2000 Mazda 626 LX from North America - Comments

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.

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.

I have owned a Mazda Xedos 9 2.5 Auto, (Millennia in the USA) and it covered 159,000 miles with no transmission trouble whatsoever. Only at this mileage did the automatic clutch go- so I cannot really complain. I agree the 626 Automatics don't appear to be as good, but don't judge all Mazda's by the standards of yours (or your model).

I owned 94 Mazda 626 and I had the same problem that the transmission had to be replaced at around 122K miles. That's a whopping $1700 US dollars. I couldn't agree with you more about mazda's poor quality. Let me know about the class action lawsuit. It would be very interesting!

I just bought a 1995 Mazda 626 LX about a week ago at a car auction. It had 116,000 miles on it. I found out yesterday that the transmission needs to be replaced. It won't even shift out of first gear. I have read from a lot of places that the Mazda 626 is the worst car as far as the transmission goes. I have been told it's going to cost me anywhere from

$500-2,000 to get it fixed.

I own a 1996 mazda 626 lx and the transmission works perfectly and yes I've heard about all this problems, but I'm glad it has not happen to me, my dad owns the very same car a 96 626 with no tranny problems whatsoever.

I have a 2000 Mazda 626 LX, my driver side door lock motor does not work becuase it burned out. I have to lock the driver side door manually. This is my first and last Mazda.

I have owned 2 Mazda 626's, both purchased used, and BOTH had to have the transmission rebuilt... one at 72,000 the other at 102,000 (a month after I purchased it.) To be honest-- I love these cars to much I might just buy another. But I learned after the first one, to buy the extended warranty, because without fail-- the TRANSMISSION would need to be replaced.

I have taken both on extremely long car trips, given them minimum upkeep. Aside from the Tranny, I love this car!

I own a 2000 Mazda 626 and am currently facing spending anywhere from $2000-$3000 for a new transmission. in the past I have had to repair the back passenger door because it would not open. I just replaced two motor mounts to the tune of $461. At present, my emergency brake is useless and cannot be lifted to engage the brake. I do not intend to ever purchase another Mazda of any kind. I would certainly think the company would stand behind it's product a little better than this.

The transmissions are fine, however they generate too much heat for the Automatic Transmission Cooling provisions incorporated into the original design. Is it HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you invest in a low cost aux. transmission cooler (ask you mechanic / dealer) they run from 40-80bucks. Very sound investment if you would like years of service from your Mazda autobox!

I also have a 2000 Mazda 626 and right now whenever I drive normally my gear keeps on shifting up and down and my RPM or idle is jumping from 3000 to 4000. My O/D blinks and the check engine light is always ON. After researching through the Internet I found out that not just me that has this problem. My car only have more or less 78000 miles on it and I don't want to spend more than my car is worth on a transmission service.

Please let me know on what I can do to prevent spending so much money. There is also a recall I saw in the Internet with the same problem. They provided the number and person to contact. Try searching for 2000 Mazda 626 recalls, problem.

I own a 2000 Mazda 626LX. Bought used in 2003 w/30,000 miles and one previous owner. Currently at 120,000 mostly highway miles. Have not had to spend much in repairs on this car and have taken very good care with regular maintenance.

Almost one month ago on the highway the o/d light started flashing and it couldn't decide which gear it wanted to be in. Had to continually pull over and park until the o/d light went off. It was not constantly in this state; it was pretty much randomly going from running great to freaking out! Noticed the situation was MUCH worse with the a.c. on and when going uphill.

Had the transmission serviced, tune-up, oil change. My wonderful (literally!) car guy said he put lubricant in the transmission and if this does not fix the problem in one week, we probably need to replace the transmission. Also said that he did not get a reading on his "meter" when he hooked the car up to see what it said about the o/d light flashing.

Has been 3 weeks since then. Car had a terrible fit once w/a.c. on and the check engine light came on, which is new up to this point. Been driving in town only and always w/a.c. off! Only have problems when going over 40 mph or uphill! Check engine light still on.

But today when I went home for lunch I noticed a fan was still running even though the car was off. I waited and listened a few minutes to be sure I was not crazy, then turned car on and back off again. Fan was still running. Went inside to eat lunch. 45 minutes later, upon returning to my car, it was still running!!! Car started fine and brought me to work where I sit now wondering if the fan is still running; (will check). Yep, still running. Will call my car man and this lawsuit number!

I own a 2000 Mazda 626 and I spent 2200 on fixing my tranny if you have the same prob wich most of you do put in an addtional tranny cooler it will help a lot and save you money.

We have a 2002 626 and the transmission just started to clack under acceleration. It won't even go at all unless you turn off the O/D. You can't even get one from a wrecking yard for under $1050.00 because the demand is so high. Rebuilt are $1500.00. The car runs great other than this.

Lesson learned.

I bought this very same car just a year ago used, and it gave me so many problems over the 12 months.

The motor mounts were falling apart.

Had to replace two CV joint axles.

Battery died.

Passenger window wouldn't come up, transmission was going bad.

The struts started leaking, coolant leaked from radiator, and the engine went shot while I was driving on a 2 hour vacation trip.

It just turned out to be too many costly repairs every month. This car isn't very reliable, and I wouldn't ever recommend this unless it was brand new or the buyer is a mechanic..

Where is that Fusion owner that claims Ford improved Mazda now?

I have 2000 Mazda 626 and my transmission is doing the same thing.. pretty beat.