Faults:

This car has known transmission problems. Less than a year after 3rd transmission was installed the car was leaking fluid. The repair shop diagnosed leaking transmission fluid, and recommended dealer replacement. The dealer had replaced the last one. The dealer service dept advised front pump failed, and replaced. This is now the 4th transmission on a car with exactly 60,000 miles. Front pump failed on this transmission after only 6,000 miles in one year. Reports filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Board. However, despite large volume of complaints it is unlikely a recall will be issued on a car this old. The Ford transmission installed in this model is known to be a bad design and prone to defects.

Faults:

Spark Plug wire failure at 89K miles.

Oil cooler leak at 89K miles.

Vacuum chamber and vacuum lines below the manifold also failed at 90K miles.

Power steering pump replaced at 90K miles.

Clutch went out at 91K miles.

Needed new brake rotors at 91K miles.

Radiator started to leak at 96K miles.

Alternator failed at 98K miles.

Oil leak behind timing cover at 100K miles.

General Comments:

The car has serious reliability problems. I've spent over $4000 to get it fixed and keep it running. Almost everything went wrong in about 10,000 miles. My other car had 142,000 miles and did not have any major problems except a new clutch and an alternator. The car also burns oil - about 0.5 quart every 3000 miles.

The car is fun to drive. Really good suspension and the V6 is pretty responsive with a manual transmission. No lack of power even at 7000ft above sea level where I live. The interior is relatively roomy, the sound system is also decent. The cruise control system needs a little more fine tuning though. Also there is no ABS which is a little troublesome sometimes. Overall it is a decent car with very poor reliability.

Faults:

Engine light stays on and nobody can seem to get it to stay off for more than a day.

Transmission problems.

Noisy engine.

Faults:

In cold weather, it has always been extremely hard to shift until the engine/transmission warms up.

The transmission needed replacing at 22,000 miles (dealer covered it under warranty to avoid negative press).

The bodywork (black) shows the slightest ding or scratch in a most unsightly manner.

Cracked headlight lens cost $350 to replace!

General Comments:

There must be some inherent problem with the transmission: - no vehicle should be as difficult to shift as this 626 is on a winter's morning.

Faults:

Plain and simple, the tranny is the worst thing you will ever see. I own he car a year and 3 months, I'm going through my second one. don't ever buy this car it's a nightmare, I should of gotten the altima.