1998 Mazda 626 LX from North America - Comments

My transmission blew at 90,000 miles.

Also, when I go on trips longer than 3hrs, the O/D light goes on.

When the the air conditioning is turned on the car idols weirdly.

When I first start the car it sounds like there are rats in the engine.

I have only had this car for about 11 months now, if that, and I have been having so many problems with it.

I took my car to a mechanic and he said that the belts were fine, but that rat noise was still unexplainable.

How common are these problems with these particular types of cars?

Can tell you a lot, but go to www.mazda626.net and get all the information you need..

I have a 98 mazda 626 4cyl w/automatic transmission. I've never had any trouble with the transmission as of yet at 114,000 miles.

I have had to replace the fan belt, brakes, and just recently the spark plugs. My car was idling rough with the a/c on, but when I changed the plugs, it seemed to help a lot... when I had my fan belt changed it kept making a loud squealing noise. Especially the first few miles of driving. Took it to 3 mechanics before they finally figured out that the fan belt needed to be tightened when the car was cold. It no longer makes a loud squealing noise. But I can still hear a rat like noise when the a/c is on. Doesn't affect anything though. So, I chalk it up as a quirk with these cars.

I bought mine used with 80K miles. I'm up to 158K and have had very few problems. I had to replace the CV axles, but that was it. All in all, it's been the best $4500 I ever spent on transportation. Great little car and fun to drive.