7th Jun 2009, 21:59

I also have a 2000 Mazda 626 - 4 cylinder. I purchased this car brand new in October 1999 with only 2 miles on it. I took the car to Mazda faithfully for scheduled maintenance. The warranty expired at 36K miles. At just 42K miles the O/D started flashing and the car started jerking really bad. The transmission wasn't shifting. I had to pay $2400.00 to fix the transmission.

I was told by several transmission shops that Mazda is actually manufactured by Ford and that the transmission was made with "cheap" parts.

I still own the car and I have 178K miles on it. Just recently my O/D started flashing but only periodically. Other than that, I haven't had any problems with the transmission until now.

My new problem is the check engine light. It keeps coming on & the diagnostic code says oxygen sensor is bad. Well I have replaced that a few times and it still keeps coming on. Now I'm being told that I need to replace the catalytic converter. I guess I will replace it and see what happens :)

2nd Aug 2009, 13:45

99 Mazda 626 automatic.. brake pedal all the way down. So I thought it was the master cylinder. It wasn't, it was the wheel cylinder... so I bleed the system, but the brake light is on still and the brakes still go down. Then the car slows down.

18th Oct 2009, 10:13

Wow, after reading both good and bad about Mazda's, I have a 2001 Mazda 626, from the beginning. At about 100.000 miles everything started to malfunction. First the transmission goes (replaced), then the 4 cyl. engine completely was replaced, CV boots went, again, radiator sprung a leak, replaced. Got so much money into it now I hate to get rid of it. Though it is a pretty vehicle.

Oh, oh, went yesterday to get it smogged, failed on two points. Sure was a nice car!

16th Aug 2010, 14:31

Purchased a pre-owned 1999 Mazda 626LX back in 2004. Have experienced many of the problems previously mentioned. Expensive rebuilt transmission ($3000+) with 95K being returned to the shop under warranty with slow turnaround. Even moderate acceleration from a stop still produces awful grind - gotta drive it like an old man. Cryptic check engine light issues. If only I had read all the reviews prior to purchase...

22nd Oct 2010, 23:56

Purchased a used 1999 Mazda 626 in 2007 with 113,000 miles. The previous owner replaced the transmission in 2006. He told me the transmission was rebuilt, but after a month of owning the car, the transmission failed. When I called the dealer that replaced the transmission, I was told the transmission came from a salvaged car. I spent $2300 to have the transmission rebuilt. I added a transmission cooler a year later. I am very concerned about over heating the transmission, so I never take the car out of town, and never drive it on the interstate.

When I had the timing belt replaced, the mechanic replaced the alternator belt as well, even though it didn't need replacing. I had him give me the old belt. The new alternator belt constantly squeaked, no matter what I need to it. I was concerned about tightening it too much, and ruining the alternator bearings. I finally replaced the new belt with the old one, and haven't had a problem since. The old belt has diagonal serrations, and I believe it is called gator bite.

I have a constant battle with the spark plug wires. I replaced them three times in 2 years. The wires have a lifetime warranty, so I only had to buy them once. I replaced the ground wire from the battery the last time I replace the spark plug wires. I read a bad ground can cause the spark plug wires to fail, so I added an additional ground to the engine. Hopefully the wires will last a little longer this time.

Here is a list of other parts I replaced over three years:

PCV, spark plugs, motor mount, oxygen sensor, throttle body, mass air flow sensor, wheeler cylinder, idle air controller, rear struts, and fuel pump. The total cost of all repairs was $5205. I thought I got a good deal when I bought the car for $3,300. It doesn't seem like such a good deal any more.

After reading all the posts, I think I have an intake manifold leak, so I'll look at that this weekend.

If I had it to do again, I would pass on this "good deal".