Problems with 2000 Mazda 626 POWER TRAIN

1. mazda transmission: can not change the filter. only during the rebuilding of the transmission can the filter be changed. 2. plugged filter causes the torque converter to destruct at any time. the car can stall any where anytime. 3. was replaced with rebuilt transmission at a cost of 2500.00. *jb

My mazda 626 es, 2000 4 cylinder, need to have it's transmission replaced again. it broke one year ago in oct 2005 and this year it has broken once more and needs to be replaced. a yearly transmission change is overkill since i don't really drive in high stop and go situations, do due diligent maintenance, and do not drive in a manner which would tax the transmission. i believe, because of the second transmission failure, that is a product defect and causes an undue cost to consumers. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle's transmission overheated, and needed a new transmission. the service dealer determined the vehicle needed a external oil cooler to fix the issue.

The transmission gave out. 112,000 miles. i got the transmission replaced, and right after the warranty was over, the transmission gave out. the o/d light comes on, the car overheats, and it does not shift into 4th gear. *tr

2000 mazda 626 4 cyl transmission problem. it did not cause me to wreck but it seems that it could be a safety concern if it fails while on the highway. *nm

Transmissions failure on the 2000 mazda 626. *nm

Transmission lurches and delays on the shifts after highway driving. check engine light went on due to transmission problem. the original transmission and the replaced transmission had the same problems. *jb

My 2000 mazda 626 has 112,800 miles. six months ago the vehicle has 100,000 mile service and the dealer recommended i install a transmission cooler. i asked why and he didn't offer anything other than it was a good idea. now my o/d light is flashing and the transmission is clunking. the repair shop says that the transmission is burned out. mazda knows about this, the dealers know about this but the consumers do not know about it. this vehicle needs a recall or at least a broadcast warning to consumers. *jb

I purchased my car in april of 2004 with 45,000 miles on it; around 102,000 miles, my car stated jerking when it changed from 1st to 2nd gear; now, at 106,000, the o/d light, and the engine light both flashes, and i can barely make it up a hill, because of all the jerking and hesitating that it does. *jb

I was recently informed that my vehicle (2000 mazda 626) is in need of a transmission. i have had preventive maintenance done at the suggested times and not until doing research discovered that there are reported problems with the mazda 626 transmissions. upon taking it to the shop, i noticed 3 other 626's in the garage with the same problem. someone definitely needs to look into recalling these vehicles and the issues that they are having. while i don't have my old transmission, i do have receipts documenting the replacement cost for the part. *nm

Transmission went out without warning on my 2000 mazda 626 and also a few month later the motor went out too, i had to buy a new transmission and motor. *nm

Transmission shifts hard from first to second gear. dealer says i will need a new one soon. the car was never abused and was always taken care off. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle was consistently experiencing transmission problems resulting in a complete transmission failure. the vehicle would switched gears by itself. when the vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, they determined the transmission needed to be replaced immediately. the dealer was contacted to search for recalls by vin who determined that the vin did not match any recalls.

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle stalled on the road while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who determined that the transmission was not suitable for the vehicle. the manufacturer was contacted and obtained the vehicle's vin to identify any manufacturer defect as the cause for the problem. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for further examination.

Mazda 626 transmission is a failure 2000. i have had this car since 2002 but in 2004 my transmission broke down when the car had like 78000 miles it was rebuilt by aamco at a cost of about $2400. now 2006 july the transmission is broken again. i think the quality of the transmission is substandard. *nm

