1998 Mazda Millenia S from North America - Comments

I have a 1998 Mazda Millenia S and while it proves to be a smooth riding car with some power behind it, I ran into some problems since day 1 of ownership that weren't resolved. The "rotten egg" smell appeared, which most-likely is a cat. converter problem. I brought it in a few times and they said everything was fine. At 60K+ miles my check engine light went on and they told me it was a cat. converter code, stating it might need to be replaced. By law, I have no case because the warranty expires at 60K miles.

That was one problem and now I face another. My car won't move in reverse or L1. L2 and drive is sluggish and the car doesn't have the pep it use to and you can't feel that snapping action when it shifts into second gear - as I use to feel. Any idea what the transmission problem could be? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Overall, the car is a good car. The catalytic converter code that came up after 60k miles makes me question the Mazda Dealership I purchased the car from and had it serviced at. I would like to believe that Mazda would not allow any of their service departments to do anything unethical... but I feel that I was misled since I questioned the rotten egg odor the first month I owned the car and then the error was detected after 60K miles. Maybe it's a coincident, but the odor is still there and the timing of the error being detected seems fixed.

I have a 1998 S bought from dealer with 41,000 original miles in Oct. 2003.

Replaced 4 ball joints 5 months later.

Was told by dealer service I needed a new transmission.

Hesitation from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th gears.

Engine light came on at 43,000---fortunately it was catalytic converter which was still covered by Mazda.

Rotten egg smell only when I'm driving up steep hills in 3rd gear.

Have asked around about the transmission situation and basically can live with it---the hesitation is more pronounced in cold weather, but smooths out after the car warms up. I only paid $12,000 for this car, and had previous 1996 626LX which was trouble-free. I suspect as cars get more gadgetry on them and technology gets more advanced that having these so called "sophisticated" cars repaired will only get worse. Also what really is annoying is that Mazda will only warranty a rebuilt transmission from the factory for 12 months at a cost of $3,200. When I bought this car the dealer offered an extended warranty for an additional $1,800 for 3 years---I laughed at him because my previous experience with my 626 was so good. Now I wonder if I shouldn't have taken him up on it.

I've owned my "98" s for three years. It has 65,000 miles on it and I really enjoy the performance it gives me. All sensors have been replaced and engine light is back on again, so I just continue to drive it. I do have a squeak in my suspension from a sway bar that I've tried all types of lubricate on, but just want go away. I also agree transmission is slow changing in the cold. With experiencing all said, I still enjoy the car, but can't help, but wonder what the future holds. Should I hold onto it for the exciting performance, or should I ship it, to avoid future expense.

OH, Va Beach, Va.

I've had my 98 for 3 years and picked it up with 80K miles. During this time, I've only had a few problems (fuel pump and oil seeping into the plugs). Other than that, the car has drive great with the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT on for the last 75K. When I first go the car, I took it in a couple of times and the dealers/mechanics could never figure it out. The light would go off for a few days then reappear. So I drove the car with the light on up to 155K miles and now the transmission dropped, done. Was able to pick up a rebuilt one for $1800. I beleive there is going to be a lot of problems from here on out. But look, I got a lot of great miles out of this car. Usually 28 mpg on highway running a super smooth 90 mph daily. The car looks good and runs strong. No real complaints besides that stupid CHECK ENGINE LIGHT.

I bought a 98 Milenia "S" with 107,000 miles on it and it runs good and seems like a good solid car... after 3 days of use the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on and I took it to the dealership and they replaced the MAP booster sensor... I drove the car one more day and the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on again... this time they couldn't figure it out... no codes...they suggested I just drive it until performance suffers... any advice.

I had a similar "engine light" problem with my 1998 S which now has 98,000 miles on it (3/06). I stubbornly brought it back again and again and again to the dealer until finally, after leaving with them for a full week's time, they had enough time to find the problem, - a sensor in the gas tank needed to be replaced. Since then, no problems, but it cost me about $1,700 to get the "engine light" to stay off. Still, I love the car because it is very powerful, quiet, and comfortable. Softer tires make it ride smoothly, almost like flying. Sorry that Mazda decided to discontinue building the Millenia. Their "6" seems a bit small/tighter inside and not a true luxury car, but I haven't driven it yet. The Millenia S seems to ride best at 80 mph, - great for long trips. Replaced the Bose stereo (was poor for acoustic music - but I have a musician's ear).

Bought a 1998 Millenia. Have heard these are notorious for engine light problems. Was told it should be a recall, but Mazda will not do anything to fix the problem. Creates a real problem getting the car to pass emissions tests. Is there a way to bypass this problem to keep the light off and pass test?

Seems like the engine light problem is a defect that Mazda would not do anything about. Solution to the above comment is simple but I don't think any mechanic would agree to. You can isolate the CHECK ENGINE light and hook it up to your oil light. This way it will only come up when you start the car or oil is low. I've done that on several cars to get past emissions. Hope this helps.

I am having problems with my 98 Milenia S. First it seemed my transmission was slipping in any gear, so I had the trans fluid changed and it seemed to be driving better. Now I am having a problem with 2nd gear only. It won't switch over to 3rd unless the car has been warmed up for a least 20 minutes. Otherwise, I have to pull over to the side of the road and wait for it to finish warming up. Mind you, it's summer time, about 75-85 degrees out. Check engine light has been on since last July. Every time I bring it somewhere and they get the light to go off, it just comes back on. Only difference now is it's actually flashing.

Has this gear shifting problem happened to anyone else???