NHTSA Complaint #10136383 — 1996 MAZDA 626

MY OVER DRIVE LIGHT HAS BEEN BLINKING LATELY, AND MY WIFE TWO WEEKS AGO HAD THE LIGHT COME ON AND STAY ON WHEN RETURNING FROM A TRIP ON THE INTERSTATE DRIVING ABOUT 72 MPH. AT 121,000 MILES AND REGULAR MAINTENANCE, MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS ABOUT TO COMPLETELY FAIL IN MY 1996 MAZDA 626 LX. DOING ONLINE RESEARCH AND TALKING WITH THE SPECIALTY TRANSMISSION SHOP, I HAVE LEARNED THAT THE ISSUE WITH THE MAZDA TRANSMISSION TYPE CD4E IS WELL KNOWN BY THE COMPANY AND DOCUMENTED IN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS, YET MAZDA HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. I AM LUCKY TO HAVE THIS MANY MILES ON THE CAR, WHERE OTHERS HAVE FAILED MUCH WORSE, BUT AS A CONSUMER THAT DOES NOT DRIVE ABUSIVELY AND THAT REGULARLY (EVERY 30,000 MILES) HAS THE TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSHED AND REPLACED AND THE FILTER SERVICED, THIS IS AN EXPENSE THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT MY FAULT. AND GIVEN THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS SINCE THE MID 1990'S, IT IS FRUSTRATING. I AM NOW SPENDING BETWEEN $1500 AND $1800 TO GET A REBUILT TRANSMISSION PUT IN MY CAR, ALONG WITH AN ATX COOLER THAT MAZDA RECOMMENDED IN 2002 BUT DID NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY OR EVEN PROVIDE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO INSTALL.*JB