My 2000 mazda 626 (56 thousand mile) died on the highway, the transmission failed and i almost got killed! my girlfriend called the mazda dealer where i bought my car ( east coast mazda) and pretty much was told, oh well, what do you want us to do about it?? well, i now understand that this transmission problem is very common in mazda 626 from years 1994-2002. i put out over three thousand dollars for a transmission and i think they should pay on cars like mine that only have 56 thousand miles & the trans dies, plus people could get killed, i can't believe there has been "no recall" for this problem to date, are they waiting to get sued?? that money was my vacation money so now i am out of my trip because of a bad transmission which they are well aware of, just look up mazda 626 trans problems on the web and see how many there are! *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 mazda 626. the contact experienced issues with her transmission. she heard a crunching sound and the vehicle failed while driving at an unknown speed. the vehicle was towed to a transmission shop and a rebuilt transmission was installed at the cost of $3,200. in december of 2008, she noticed that the transmission was malfunctioning again. she took the vehicle to another repair shop and was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced again at the cost of $3,500. the contact spoke with the manufacturer years ago and received no assistance. the current mileage was approximately 125,000 and failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Driving down highway 5, over drive light started flashing. no information in manual regarding flashing over drive light, so continued driving. about 50 miles later, lost power and speedometer dropped to zero. through aamco, found out about tsb regarding problem with at in my model year (2000) that caused it to overheat. failure caused me to spend extra money on towing, hotel, and rental car. car took approximately 2 weeks to repair at aamco, which included a rebuilt transmission and a cooling unit added to help prevent future problems. *jb

Mazda 626 transmission failed...at 72,000 miles. simply quit. dealer basically said that mazda doesn't stand behind their transmission failure once car is out of warranty. *jb

Transmission over heats(overdrive light blinks), causing the car to shift gears improperly and if untreated by adding an extra radiator for the transmission it will go bad!!!!! *jb

I have had my mazda 626 for 6 months, since then i have replaced the front brakes, rotors and suspension, fuel pump and now the transmission. i need to also fix the rear breaks, rotors and suspension and haven't had the money. this car is the biggest flop i have ever owned and it only has 57,000 miles on it. *jb

O/d off light started flashing. took vehicle to a local dealer and they ran a diagnosis. they found a dst p01718 failure - automatic transmission slippage causing overheat condition. the transmission needs to be replaced as it will fail. it is a 2000 mazda 626 with only 58000 miles on it. *jb

Transmission and engine/ transmission mount failure on my 2000 mazda 625 4 cylinder auto. mileage 117,000. overhaul costs $2300 two months ago replaced cv joints. this is premature failure in my opinion. most vehicles exceed 160,000 before they start having this type of failure. *jb

1) driving on local and interstate highways for approximately 2 hrs, transmission began shifting irregularly and erratically. sometimes it would skip a shift, or downshift suddenly causing vehicle to lurch to a stop, or slower speed. 2) took car to mazda dealer. his diagnosis was complete and total transmission failure. this was confirmed by another independent. there was no fix available other than a complete rebuild. there was no advance warning or earlier signs of trouble. 3) had transmission completely rebuilt. cost was $2,000 plus cost of a rental car. *jb

I own a 2000 mazda 626, for the last week and a half the vehicle has been at the montgomery mazda (charlotte, nc) dealership twice and it is still not repaired. the first time i took it, i clearly told them that while driving the vehicle began to act as if it is trying to change gears but can't (automatic transmission and i am already in going 45 mph so it should be in the 5th gear) the rpms go up to 4 and then it jerks (hard) when it catches up and the rpms drop. they claimed that it needed a tune up, new spark plug wires (i already replaced these twice) and a new fuel filter. i spent $356 to get all of this done and on the way to work the car did the same thing again. i called them back and told them that the problem was still not fixed and they claimed that they didn't know what it could be. i took the car back again that following monday at 7:30 am (originally took it there on thursday, june 1, 2006) and they claimed that they were going to look at the vehicle and find out what the problem is. after waiting for about 5 hours i called since i didn't hear anything from them and another service person told me that my car had just been sitting there. when i went to pick it up, then they told me that it might be the engine relay or maybe the transmission. i asked them if they checked it they stated no. i took the vehicle to another transmission place and the person stated that it was low on transmission fluid and that was the problem but after they fixed that the car was still doing the same thing. i looks as if i will need a new transmission. every mechanic i have talked to since thinks it is the transmission, i found that mazda released a bulletin telling the their mechanics what to do if od off light is flashing after long driving and the transmission is slipping and the mazda service department didn't even mention it and i clearing told them that it only does it after i have been riding for a while. *nm

