30th Sep 2003, 12:10

Sad to hear Mazda products are giving so many people problems. I had a 95 626 that was great until it was totaled with 120K miles on it. My current 99 626 had the steering rack die under warranty and still suffers occasional throttle hesitation when shifting under hard acceleration. The clutch also doesn't want to disengage on very hot days, but over the past two summers this has diminished and since I don't want to put a clutch in have lived with it. Both of these cars have manual transmissions. I love manuals, but am familiar with the automatic transmission problems since I have a friend in the tranny biz. The main thing here is most vehicles have trouble spots and automatic transmissions are a big one. You want to see a nightmare take a look at the forums on Ford Explorers. I beat the hell out of my cars, but maintain them well and use only the best fluids like synthetic oil and premium filters. With Mazda's V6 I strongly recommend this since the valves are not hydraulic and must be adjusted periodically. I have 75,000 miles and checked the front bank myself and fortunately they are still in spec. Didn't check the back bank since you would have to pull the intake manifold to check the back valves. If the valves are out of spec you have to pull the cams and buy shims. Mazda charges about $1,500 for this. By the way when I pulled the valve cover the inside of the engine looked like the day it was built, no sludge, carbon, or other deposits. Mazda is no longer a true Japanese car company since getting into bed with Ford. Sad to say, but I'm not likely to buy another Mazda.

28th Jan 2004, 09:52

I also have had a few problems with my 99 Mazda 626 dealing with:replacing the transmission at 87000 miles, having the 02 sensor come on then off, then the check engine light. I was told by the Mazda dealer to remove my battery and this might correct the problem of the check engine light. Needless to say the check engine light came on two days later. I read all of the comments above and feel disheartened to know that my first adult purchase would end up costing so much. I am truly considering purchasing a new vehicle to save me the time and grief of this car. I once fell in love with my car, but the relationship is slowly ending. I have to bring the car into the dealer to have a diagnostic done. But from reading some of the comments and my previous experience with the 02 sensor going off I am not sure what it will be this time, but my out of pocket is much too costly.

4th May 2004, 14:23

I have a 1998 Mazda 626 with the 4 banger, But the good thing is it's a 5 speed. The car has 92,000 miles on it, and the only problem I have had is the catalytic converter trips the check engine light once in a while. It's been a great car since I bought it new in 99. If you're going to buy a Mazda, get them with a 5 speed, Mazda still hasn't figured out to make an auto yet.

12th May 2004, 17:37

I own a 2001 Mazda 626. At 20,000 miles, the transmission went out. Fortunately, it was covered under warranty. I figured it was just a one-time problem and I just happened to get a bad transmission. No big deal, right? Well, it now has 57,000 miles on it and guess what? I'm pretty sure it needs another new transmission!!! It started with the sifting becoming hard or what seems like it was slipping. The weird thing is it would do it for a few days, and run great for a few days, and so on. Well, on my way home from work today, the check engine light came on, the O/D light started flashing and the car would not shift into high gear.

Of course, thinking it was just a problem with my 2001 Mazda 626, I bought a second Mazda 626, a 2002, about a year ago. Within the first week, the ABS/TCS and TCS Off lights started staying on. Sometimes they would be on, sometimes they would be off. You could drive the car for a few minutes and then they would come on and stay on. When I took it to the dealer, they kept it for a few hours, called and said it was ready to go. On the way out of the dealership parking lot, the lights came back on. Also, when you turn on the rear window defroster, it interferes with the stereo. Not to worry, they replaced the antenna filter on the rear window defroster (the antenna is embedded in the rear window with the rear defroster). Think that fixed the problem? Nope, it did not. I wish someone could do something to help Mazda figure it out, but I guess not!

17th Jul 2004, 20:56

I have owned a 1988 626 and a 1994 626. Both were 4 cylinder 5 speeds, and both were very reliable. The 88 had several A/C problems, which I finally stopped paying to get fixed. My current 94 has 152k on it, haven't spent a dime on the A/C, original timing belt, no check engine light problems, and I get 33mpg (mostly highway driving). I spent maybe $1,500 in repairs (exhaust, brakes, struts, and a few front end parts) over the life of the car (bought it when it had 46k miles on it). I just went car shopping, and narrowed it down to one with an automatic vs. a 5 speed model. After reading all of the comments above, I definitely won't be getting that automatic!

5th Aug 2004, 14:41

Thursday, August 5, 2004.

I was just reading some of the comments about other people cars. Well, I bought a 1999 Mazda 626 last November and I thank God that I haven't had any major problems with the car. Whomever owned the car in the past, took very good care of the car (interior and exterior). The only purchase that I have had too make was a set of tires. My Mazda 626 has approximately 125,000 miles. Please pray that it holds up for another 125,000.