DOCUMENTED.