1994 Mazda 626 review from North America
"Excellent gas mileage and sleek body-style"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Gear shifting sensor went bad in transmission.
General comments?
I bought a 1994 Mazda 626 in April 2002 that had 137,000 miles. A couple of months ago, the "Hold" light (which is the overdrive feature on the 94 model) started blinking on and off. It didn't hurt anything other than it was annoying for it to be in overdrive at a stoplight and start off in 2nd gear!
Then about two weeks ago, the gears started shifting from 3rd to 1st, and bouncing around between all 3 gears with "Hold" still blinking. I just knew the transmission would have to be replaced. My husband took it to a local transmission shop and had them run a diagnostic test. Turns out, it was a bad sensor on the transmission that controls gear shifting. This car has a Mazda 4 cylinder engine and a Ford automatic transmission.
My husband bought the sensor at the local Ford dealership and installed it himself. The part cost $28. I have driven the car all week and everything is fine! I wonder how many people have been told they need their transmission replaced when all they really need is a $28 part?
My lesson and advice is, take your car to a place you can trust and have a complete diagnostic run to find the real problem. You always take a chance when buying a used vehicle and sometimes a maker produces a new car that is a true lemon.
My Mazda now has over 155,550 miles and I look forward to driving it many, many more. I know this is possible because my manager had a 626 that he put over 250,000 miles on. He traded it for a Mazda MPV when his 4th child was born. I am going to think positive and hope I have the same luck!
Recommended reviews
| My 5-speed 626 is a reliable car with good features |
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| If you are going to buy this car buy it from an owner who replaced everything that I listed |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1994 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 137000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 155550 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Camaro |
| Date of Entry | 4th April, 2003 |