: the contact stated while driving 35 mph the engine suddenly lost power and the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where it was determined the transmission failed. It was later towed to a local dealer who confirmed the transmission was the cause of the problem. After some research online the contact discovered other complaints concerning transmission failure with similar vehicles that were used primarily for highway driving. This vehicle was purchased 10 months ago and has been used for highway driving only. After doing some reseach, the consumer discovered the transsmission was too small for the vehicle. Updated 03/03/06.

- Erial, NJ, USA

Transmission on a 2000 Mazda 626, wouldn't engage in reverse or the car would slam into reverse, stop, slam into reverse, stop, slam into reverse repeatedly. The car was stopped because of this difficulty, put into drive and it slammed into drive. My mechanic says the transmission needs to be rebuilt or replaced. It has 85,000 on it, it's only 5 years old! a little young for a new transmission. Now I learn it's a Ford transmission. And they wonder why no one buys their cars!

- Liverpool, NY, USA

While driving to work on 01/25/2005 had overdrive switch off, and as the transmission got hot, the overdrive off switch light started flashing. The car started making jurking movements like it was going to stall and proceeded on to work.

- Phenix City, AL, USA

On March 29, 2005, med center Mazda replaced both axles at 52, 248 miles. I asked them to check the transmission then because the car would jolt when put in the "drive" gear from reverse and then hestitate before moving forward. On January 11, 2006, the car would not move in the "drive" gear at all; almost leaving me stranded at the entrance of a major highway. I have not been able to use my car for work and I only live 10 miles from home and am not a "rough" driver. The dealership's attitude is "things happen"; that is not satisfactory! these complaints should be addressed by NHTSA; it is a safty hazard. I was almost hit by a tracker trailer because I could not get my car off to the side of the road quickly! the dealership representative admits that the Ford transmission in the Mazda car has had defects some of which were exactly like mine. Further, on consumer.com; other consumers listed and described the same problem. Mazda has not issued a recall even though there are 500 complaints listed on this site according to one writer on the consumer.com site. Mazda says that it will cost $3,215 to repair.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

Transmission failure.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

2000 Mazda 626 requires rebuilt transmission at 80,000 miles.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

I am still paying for a 2000 Mazda 626 which just had its warranty run out and now my automatic transmission isn't working. I was driving home from my job in mountain view and was stopped in traffic, when I was able to go I stepped on the gas and the car did not want to go. I switched back and forth between 1st and second and finally got my car to go. While I was driving it was revving up and the O/D off switch started flashing. I finally and barely made it home. Now when I put the car in any gear it won't go anywhere. Mazda said there isn't anything they can do about it since my warranty is up. I now am making payments every month for a very big paper weight. I cannot afford the huge expense of fixing this problem which after looking around on the internet found seems to be a common problem.

- San Jose, CA, USA

Clicking in transmission- not going into reverse, slipping. Rebuilt transmission car now needs gear cable replaced because it has come off and car becomes immobile.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

The contact stated transmission was slipping in and out of gear. He took the vehicle to an independent repair shop, and the mechanic replaced the transmission. There were no further problems. The repair was made at the contact's expense.

- Deptford, NJ, USA

Transmission fluid leaking out. This transmission shifts hard from first to second gear each and every time going up or down. Numerous mech's have looked at the problem and cannot fix.

- Carrollton, KY, USA

I have a 2000 model Mazda 626 with approximately 80,000 miles which I purchased new. The car recently started having automatic transmission problems and eventually was unsafe to drive. I called the service manager and explained the symptom's and was informed that the transmission in all likelihood would have to be replaced with a rebuilt unit since they do not perform transmission repairs. The cost would be from $2500 to $3000. I was very much upset with this, since I had the 60,000 mile service performed and no mention was made as to potential transmission problems. I called the Mazda customer office and was told that the car was out of warranty and there was little they could do. I told the representing that I was very disappointed with their attitude and their lack of support. I had to take the car to a nearby transmission shop for repairs. The transmission had to be rebuilt at a cost of over $2100. The reason for my complaint is that I have recently discovered through the internet that there have many complaints about Mazda 626 transmission problems. Mazda has done nothing to resolve these problems or even to acknowledge that there is a problem. The only action they have taken is to discontinue the 626 production. After reading about all the transmission problems, I am sure that Mazda/Ford was aware of these problems and have simply ignored them. Meanwhile, Mazda owners are left with the financial responsibility of dealing with expensive repairs and/or loss of the car resale value resulting from the reputation that these cars have transmission problems. What other recourse do we have other than to complain?

- Knoxville, TN, USA

Typical drive home. Car will not go into gear. Taking to the shop tomorrow.

