1999 Mazda 626 LX from North America - Comments

I bought my Mazda about a year ago and it had just over 20,000 miles on it. The check engine light came on about 2 days after I purchased the car. I repeatedly took it back to the dealer and was told it was just a glitch with the light, there was no engine problem. In the past year I have had the engine serviced every 3,000 miles and taken care of the vehicle. I just had an oil change about 3 weeks ago and everything checked out. My transmission just died today. I can't find a relatively inexpensive replacement, I am a college student working my way through school. I now have no way to school, no way to pay for repairs and I am disappointed with the dealership I have been dealing with. The "it isn't our problem" attitude has been given to me at 2 different Mazda Dealerships today. I am very disappointed in Mazda and the product they sell. My experience with Mazda is that it is not a reliable car and no one at Mazda is even attempting to show any customer care or satisfaction.

I've had the same check engine light problem with a new 2001 Mazda 626. It happened to me the first day I drove off of the lot. After only having the car for one week, I had to take it back to the dealer 4 times before they would fix the problem. Now that I read your account, I'm seriously thinking about invoking the lemon law!

Thanks.

DT - Phila., PA.

I have the same problem my car is a 99 and at 70000 miles on it my tranmission died. The dealership won't fix it and I don't have $2700 to get it fix at once. I am a single parent of 2. Calling a lawyer to see what can be done because I don't feel that's right. I brought the car pre owned and I was also told my that wasn't the first tranmission that was in the car. Please email me a ebony29052@aol.com and tell me more. Thanks.

What is it about this check engine light on the 1998 Mazada 626LX? In New Mexico my kid brother bought a car from a Mazada dealer and fell for it when they said the light itself is faulty don't be concern the engine checks out just fine. He drove away with that deal. I wish I was there at the time for he would have not driven away with that deal until the light check out put out and explained as to why and what set it off in the frist place. Some people are had by the act. Their time will come as it will for all.

Well let's see. I think that we should all write a complaint to the Attorney General in our own states about this. I bought a Mazda 626 LXV6 August 3, 2000. It only had 32 miles on it which my husband and I put half of those on it from the test drive. On the 28th of August we took it back for a popping noise in the left rear tire an grinding noise in the right front tire and a bad CD player and a console that wouldn't latch and a dome light that wouldn't come on when you opened the back doors and a severe jerking when it was changing gears. Well we had our third transmission in January of this year and something is still wrong. We took it last Wednesday to a dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong. Except for the fact that our transmisson fluid was low, yet that particular transmission only has 10,000 miles on it. I called the dealer we bought it from and I was told that normally the only reason for low fluid in a practically new transmission is a leak. What I don't understand is why people pay that kind of money for something and when they have a problem they just let it go. Now we dropped off our car on the 28th of August 2000 and picked it up on the 10th of October, so the work orders say. The fact is the first 60 days we owned and paid for that car the dealer had it in their shop 4 times for over 30 days. I will not let this go. My car still hesitates when shifting and down shifts something terrible when trying to accelerate and rolled down a hill after removing the keys. The dealers are going to have to do something. I am seeing an attorney about my problems and I would suggest you do the same. I am not asking for an outrageous amount of money, but something has got to be done. The Attorney General is there for consumer protection and for your benefit I will suggest you make a complaint. There is a site where you can make a complaint on-line. If enough people let there problems be known then maybe just maybe we can get all of this straightened out.

I am having the same problem as all of you other people with a Mazda 626. Mine is a 1993 ES and the engine light is going on and off constantly and the dealership WILL not do anything about it. It frustrates me that such a well established company cannot make a good quality vehicle. The engine light is not the only problem; the transmission is horrible even when its new, shifting gears is like a riding with a new driver learning how to drive stick, and the car makes a loud whistling sound when I go speeds 140kms. per hour. I will not put my trust in any Mazada's in the future. Honda here I come.

We bought a new 1999 Mazda Protege in 1999. We had no major problems except the radio and speakers during the first three years. The warranty expired in June,2002. Soon after the troubles started. About once a week when we stop in traffic it has a severe hesitation and jerks about three times, then doesn`t want to go. The check engine light came on and we had the mass air flow sensor, which was recalled replaced. Soon afterwards it all started again this time the oxygen sensor was replaced. The check engine light has come on again. We always took good care of the car with 3,000 mile oil changes and all recommended care. From the start it changed gears like a hiccouph. The car has about 55,000 miles on it. This was my now 23 year old daughters first new car and she has worked very hard to pay for it. I wouldn`t recommend Mazda to anyone. The sales company called and asked if we were satisfied with Mazda sales and service and if we would recommend Mazda and I said "no", and she said the manager would call me and he never did. I don`t know what we`ll do now she has to have transportation to work. Just keep trying to get it fixed I guess and hope it holds up in the mean time. It hurts to see my daughter so worried and dissapointed.

I got a 2000 Mazda a couple of weeks back.. I had the same problem with the engine light coming on..But, the dealer fixed it.. The brakes had to replaced too.. The car had 28,000 miles when I bought it.. After reading these comments.. I am getting anxious..But, time will tell whether this was a good or bad buy..

