Faults:

The vehicle was parked in our drive way, turned off, when we heard an explosion. Went outside to see massive plumes of smoke and flames coming from the engine bay. Total engine bay was destroyed and car was written off.

Ever since we bought the car it was a poor performer. Transmission never seemed to be in the right gear at the right time. Power delivery was very un-smooth and surgy.

These problems are totally unacceptable for a vehicle of such mileage. Vehicle has only one previous owner who is a close friends of ours.

General Comments:

Appeared to be a nice vehicle, but it turns out we were somewhat wrong. Had we been driving the vehicle when the fire occurred, there may have been a far more grave outcome.

Faults:

I replaced rear sway bar bushings, timing belt, front axles at 100K. I hope to only do same at 200K.

General Comments:

The 626 has been a great reliable car. More fun to drive than my previous Camry. Much better handling and while no screamer is prety quick. 16sec quarter mile times and 140 mph top speed. Comfortable on long trips. Cheap to own and drive.

Faults:

Two of the auto. door locks failed in 2002;

Another two of the door locks failed in 2003;

Transmission needs to be rebuilt at 49900 miles.

General Comments:

I am a recent victim of notorious Mazda auto transmission.

I bought this car brand-new in June 2000. I had to replace all of the four door locks after 2-3 years. It costs ~$100/each.

The auto. transmission of the Mazda is really a problem. It runs OK except the shift is a little rough from 1st to the second gear until Nov.24, 2004. On 11/24/04, I found the speed couldn't go to more than 40MPH and the rotation is ~4k-5k at 40MPH with big noise. After ~10-15mins driving, the "O/D off" light turned on and I couldn't turn it off. I went to the Mazda dealer and spent $106 for diagnosis. The dealer said there is an internal electrical failure in the transmission and I need a rebuilt transmission which will cost me $3010.00!! My car is only 4.5 years old and only 49900 miles. I am a very mild driver and most of the mileage is highway. I did all of the regular maintenance during the years, but now I need a new transmission!! I searched on the INTERNET about the key words "Mazda O/D off light" and "Mazda transmission problems" and surprisingly to see that there are tons of victims of Mazda's transmission. Most of the victims had the exact problems of what I have and had to spend $2000 to $4000 to repair the transmission. I think Mazda knows this problem very well, but they never admit it is their fault. Now I am going to rebuild the transmission in AAMCO and it will cost me $2500. I will join the lawsuit against Mazda and will never buy any Mazda or Ford (the transmission is from Ford) any more in my life. I will also tell my friends not to buy Mazda. I think the Mazda needs to be punished for their bad quality.