NHTSA Complaint #10153865 — 1996 MAZDA 626

TRANSMISSION HAS NOW WENT OUT TWICE IN MY 1996 MAZDA 626 WITHIN A YEAR. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS. IT JUST HAPPENED! CAME TO A LIGHT, STOPPED, LIGHT TURNED GREEN STARTED TO ACCELERATE AND IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. ENGINE JUST REVVED UP NOT GOING ANYWHERE. IN A PANIC, I PUSHED THE O/D BUTTON OFF AND IT FINALLY WENT INTO GEAR. THE ONLY TIME I COULD DRIVE IT WITH O/D ON WAS IF I WAS GOING OVER 50 MPH. IN THE MEANTIME. DRIVING WITH IT OFF AROUND TOWN. WHEN YOU STARTED SLOW DOWN ALMOST BEFORE YOU CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP THE CAR WOULD JUMP LIKE IT WAS DOWN SHIFTING REALLY HARD. WHEN DRIVING IT ON THE HIGHWAY WITH O/D ON...IT WAS FINE UNTIL YOU TRIED TO PASS SOMEONE OR TRIED GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE PASSING GEAR WOULDN'T WORK AND ACTED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL AGAIN. SCARED ME TO DEATH! I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. AFRAID SOMEONE WOULD HIT ME. HUSBAND CHECKED THE TRANS. FLUID,,LOOKED FINE..SO WE TOOK IT IN, TO COTTMANS, BTW..DON'T EVER USE THEM. ENDED UP COSTING US $2800 FOR A REBUILT TRANNY. NOW ITS A YEAR LATER, SPRING BREAK, ME AND MY FAMILY OUT SHOPPING AND WENT TO PASS A CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND IT STARTED DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN!! NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE CUT OUR OUTING SHORT AND WENT HOME. CALLED COTTMANS OF COURSE WOULDN'T HOLD UP TO THE WARRANTY. IT WENT OUT A MONTH TO THE DAY!!! WE ARE NOT GOING TO SHELL OUT MONEY ON THE CAR AGAIN! I HAVE DONE RESEARCH, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND HAVE HAD THEM REBUILT SEVERAL TIMES ONLY FOR IT TO FAIL OVER AND OVER. ALSO, I HAVE READ OTHER THINGS ABOUT THEM. WHICH I THOUGHT WAS MINOR ON MY CAR. BUT AFTER READING ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEMS OTHERS HAVE I AM GOING TO LIST THOSE AS WELL. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKS, OIL LEAK REAR MAIN SEAL, OXYGEN SENSOR DOESN'T WORK, CV JOINTS BAD. WITH ALL THIS SAID EVEN THOUGH I LOVED MY PAID OFF MAZDA, I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND BUYING A MAZADA. NOW WE ARE STUCK GOING OUT DOING THE DREADFUL CAR SHOPPING IN WHICH ANOTHER MAZADA WILL BE OUT OF THE QUESTION. *JB