I've had my 99 Mazda 626 for about a year now and the engine light has just come on and by looking at the other comments I'm kind of afraid of what is in store for me on trying to get that problem fixed. Has anyone gotten it fixed?

Our 1999 Mazda 626LX has been wonderful to drive through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. It handled the roads so well.

HOWEVER...we have had our problems with rear-end noises

(big time grating- esp. over speed control bumps (fixed under warranty-now back on the left side when car is cold), brake squeal (ongoing and no longer under warranty). window noise, & other small (irritating) details that I can't remember enough to be specific (without looking up the work-forms).

It's been in the shop more than a few times.

This a.m. (thank heavens NOT on the way to a hockey game/practice) the "check engine" light came on, we are a one car family and though the dealership looked at it right away (with a little push) (on a Saturday)

I just know that at almost 90,000 KM there will be other situations to upset us.

The battery was replaced last week, the horn fuse failed-

(could have been serious as it was REALLY needed at that moment) -just the week before that.

They reprogrammed the computer and the code suggested that it was something to do with the throttle/module/intake.

I wasn't the driver when the problem occurred and wasn't the one to take it in to the dealer-so the details thus far are scarce in my mind.

We have such terrible problems with our cars. (esp. Ford Taurus and THEIR throttle body)!!

My best car was a

1974 Valiant with the slant 6 engine >GREAT!

(except in wet weather)

All our cars get very regular oil changes (for hard wear/city driving) new tires when required-pressure is right for the weather/driving conditions, spark plugs are platinum, it is washed and dried, polished and vacuumed.

So frustrating to be treated this way by a hunk of metal!

We will see if the problem with the "check engine" happens again.

I would love to keep a well-running

(without MAJOR failures) car for 15-20 years.

Maybe the next one?... Martha

However none LAST that long. oh well.

I have a 98 Mazda 626. And just recently, my check engine light came on. Especially, when I put my foot on the gas pedal, it starts jerking back in forth. November is my last payment on the car, even though it's a lease. I will never deal with mazda again. They lack customer service skills. And they are very rude. Especially, when I brought the car for service. I just kindly told the guy to hand over my darn keys and I took the car to Merchant. Mazda No More! This is a lesson learned.

I am the owner of a 1999 Mazda 626LX. It has their 6 cylinder engine in it. One month ago the engine seized on the car and it now has to be replaced. The car is one month out of warranty and Mazda will do nothing to help me. The car has 82,000 km on it and ran beautifully since the day it was purchased. Apparently there was oil sludging that built up in the engine and caused ports to become plugged. My only recourse now is to discover that a pattern of this type of occurrence exists with other owners. I had no warning that this was about to happen. No dash lights came on, no noises etc. If you have experience with a similar problem with oil sludging please email me at michael_bozza@fairport.monroe.edu.

I purchased a 1999 Mazda 626 with 21,000 miles 2 years ago this month. Within the first year the transmission went and the catalytic converter had to be replaced. Both were under the 50,000 mile warranty, thank goodness! The transmission acted funny, banging, hesitating, check engine light flashing on and off. I took it into the dealership about 5 times, finally, they agreed to change the transmission. It ran okay for a few months, but now,70,000 miles, the check engine light comes on and off and it studders when you give it a lot of gas (ex: passing, taking off from stop sign). I hate to take it in to the dealer and pay through the nose. Also, the back end rides very rough, banging, rattling, noise, no one can find. Front Rotors gone at 70,000, no warning. Right now the engine light is off! Think I'll trade. No more Mazda's for me!

My Mazda 626 is a 1999 and at 68k miles on it the transmission just died. I am currently dealing with the corporation to get it replaced.

Wow! This is just amazing! At 67,000 miles, our MX-6 just had the transmission fail. I need transportation NOW, and don't have time to mess around with trying to talk Mazda into doing anything, which they most likely would not. It's really painful to pay $2500 for a transmission on a car with so few miles on it. It's also painful that the transmission will cost more than half the value of the car.

I should have learned when my turbos and engine went out on my 1993 RX-7 two weeks after I bought it for the tune of $14000. Say it with me folks, "NO More Mazdas"...

Now I'm perturbed! After writing a review on my Mazda 626, I can hardly believe what I'm reading here.

I've only been impressed with the vehicle (of course, nothing's faultless), but I've owned the following models and the only one that's been possibly more reliable is the Datsun 120Y (Because even in spite if having been abused before I got it, it never once broker down on me, even when it was using a pint of oil every 100km) :

- 1974 Vauxhall Viva - sold at about 150 000km

- 1972 Mercedes Benz 220D - sold at 520 000 km (believe it!)

- 1993 Hyundai Sonata 2.0 exec - sold at 113 000 km

- 1990 Nissan Sentra 1.6 SGLi - accident rebuild sold at 150k km

- 1979 Datsun 120Y - stolen 145 000 km - probably by environmentalists

- 2001 Nissan Sentra 160 GXi - still own - only 15 000 km

- 1999 Mazda 626 GLX - still own - 82 000 km.

Please tell me that the manual transmission isn't going to give up, as I'm about to take delivery of a VW Jetta and I'm thinking of selling the Sentra and keeping the Mazda.