- Conyers, GA, USA

Transmission failure.

- Laurel, MD, USA

1. I was driving in a residential zone at manhattan beach, ca. I noticed that shifting from 1st to 2nd gear was always very rough, the vehicle jerks. 2. going uphill, the vehicle suddenly stopped after accelerating through 1st gear. This was very dangerous in that this occurred without warning in the middle of traffic. Had I been going any faster or been making an unprotected left hand turn, this might have yielded in bodily injury or fatality. 3. I had the transmission rebuilt at la cienega transmissions in culver city for $1395. I have saved the old parts for further investigation in this matter.

- Culver City, CA, USA

Transmission failure. My transmission failed after being driven for about 75K. For the last 20K it had a noticeable hesitation when I was driving in the morning. The transmission finally had to be replaced.

- Mableton, GA, USA

No specific event lead to this, just parking the car normally running an errand and trying to drive home. The first time this happened (about 9 months ago) my daughter was stuck at 11pm the car would not move into any gear. The tow truck driver told us the cable underneath probably disengaged. We towed it to our repair shop and they replaced the cable. Since then when the car is in reverse it intermittently seems to stick causing it to delay moving or jerking back. We brought it back to the shop and insisted they put on a new cable. Last week (approx Aug 24th) my daughter once again called that the car would not move out of the parking space, it wouldn't go into any gear. The tow truck again towed us to the shop where they reported that the cable was fine etc and they couldn't locate the problem. This costs me money and time everytime I have to leave work, get it towed and spend repair fees. Not to mention the added stress of the car being unreliable. I decided to look for recalls and known defects out here. I cannot believe that with the number of problems reported Mazda/Ford is not helping those of us who are loyal to Mazda. I purchased 2(used) from hertz and a 2005 Mazda 6 a few months ago. With 3 Mazda sitting in my driveway im especially interested to see what's being done about this problem. Why hasn't Mazda/Ford paid for the transmission problem "?" maybe we should start a class action suit>I expect at the least repair to my vehicle whether or not it means a new transmission, not a used or rebuilt one. Im still making payments on this car! the funny thing is a few years back I had a Ford Taurus that jerked forward so badly it caused me to have an accident, I wish I had known about this problem before. In addition weve already had the axles replaced, and several brake jobs but the brakes continue to squeak like they need new brakes.

- Coral Springs, FL, USA

I own a '00 626 that I bought from my grandmother in 2-04, who had bought it new in '99. I have since had tranny issues on 2 occasions with the most recent requiring a complete replacement with what the tech. Described as "an identical failure prone unit". my grandmother had a new (not rebuilt) and identical transmission installed at ~42K miles as noted in the service log. I did a search on the web and I was shocked at what I found. Numerous cases of failure, at alarmingly similar intervals and all had the commonality of being equipped with auto. W/ od tranny mfg'd by Ford and installed in 4 cyl. Mazda 626's. from what I can gather the high failure rate has something to do with "the inadequate cooling design" and subpar materials used in the "clutch packs". so because of this when it's all said and done with we will have shelled out ~$2500 (exc. Labor) for a rebuilt tranny that is expected to fail in less than 30K miles regardless of the service intervals. There are suggestions on the internet how to gain some addl. Life out of a unit, albeit small. To me it would seem this responsibility should fall on the manufacturer and not on the consumer. As a consumer I'm expected to trust an automobile manufacturer to properly design and test a vehicle and it's subsystem prior to releasing it upon the public. Failing that it would seem to me the manufacturer should be held accountable for flaws such as those not related to normal wear and tear as is apparent in this case. Which in turns is what brings me here. When all else fails the consumer and public at large has only one advocate and that is the U.S. government, which in the interest of safety and consumer rights has the authority to enforce this accountability. Everyone single person privy to this complaint should take a moment and consider anyone they know who owns or drives an automatic Mazda 626 of the years 98-02 with the above mentioned generic and common configuration is impacted by this design flaw.

- Lake Worth, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2000 Mazda 626. Transmission does not work properly. The overdrive light continues to flash, and the vehicle will not go into reverse and will not shift.the vehicle was taking to a repair shop and the transmission was repaired. However, the problem recurred. The current mileage is 102000 miles. He is no longer driving the vehicle.

- Lagrange, GA, USA

2000 Mazda 626 with 65,000 miles---transmission failed on interstate and needs to be replaced. Looks like there have been numerous issues with this vehicle judging from postings on the web. $3,000 to replace--shouldn't a transmission last longer?

- Brunswick, GA, USA

Car no longer goes in any gear will go some in reverse. Transmission is dead

- Mazon, IL, USA