This is actually the second failure of the transmission. the first failure occurred in early 2003 while the car was still under the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty (it had about 33,000 miles on it). the problem was the one outlined in the mazda tsb # 0500502. i had the fluid cooler installed at that time as well as a replacement factory refurbished ford/mazda transmission (the dealership solution). i was told at that time that there shouldn't be any more problems for the life of the (new) transmission, which i took to mean that it would last about 100-120,000 miles. well, here i am, less than 50,000 miles later and the transmission had a major failure. without warning, the car began to make a sound i can only liken to tin cans in a tumbler. i immediately pulled over and within a few minutes, there was a puddle of transmission fluid on the ground. a good mechanic will rebuild it for $2800. that is more than half the value of the vehicle (~$5000). this defect is apparently much more than a simple matter of keeping the transmission cool, it is a systemic problem that affects the mechanicals of the transmission and has little to do with the operating temperature of the fluid. since the warranty on the car has expired, as well as the warranty on the work the dealership did 3 years ago to repair the problem initially, i am stuck with a huge repair bill and no desire to own the car. when the repair is complete, i will be selling the car. *jb

2000 mazda 626 transmission failure, after 61247 miles. had fluid replaced at 50,000 miles. *nm

My madza 626 with 10500 miles on it had transmission failure which cost 2000 dollars to repair. i have had service done on the vehicle on a regular basis and feel this transmission should not have failed. *jb

Transmission repaired for supposed leak in march 2006 at dealership and was not called in under my extended warranty, then in aug. 2006 car will not move when put in any gear, the dealership is now closed and will not answer any questions of why they charged me with warranty work, also the nearest dealership is 75 miles away, i am a senior citizen and on a fixed income i cannot afford to tow it then make repairs that should have fallen under warranty work in the first place. also my extended warranty ran out july 1, 2006. i have exhausted all routes trying to get this resolved and feel i have been taken advantage of my mazda. *jb

2000 mazda 626 lx 4 cyl. on march 1st 2006, my speedometer dropped to zero while driving at a continuous speed (45 mph) this happened several times within a half hour period before the engine light came on. on march 2nd, i drove the car to the local mazda dealership for a diagnostic. according to the dealership, the diagnostic revealed that the speed sensor was bad. however, they also related that the sensor was replaced and that the problem was still there. the dealership proceeded with a search of the wiring in order to determine what the problem was. this was done at an hourly rate of $85.00 an hour. on march 6th, a broken wire was found at the firewall. it took them 7.5 hours to make this determination. on march 11th, while on the expressway, my o/d light began flashing off and on continuously. it also began bucking and jerking and would slip in and out of gears. this is the first time this has ever happened with this car. i just hit 95,000 miles and i purchased it new in may 2000. *nm

2000 mazda 626 automatic transmission failure transmission has been replaced after 82,000 miles but has failed twice since the repair. in all three cases the automobile transmission has not been able to switch into reverse from being parked. when the problem occurs, switching into reverse is comparable to switching into neutral. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 mph the engine suddenly lost power and the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where it was determined the transmission failed. it was later towed to a local dealer who confirmed the transmission was the cause of the problem. after some research online the contact discovered other complaints concerning transmission failure with similar vehicles that were used primarily for highway driving. this vehicle was purchased 10 months ago and has been used for highway driving only. after doing some reseach, the consumer discovered the transsmission was too small for the vehicle. updated 03/03/06. *jb

