NHTSA Complaint #10070499 — 1998 MAZDA 626

I PURCHASED MY 626LX USED IN THE YEAR 2001. WHEN TEST DRIVING IT, I FELT A LIGHT KICK TO THE CAR. THE SALESMAN TOLD ME IT WAS A SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. THAT IT ACTS AS A V6 BUT ONLY A 4 CYLINDER SO IT WILL SAVE ME ON GAS. IN TAKING THE DEALERS WORD, I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BELIEVING IT WAS IN FINE CONDITION. AFTER A WEEK OF HAVING IT, IT WAS KICKING HARDER. I TOOK IT TO A MAZDA DEALER TO HAVE IT EXAMINED, WHEN ALL I WAS TOLD IS, IT CHECKED OUT OK. THEY SAID IT WAS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE. NOW, AFTER ALL THE RUN AROUND OF TAKING IT TO ALL THE AUTO SHOPS I KNOW FOR DIFFERENT OPINIONS. ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE PROFESSIONAL TRANSMISSION SHOPS, I HEAR THE WORSE DIAGNOSE OF WHAT I WAS AFRAID OF INITIALLY. THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS REPLACING. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE SAME MAZDA DEALER TO HAVE THEM REDIAGNOSE IT SINCE THEY WERE THE ONES THAT HAD SAID IT WAS FINE JUST EIGHT MONTHS PREVIOUS. THEN THEY TOLD ME, THE TRANSMISSION INDICATES AN INTERNAL PROBLEM. THAT IT SHOULD BE REPLACED. SO ANOTHER $100 BUCKS LATER FOR A 10 MINUTE DIAGNOSE, I FIND MY CAR WAS DEFECTIVE FROM THE FIRST DAY I GOT IT! IN TAKING MY VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER I GOT IT FROM, ALL I GOT WAS, LET?S GET YOU INTO SOMETHING ELSE, BUT OF COURSE WE?LL HAVE TO DEDUCT ANY COST IT WILL TAKE TO FIX IT TO RESELL IT. SO I WENT HIGHER; I TOOK IT TO MAZDA CORPORATION..( I WAS TIRED OF DEALING WITH THIS FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS ALREADY) I EXPLAINED MY PROBLEM WITH THEM AND THEY TOLD ME TO WRITE A LETTER. I WAS FRUSTRATED IN HAVING TO WAIT AND WAIT SO I CALLED BACK A WEEK LATER TELLING THEM MY STORY AGAIN BUT TO A DIFFERENT PERSON. I RESEARCHED ALL TYPES OF FACTS FROM EVERY SOURCE TO USE AGAINST MAZDA ABOUT THE EXACT MODEL OF THE 626 I HAVE. WHEN READING EVERY DOCUMENT I HAD IN MY HAND CONFRONTING THEIR DEFECTS IN THE VEHICLE, THE REP. TOLD ME SHE?LL TAKE IT TO HER MANAGER AND CALL ME BACK. A DAY LATER, SHE DID. SHE ALSO TOLD ME THAT THEY?LL PAY FOR THE TRANSMISSION AS LONG AS I PAY FOR THE LABOR ($600).