Illustration1994 MAZDA MX6 AUTO TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *TR
1994 Mazda MX-6
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all MX-6 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
Limited mileage data: 4 of 46 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 7 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 reports6 injury reports
Power Train complaints
13 reportsI AM THE OWNER OF A 1994 MAZDA MX-6 (4 CYLINDER, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). BECAUSE OF WHAT I BELIEVE MAY BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT OR DESIGN FLAW, I'VE BEEN FORCED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS VEHICLE TWICE OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT THREE YEARS. BASICALLY, AN ELECTRONIC OVERDRIVE SWITCH WILL RANDOMLY BEGIN IT'S FUNCTION WI…
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I AM THE OWNER OF A 1994 MAZDA MX-6 (4 CYLINDER, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). BECAUSE OF WHAT I BELIEVE MAY BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT OR DESIGN FLAW, I'VE BEEN FORCED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS VEHICLE TWICE OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT THREE YEARS. BASICALLY, AN ELECTRONIC OVERDRIVE SWITCH WILL RANDOMLY BEGIN IT'S FUNCTION WITHOUT HAVING ANY CONTROL OVER IT. A LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD WILL FLASH "HOLD" CONSTANTLY UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED OR THE COMPUTER IS RESET. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, WHICH QUITE FRANKLY HAS BEEN VERY FREQUENT, THE TRANSMISSION JERKS AND STRUGGLES TO OPERATE PROPERLY. THIS ALSO RESULTS IN SOMEWHAT OF A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AS MAINTAINING HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND TAKING SMALL TURNS CAN FEEL VERY UNSAFE BECAUSE THE CAR GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT IT'S NOT HOLDING THE ROAD VERY WELL. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT I'VE HAD TO SPEND A TOTAL OF ROUGHLY $5000.00 FOR TWO TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENTS. I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND I HAVE FOUND THAT I AM OBVIOUSLY NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THIS CAR CANNOT BE OPERATED SAFELY OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MILEAGE. MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OCCURED AT ROUGHLY 70,000 MILES, THE SECOND AT ABOUT 95,000. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED TRANSMISSION FAILED TO WORK. *AK
WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO ANOTHER GEAR ,CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. AK
TRANSMISSION PREMATURELY MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING A VERY LOUD NOISE OCCURRED, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE SHIFTS HARD INTO FIRST/SECOND, AND THIRD GEARS. MAZDA HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK
YOU CAN READ MORE COMPLAINTS HTTP://WWW.CARCAST.COM/CC/CONFERENCE/INDEX.HTML#POST
1997: 4 MO.AFTER ANTYEXPIRED.PAID $1000 TO CHANGE DEFECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL PART; 1999: DISTRIBUTOR FAILED WHILE DRIVING, $468 TO REPAIR. *AK
MAZDA WILL REPAIR MY TRANSMISSION FOR $2,696.00. THE MAZDA REP WILL ALLOW ME A TOTAL OF $750.00 TOWARD THE REPAIR. SINCE THE CAR ONLY HAS 49,000 MILES ON IT, I FEEL THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 1994 MAZDA. I BELIEVE THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE GIVEN ME MORE THAN $750.00 FOR GOOD-WILL ALONE.…
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MAZDA WILL REPAIR MY TRANSMISSION FOR $2,696.00. THE MAZDA REP WILL ALLOW ME A TOTAL OF $750.00 TOWARD THE REPAIR. SINCE THE CAR ONLY HAS 49,000 MILES ON IT, I FEEL THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 1994 MAZDA. I BELIEVE THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE GIVEN ME MORE THAN $750.00 FOR GOOD-WILL ALONE. I HAVE NOT EVEN PAID OFF MY CAR YET. *AK
Official recalls
215V674000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Oct 19, 2015
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 1989-1998 MPV, 1990-1995 323, 1990-1998 Protege, 1992-1993 MX-3, 1993-1995 929, 1993-1997 MX-6, and 1993-1998 626 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, grease applied to the contact points inside the ignition switch may become conductive and overheat.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2015. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Experience Center at 1-800-222-5500, option#6. Mazda's number for this recall is 8715J.
99V358000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights:switch
Dec 17, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE HEADLIGHT WIRE THAT RUNS THROUGH THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER CAN FAIL AT THE POINT WHERE IT IS SOLDERED TO THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE FAILURE OF THIS WIRE COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH LEVER.
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
1RQ99022 · Headlight Failure
Opened Dec 20, 1999 · Closed Aug 30, 2000
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
OBTAINED RECALL 99V-358