Transmission on a 2000 mazda 626, wouldn't engage in reverse or the car would slam into reverse, stop, slam into reverse, stop, slam into reverse repeatedly. the car was stopped because of this difficulty, put into drive and it slammed into drive. my mechanic says the transmission needs to be rebuilt or replaced. it has 85,000 on it, it's only 5 years old! a little young for a new transmission. now i learn it's a ford transmission. and they wonder why no one buys their cars! *jb

While driving to work on 01/25/2005 had overdrive switch off, and as the transmission got hot, the overdrive off switch light started flashing. the car started making jurking movements like it was going to stall and proceeded on to work.*ak

On march 29, 2005, med center mazda replaced both axles at 52, 248 miles. i asked them to check the transmission then because the car would jolt when put in the "drive" gear from reverse and then hestitate before moving forward. on january 11, 2006, the car would not move in the "drive" gear at all; almost leaving me stranded at the entrance of a major highway. i have not been able to use my car for work and i only live 10 miles from home and am not a "rough" driver. the dealership's attitude is "things happen"; that is not satisfactory! these complaints should be addressed by nhtsa; it is a safty hazard. i was almost hit by a tracker trailer because i could not get my car off to the side of the road quickly! the dealership representative admits that the ford transmission in the mazda car has had defects some of which were exactly like mine. further, on consumer.com; other consumers listed and described the same problem. mazda has not issued a recall even though there are 500 complaints listed on this site according to one writer on the consumer.com site. mazda says that it will cost $3,215 to repair. *nm

2000 mazda 626 requires rebuilt transmission at 80,000 miles. *nm

I am still paying for a 2000 mazda 626 which just had its warranty run out and now my automatic transmission isn't working. i was driving home from my job in mountain view and was stopped in traffic, when i was able to go i stepped on the gas and the car did not want to go. i switched back and forth between 1st and second and finally got my car to go. while i was driving it was revving up and the o/d off switch started flashing. i finally and barely made it home. now when i put the car in any gear it won't go anywhere. mazda said there isn't anything they can do about it since my warranty is up. i now am making payments every month for a very big paper weight. i cannot afford the huge expense of fixing this problem which after looking around on the internet found seems to be a common problem. *nm

Transmission failure. *nm

Typical drive home. car will not go into gear. taking to the shop tomorrow. *nm

Dt: the contact stated transmission was slipping in and out of gear. he took the vehicle to an independent repair shop, and the mechanic replaced the transmission. there were no further problems. the repair was made at the contact's expense. *ak

2000 year mazda 626, transmission failure 79,483 miles. *tr

Transmission failure. *jb

Transmission over heated discharging transmission fluid onto hot engine components & causing heavy smoking from engine compartment. dealership stated that it is a flaw in 626 transmissions not covered by warranty.*jb

Transmission failure. my transmission failed after being driven for about 75k. for the last 20k it had a noticeable hesitation when i was driving in the morning. the transmission finally had to be replaced. *jb

Transmission failure on my 2000 mazda 626, 4-cylinder automatic transmission. *jb

No specific event lead to this, just parking the car normally running an errand and trying to drive home. the first time this happened (about 9 months ago) my daughter was stuck at 11pm the car would not move into any gear. the tow truck driver told us the cable underneath probably disengaged. we towed it to our repair shop and they replaced the cable. since then when the car is in reverse it intermittently seems to stick causing it to delay moving or jerking back. we brought it back to the shop and insisted they put on a new cable . last week (approx aug 24th) my daughter once again called that the car would not move out of the parking space, it wouldn't go into any gear. the tow truck again towed us to the shop where they reported that the cable was fine etc and they couldn't locate the problem. this costs me money and time everytime i have to leave work, get it towed and spend repair fees. not to mention the added stress of the car being unreliable. i decided to look for recalls and known defects out here. i cannot believe that with the number of problems reported mazda/ford is not helping those of us who are loyal to mazda. i purchased 2(used) from hertz and a 2005 mazda 6 a few months ago. with 3 mazdas sitting in my driveway im especially interested to see what's being done about this problem. why hasn't mazda/ford paid for the transmission problem ??? maybe we should start a class action suit>i expect at the least repair to my vehicle whether or not it means a new transmission, not a used or rebuilt one. im still making payments on this car! the funny thing is a few years back i had a ford taurus that jerked forward so badly it caused me to have an accident, i wish i had known about this problem before. in addition weve already had the axles replaced, and several brake jobs but the brakes continue to squeak like they need new brakes. *nm

