Transmission won't shift properly. When it does shift, it shifts hard. Od light flashes. Was driving vehicle from work and took off from a complete stop. The car revved up real high but wouldn't shift. Made it home, and now vehicle won't move.
The worst 1994 Mazda 626 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission177
- Engine26
- Electrical24
- Brakes17
- Airbags14
- Lights12
- Suspension10
- Acceleration9
- Visibility6
- Seat belts5
- Steering4
- Fuel system3
- Body2
- Seats2
- Tires2
- Wheels2
Specific symptoms reported on the 1994 Mazda 626
Transmission failure 66Jerking 27Stalling 15Slipping 12Headlights 11Loss of power 8Overheating 8Won't shift 6
Recalls 2
Electrical system: ignition: switch
- What is wrong
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 1989-1998 MPV, 1990-1995 323, 1990-1998 Protege, 1992-1993 MX-3, 1993-1995 929, 1993-1997 MX-6, and 1993-1998 626 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, grease applied to the contact points inside the ignition switch may become conductive and overheat.
- Risk
- If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2015. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Experience Center at 1‑800‑222‑5500, option#6. Mazda's number for this recall is 8715J.
Recall number 15V674000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: headlights: switch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The headlight wire that runs through the turn signal lever can fail at the point where it is soldered to the headlight switch.
- Risk
- The failure of this wire could cause a loss of headlights, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the headlight switch lever.
Recall number 99V358000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 1994 Mazda 626
Defect investigations
Headlight failure
Obtained recall 99v‑358
RQ99022
Speedometer inoperative
See resume for details.
SQ98024
Technical service bulletins for the 1994 Mazda 626 48
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Radio Unlocking Codes.
- In support of the new MRT distribution, Mazda will ship to dealers a new Dual Purpose Diagnostic Leak...
- In accordance with Federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer
- In accordance with Federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer
- Speedometer replacement procedure
- In accordance with federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a...
- Non genuine accessories affect air bag operation. kb
- Battery test procedure requirements. tt
- Speedometer replacement procedure. tt
- Subject regarding inspection procedure - water pump leak. tt
1994 Mazda 626 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 20-23 | 28-31 | 23-26 |
| 2.5L 6‑cyl | FWD | 18 | 24 | 20 |
What 1994 Mazda 626 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The 1994 mazda 626lx with a v-6 2.5l motor has required 3 transmissions in the 8 years I have owned the car. The water pump went out twice and the alternator twice as well. This last time the transmission failed, I was on I-5 heading north near the los banos turnoff when it just started slipping and came to a complete stop on the freeway. I am very frustrated with the design and longevity of many parts of this vehicle.
The hold light is continually flashing. This started on sunday may 16, 2010. I called mazda maple shade made an appt. I took the car in on may 19th at 7:30 am. I picked the car up on may 20th at 7:30 am and as I was driving home from work at 3 pm., the problem has worsen. I called mazda on may 21th at 8 am and I am waiting for them to return my call. It is now 10:24 am.
I puchased a 1994 mazda 626 2.0l automatic transmission, when I purchased the car they had told me that the transmission had already been replaced once due to falure. I do not know the story of how the transmission came to fail on the previous owner. Now that I own it the car has started to shift very hard, and randomly shift down for a split seccond at cruising speeds(no change in accelarator travel or grade change). The transmission also causes a fluctuation in RPM's in cruising conditions for about 5 seconds.
I purchase a 1994 mazda 626lx automatic sedan approximately 3 months ago, from an individual here in austin, tx. Approximately one month after obtaining, and putting new tires, new brakes and a complete tune-up, the transmission went out. After doing some further investigation on the car, I found out that the transmission(cdf4e) for that year model has gotten a lot of complaints. Apparently, the transmission is to small for the 2.0 liter engine, and burns up after so many miles or length of driving. I checked it out online, and the site that I checked gave a fairly decent approval rating of the vehicle. Anyhow, the vehicle, as of now, is disabled and right now, I don't have the money to fix it. The transmission quit working while I was driving down I-35 at 65mph, in a construction zone. Luckily, I was going fast enough to coast to the end of the construction area, to park on the shoulder of the road, safely.
I bought a 1994 used mazda 626 lx a little over a month ago for $1600.00. And I put another $500.00 in it getting 2 new front tires a complete tune up, and a complete brake job. I test drove it and it ran fine. I found out later after I bought the car in a few days while going up a steep hill here in austin, and put it in d2 a lower gear, and the transmission started slipping. So, at the top of the hill, I put it back in drive, and it worked ok. But sometimes is would take off very sluggishly after warming up. The hold light started flashing also. I fixed the hold light problem, but 2 weeks later, going on the highway, the transmission went completely our, right at a construction zone, with the concrete barrier walls on both sides. So fortunately, I managed to coast about another mile to the end of the construction zone and off the highway, onto the shoulder safely. I have just recently found out here online on these auto forums, that the 1994 mazda 626 lx automatic is a lemon. Lot's of people have complained about the cd4e ford transmission on the car. I honestly can't believe there hasn't been a re-call on them. I've only had the car a little over a month, and im out of around $2100.00 dollars on it. I having a hard time finding anyone around here that will work on it, at a fair price. I could repair it myself, with some help, but from what I've read, the whole car was a design flaw, in that the transmission was actually to small for the 626 body, and causes the transaxle to overheat after a while. And I didn't know you had to buy a extra cooling kit for the transaxle to keep it from overheating. I liked the car when I first bought it, but,man, I didn't expect all of these problems. That is about all I have.
Rough transmission shifting that occurs almost every day with o/d light flashing. No repair shop is able to find what the problem is. Last repair shop charged me $800 to replace the engine mounts but that did not fix the problem. Issue is still on going. There was a recall for the 94 mazda 626 model for this particular issue but I was not notified. See this link for more info http://www.dustbury.com/626/94speedo.html.
Transmission on 1994 mazda hold light flashing.
Automatic transmission failed.
Rear calipers will not stop seizing. Tried using reman'd and new with the same results.
Compare the 1994 Mazda 626
Other model years
Questions about the 1994 Mazda 626
Is the 1994 Mazda 626 reliable?
Owners have filed 281 complaints about the 1994 Mazda 626, 3.2 times a typical 626 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1994 Mazda 626?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 177 complaints, typically around 109,999 miles. Next is engine (26).
How many recalls does the 1994 Mazda 626 have?
2 recalls, covering electrical system and exterior lighting.
What year does the Mazda 626 have bad transmission?
The Mazda 626 model years with the most transmission complaints are 1995 (337 complaints), 1998 (313 complaints) and 1996 (240 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1994 Mazda 626 get?
Official estimates for the 1994 Mazda 626 range from 20 to 26 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 20-23 city and 28-31 highway.
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