2002 Mazda MAZDA6

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHED ON AND OFF THEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO INSTALLED A TRANSMISSION KIT. THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED A SECOND TIME AND THE SAME REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED A REBUILT TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE INSTALLED. UPDATED 10/6/2006 - THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED WHILE DRIVEN IN HOT WEATHER AND CAUSED THE PARTS TO MELT DOWN. *NM

ON MAZDA MPV MINIVAN 2002- OVER/DRIVE OFF LIGHT BLINKS, AND CAR BUCKS AS IT TRIES TO SHIFT. IF I SHIFT IT MANUALLY FROM 2ND TO 3RD, AND THEN DRIVE THE LIGHT WILL GO OFF, AND IT WILL START TO SHIFT PROPERLY AGAIN WHEN PUT IN DRIVE. MAZDA SERVICE WANTS TO CHARGE ME $3600.00 DOLLARS TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION, WHEN IT IS PROBABLY A FAULTY SENSOR. *JB

DRIVING THE MAZDA TRIBUTE INTO A PARKING LOT AND THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT TO FIFTY MILES PER HOUR AND THE TACH WENT UP TO 3000 RPM, APPLIED THE BRAKE AND PUT CAR INTO PARK TO STOP THE VEHICLE FROM GOING ANY FURTHER. DEALER WAS CALLED AND CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED AT THE MAZDA DEALER EVERY THREE THOUSAND MILES. DEALER CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT AN ERROR CODE CAME UP THAT SHOWED THAT THE ECT TEMPERATURE SENSOR FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE COMPUTER TO SEND EXCESS FUEL INTO THE FUEL INJECTORS WHICH CAUSED A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. DEALER FIXED THE PROBLEM AND CHARGED $400.00 FOR THE REPAIR. THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR PROBLEM IF I WAS DRIVING IN OPEN TRAFFIC. MAZDA SHOULD BE REVIEWING FOR POSSIBLE DEFECT AND NHTSA SHOULD BE OPENING A SEARCH FOR OTHER VEHICLES HAVING A SIMILAR PROBLEM. CAR IS A MAZDA TRIBUTE 2002. *NM

2002 MAZDA 626 WITH 37000 MILES. HAD A NEW TRANSMISSION ABOUT AUG, 2004. STARTED HAVING SHIFTING PROBLEMS ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO. NELSON MAZDA IN NASHVILLE, TN TOLD US SOMEONE FILLED THE FLUID TOO HIGH WHEN WE HAD OUR OIL CHANGED. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS OBVIOUS SOMETHING WAS WRONG, AND WE WERE ONLY 2 WEEKS OUT OF OUR WARRANTY, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING BUT "ADJUST THE FLUID". THIS WEEK IT STARTED SHIFTING BAD AND BEFORE THE DAY WAS UP IT WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. WE TOOK IT TO A LOCAL TRUSTWORTHY GARAGE WHO SAID THE TRANS. FLUID WAS "BURNED TO A CRISP" AND NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AGAIN. NELSON MAZDA WILL DO NOTHING TO HELP. NOTHING. A CAR SHOULD NOT NEED HAVE A SECOND BAD TRANSMISSION IN 3 1/2 YEARS AND 37000 MILES. *NM

I HAVE A 2002 MAZDA MILLENIA PURCHASED NEW FROM KOONS MAZDA 9-17-2002. IN AUGUST OF 2005 I RETURNED TO KOONS TO HAVE A HEADLAMP REPLACED.LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LATER I NOTICED THE PROJECTION OF MY HEADLAMPS WERE AIMED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SKY.THE NEXT MORNING I NOTICED BOTH HEADLAMPS WERE LAYING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.I RETURNED TOKOONS ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT IT WOULD COST ME $700.00 PER HEDLAMP ASSY.I HAVE TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO GET MAZDA CORPORATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM BUT THEY HAVE DECLINED. IM TOLD MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRENTY. BECAUSE THE HEAT GENERATED BY THE HEADLAMPS AND THE EXPOSURE TO OTHER COMPONENTS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IT COULD START A FIRE. THEN THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,THAT ACTIVATES IF I'M DOING 55MPH ON THE BELTWAY'IT CAUSES THE CAR TO SPUTTER AND JERK .THIS IS A BAD WEATHER DEVICE DESIGNED TO AID WHEN WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE BAD.THIS FAILURE JUST STARTED IN DECEMBER.I ONLY HAVE 60K MILES ON THE CAR. *NM

TOOK MY 2002 TRIBUTE FOR OIL CHANGE AND DURING THE 21 POINT EXAM THEY NOTICED THAT MY ABS RING ON THE RIGHT AXLE WAS FRACTURED. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON WITH TRIBUTES. THE ABS RING CANNOT BE REPLACE, THEY HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE RIGHT AXLE ASSEMBLY AND WILL COST $600. IF IT IS NOT REPLACED MY ABS BRAKES AND TRACTION CONTROL WILL FAIL. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. MY WARRANTY JUST EXPIRED AND IT IS NOT COVERED. *JB

ON COLD STARTS THERE IS A LOUD TICKING SOUND FROM THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE. ONCE ENGINE WARMS UP THE TICKING GOES AWAY. WE BROUGHT OUR 2002 MAZDA MPV TO A LOCAL CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND HE DIAGNOSED A CRACKED FRONT EXHAUST MANIFOLD. WE CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AT MAZDA TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM AND PER MAZDA SINCE WE EXCEEDED OUR WARRANTY BY 5 MONTHS IT WILL NOT BE COVERED. AFTER ASKING US ABOUT OUR REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE HISTORY WITH MAZDA WE REPORTED HAVING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SERVICE DONE, BRAKE SERVICE, AND COOLANT FLUSH SERVICE DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE GENTLEMAN AT MAZDA ASKED US TO HOLD SO HE COULD TALK TO THE SUPERVISOR. WHEN HE RETURNED HE ASKED ABOUT THE OIL CHANGES. I STATED THAT I DO THOSE EVERY 3,000 MILES. AFTER PUTTING ME ON HOLD AGAIN, HE STATED THAT HE COULD NOT HELP US AFTER ALL. WHEN WE BOUGHT THE VAN I ASKED IF I COULD DO MY OWN MAINTENANCE AND WOULD IT VOID ANY WARRANTY PROBLEMS AND THE SALESMAN SAID "NO". I WENT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC WHO SPECIALIZES IN EXHAUST AND EMISSION SYSTEMS. I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION TO HIM AND HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO FOR US. HE CALLED BACK 3 DAYS LATER AND STATED THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME SITUATION WE ARE HAVING. IN DOING A NATIONAL PARTS SEARCH AT ALL NATIONAL SALVAGE YARDS TO FIND AN EXHAUST MANIFOLD FOR THE VAN HE FOUND ONE IN FLORIDA, BUT IT ALSO HAD A CRACK IN IT AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAVE HAD NUMEROUS INQUIRIES ABOUT THE SAME EXHAUST MANIFOLD PART. WE TOOK IT UPON OURSELVES TO DO RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND WAS SURPRISED TO FIND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLDS ON MAZDA MPV'S. WE WERE QUOTED OVER $1,000 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM, BUT WE FEEL AFTER CONSULTING WITH SEVERAL MECHANICS THIS PROBLEM SHOULD NEVER OCCURRED AND THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD ON THESE ENGINES ARE MOST LIKELY DEFECTIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. WHAT IS OUR NEXT STEP? BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU?? *NM