Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  What a piece of junk - 1998 Mazda 626
  By Jami - October 23 - 2:30 pm

  I bought my 1998 Mazda 626LX before I knew what a piece of crap it really is. These cars have the worst transmissions around. It was replaced once and rebuilt once already since I have had it and it is going out again! Mazda needs to do a recall! I found out that the transmission put into the 94-2002 was not good and has a habit of going out not just once but several times. This needs to be fixed.

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  Mazda lemon - 1999 Mazda 626
  By BadgerXX3 - September 9 - 10:00 am

  Since the date of purchase this car was in the shop. Built on a sunny Friday afternoon. Problems with the Climate control system and a noisy back end. Transmission repair due to excessive vibration. Drive belts were also an issue. Left me stranded twice, I would not recommend the 626.

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  buyer beware - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Dave - August 4 - 6:23 pm

  After owning this car for almost 2 years, our 626 has been a decent vehicle for my wife until now. Suddenly the transmission has gone out and had to be replaced. The tranny shop told us that they see a LOT of these Ford transmissions and said most dont make it to 100k miles. I have a Honda and a Mitsubishi that both have over 165k and have had no problems whatsoever. No late model car should have transmission problems this soon (our 626 has about 105k on it). I am now finding that this is fairly common with the 626, so keep that in mind if you are considering buying one. If you do still buy one, go for the V6.

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  More Trouble Than My Three Kids! - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Samantha Rector - November 21 - 9:56 pm

  I bought the car with 60,000 miles. And in two weeks of owning the car the transmission went out. The car was under a 30 day warranty so the dealership paid for a rebuilt transmission to put into the car. Less than a year later the transmission that was put in went out. I had to pay $1,800.00 to have another transmission put in (this is the third transmission in this car). I had to take back 6 months later because my car would not go into reverse. The mechanic told me that the transmission in the Mazdas are consistently failing. A/C stopped working. Pulley is going out. Trading in for a Infiniti.

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  Totally Disappointed - 2000 Mazda 626
  By mr_misled - November 6 - 2:58 pm

  Purchased the 626 used at 60k mi. Now have around 173k and on the 3rd transmission, which is now going out after 31k miles. Thats $2,200 for the transmission that lasted less than 2yrs. Beyond that, Ive went through many a hot months without AC, after spending 800 to repair it. But hey, it has an oscillating vent that still works!! Truly a bad piece of machinery.

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  mazda99 - 1999 Mazda 626
  By missy01 - September 27 - 2:00 am

  It was a well running car until it reached 70,000 miles. Lots of problems after this point. I did not abuse this car, I had the oil changed and the car checked every 3,000 miles. Had to replace transmission. Every year the coolant bottle cracks, replaced twice under warranty and every year there after. Would recommend to lease this car, not to buy it-too many problems.

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  Not satisfied - 2000 Mazda 626
  By Lori - January 13 - 9:26 am

  We were not satisfied with this vehicle at all. We have had nothing but problems with it and the parts and maintenance are expensive for this car. It has been in the shop several times for major work before it even hit 30,000 miles. It now has 65,000 miles and still nothing but trouble. We have decided to never own a Mazda or Ford due to the problems we have had.

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  Not a good over 120,000 vehichle - 2000 Mazda 626
  By dusnth - October 14 - 7:00 am

  My husband & I purchased this vehicle used with about 55,000 miles on it. Was very reliable with very few problems until it reached around 120,000 when we were constantly dealing with issues. From A/C issues that had to be fixed because they were needed for other systems, to main engine trouble, this car turned into a money pit with high miles. I noticed most reviews have been written with the cars still under 100,000 miles. If you are wanting a car that will last, get rid of your 626 before it hits 120,000. We wish we did. The repair man just told us it would be another $700 to fix the issues this time. We said forget it, and revived an older car we had. A much more reliable choice.

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  engine stalled while driving 60 mph hwy - 1998 Mazda 626
  By T - June 21 - 1:20 pm

  I purchased this car last year from a private seller. 2 months after having the car, no more then 80,000 miles on it, the transmission went out. Beginning of April 2009 I drove it to Georgia. It handled the mountains very well. Now that I was confident in this car I allowed my 18 year old daughter to use the car to go approximately 118 miles out of town. On her trip back the engine stalled while she was going 60 mph on the highway..now it was towed today and I want to know what other safety hazards I must be aware of with this car. It was my first luxury car and it let me down and almost killed my first born. Where do I go to file a safety complaint? Others need to be aware of this danger!

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  Dont do it! - 1998 Mazda 626
  By never again!!! - April 14 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car used about two years ago as a commuter car. It had about 36000 when I bought it. Now it has 78000 and the transmission is beginning to slip. After reading other reviews it appears as though my opinion of FORD quality has been reaffirmed, Fixed Or Repaired Daily. I am also geting a grinding noise from the driver side from tire. I had an older Mazda previous to this with no problems, but this car is awful. The Mitsubishi that I replaced had 170000 miles on it without ever getting the problems I am having with this car.