1. i was driving in a residential zone at manhattan beach, ca. i noticed that shifting from 1st to 2nd gear was always very rough, the vehicle jerks. 2. going uphill, the vehicle suddenly stopped after accelerating through 1st gear. this was very dangerous in that this occurred without warning in the middle of traffic. had i been going any faster or been making an unprotected left hand turn, this might have yielded in bodily injury or fatality. 3. i had the transmission rebuilt at la cienega transmissions in culver city for $1395. i have saved the old parts for further investigation in this matter.*jb

I own a '00 626 that i bought from my grandmother in 2-04, who had bought it new in '99. i have since had tranny issues on 2 occasions with the most recent requiring a complete replacement with what the tech. described as "an identical failure prone unit". my grandmother had a new (not rebuilt) and identical transmission installed at ~42k miles as noted in the service log. i did a search on the web and i was shocked at what i found. numerous cases of failure, at alarmingly similar intervals and all had the commonality of being equipped with auto. w/ od tranny mfg'd by ford and installed in 4 cyl. mazda 626's. from what i can gather the high failure rate has something to do with "the inadequate cooling design" and subpar materials used in the "clutch packs". so because of this when it's all said and done with we will have shelled out ~$2500 (exc. labor) for a rebuilt tranny that is expected to fail in less than 30k miles regardless of the service intervals. there are suggestions on the internet how to gain some addl. life out of a unit, albeit small. to me it would seem this responsibility should fall on the manufacturer and not on the consumer. as a consumer i'm expected to trust an automobile manufacturer to properly design and test a vehicle and it's subsystem prior to releasing it upon the public. failing that it would seem to me the manufacturer should be held accountable for flaws such as those not related to normal wear and tear as is apparent in this case. which in turns is what brings me here. when all else fails the consumer and public at large has only one advocate and that is the u.s. government, which in the interest of safety and consumer rights has the authority to enforce this accountability. everyone single person privy to this complaint should take a moment and consider anyone they know who owns or drives an automatic mazda 626 of the years 98-02 with the above mentioned generic and common configuration is impacted by this design flaw. *jb

I have a 2000 model mazda 626 with approximately 80,000 miles which i purchased new. the car recently started having automatic transmission problems and eventually was unsafe to drive. i called the service manager and explained the symptom's and was informed that the transmission in all likelihood would have to be replaced with a rebuilt unit since they do not perform transmission repairs. the cost would be from $2500 to $3000. i was very much upset with this, since i had the 60,000 mile service performed and no mention was made as to potential transmission problems. i called the mazda customer office and was told that the car was out of warranty and there was little they could do. i told the representing that i was very disappointed with their attitude and their lack of support. i had to take the car to a nearby transmission shop for repairs. the transmission had to be rebuilt at a cost of over $2100. the reason for my complaint is that i have recently discovered through the internet that there have many complaints about mazda 626 transmission problems. mazda has done nothing to resolve these problems or even to acknowledge that there is a problem. the only action they have taken is to discontinue the 626 production. after reading about all the transmission problems, i am sure that mazda/ford was aware of these problems and have simply ignored them. meanwhile, mazda owners are left with the financial responsibility of dealing with expensive repairs and/or loss of the car resale value resulting from the reputation that these cars have transmission problems. what other recourse do we have other than to complain? *jb

2000 mazda 626 with 65,000 miles---transmission failed on interstate and needs to be replaced. looks like there have been numerous issues with this vehicle judging from postings on the web. $3,000 to replace--shouldn't a transmission last longer?