Mazda 626 adaptive cruise problems

Filed Jul 27, 2012 · Acceleration, Electrical · 53,996 miles · OR

Traveling in car on interstate in the right hand lane using cruise control set at 70mph. Was coming up on a car and tapped the brake to disengage cruise control and the car did not disengage. I tried to use the brake and it was not working and went to the floor. I could not shut the cruise control off at the controls on the steering wheel either. I quickly swerved onto the shoulder of the freeway to avoid hitting the car in front of me. My husband turned off the ignition and I eased up on the emergency brake and we came to a safe stop. After inspecting the car we turned the car back on and tested the brakes at slow speeds on the shoulder and the brakes engaged normally. My husband feels the cruise control stuck and that is why we could not stop the car with the cruise control buttons or with the brake pedal.

Filed Apr 4, 2008 · Transmission · 140,000 miles · OH

Transmission in 97 626 mazda 4cyl locked up when turning cruise control off on interstate causing the front wheels to lock up and sliding the vehicle to a stop the trans is no good now . Should the manufacture be responsible to fix the problem.

Filed Mar 16, 2008 · Transmission · FL

1997 mazda 626lx 2.0l. Had the o/d light come on twice. Then about a year later the vehicle started to shift hard/slip. Inspected valve body of the transmission & fluid, everything was ok. Did a transmission flush anyway. Did not have any codes in the system until 6 months down the line. Was for the transmission range sensor. Installed a new one & vehicle operated normal. Since I put a new range sensor in the vehicle, o/d light has come on about 5 times but no abnormal driving condition yet. Only notice it when driving on the highway with cruise control engage. Also have the vehicle rough idling. Found no vacuum leaks, pcv valve is new, spark plugs & wire set new. Fuel additive added every 6 months. Fuel injectors are operating. Ticking noise occurs every once & awhile from engine. Do know that the transmission in these cars are not capable of handle the engine. The fact that a ford probe small transmission was put into the mazda. It needs an transmission oil cooler to be install but was not a recall issue, only a bulletin that must be paid for by the customer. Exact day this started to happen is unknown. A new proper transmission should be introduce as a recall for these cars.

Filed Jul 29, 2004 · Transmission · 86,000 miles · KY

I purchased my 1998 mazda 626lx in december 2000 with 65,000 miles on it. In july 2002 the transmission went out completely while driving up a hill at 65 MPH with the cruise control on and the air conditioning turned on. The car suddenly shifted into second gear and proceeded to strip all the gears in the transmission (as I was told by the transmission repair shop) rendering my car useless for three months while I saved the money to have it repaired. I put a remanufactured one in from phoenix hard parts (never got my rebate, so don't go to them for help!). It cost me $1300 for the transmission and $1200 in labor to have it installed. Now this transmission overheats (flashing o/d light) after only an hour on the interstate! Please someone look into this issue. It may not be child seats, but this is costing lots of people thousands of dollars!

Filed Nov 19, 2003 · Engine · OR

While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled.*ak the consumer thought hit the cruise control because the vehicle decelerated and lost steering. The second incident, the vehicle failed to exceed 40 MPH and finally stalled. The first incident, the consumer had the vehicle towed and the mechanic found a tensioner broken. When the incident happened the second time, the consumer was told there was recall, however his vehicle identification number was not included. The consumer requested reimbursement for both tensioner spring failures. *jb

Filed May 12, 2003 · Transmission · 50,000 miles · UT

Transmission failure. When stopping, transmission down-shifts so hard that all passengers feel as if they will be thrown through the windshield, like being rear-ended. Also, the transmission is very slow to shift. When it finally does, it "kicks" like having been hit by another car. Transmission takes itself out of cruise control and out of o/d. Mazda dealer service manager has driven the vehicle and has experienced these problems first hand, but because the car is not generating a "code", mazda's official position is that there is no problem. This is extremely upsetting and unacceptable, since I complained of this problem (and others) sept. 2002. The car would not accelerate at all but would sputter, then jolt forward into traffic. I made three separate trips to the dealership and the first two times was again told "there is no problem, since we can't find a code" - even though the engine light was on! Finally, on the third trip, they were able to diagnose the problem - spark wires and plugs. Recently, when they weren't able to find the current problem, they suggested that it was an engine mount problem, so I paid nearly $700.00 (and had a rental car for nearly three weeks waiting for parts) to have that fixed. When I got the car back, the transmission problem was actually worse! Further, the car seems to have some sort of electrical problem, as occasionally, all the dash lights will come on when I depress the brake pedal, and the left or right turn signal will remain on, static - not blinking. I have reported all the above on more than one occasion to the dealership and to mazda corporation. This vehicle has only 63,000 miles and is just now paid off. I complained about this problem while the car was still under warranty and was told there is no problem. Now, the car is out of warranty, and since mazda says there is no problem, I will have to pay all costs involved in transmission replacement. I intend to retain legal counsel.

Filed May 12, 2003 · Transmission · 67,000 miles · NC

Owner of 1998 mazda 626-car just turned 67k miles. With cruise control set on 75 on the interstate the o/d off light came on and started blinking. Turned car off for a few seconds and the light went away. Next day the transmission started slipping. The mazda dealership says the o/d off light blinking means the transmission is over heating. (how in the blue hell am I supposed to know the overdrive off light blinking means a transmission problem?) dealers first response was to rebuild transmission, I pushed back and told him to try something else, they did a transmission flush for $130 and he says that seemed to stop the problem for now. Given all the other complaints for the same issue will be selling the vehicle: I cannot believe there is not a recall on this. It seems that everyone in the automotive industry knows this is a defective part that goes out.

Filed Jul 20, 2002 · Acceleration, Airbags · GA · fire

Side molding coming off, antenna will not go up nor down, hold light keep flashing, sun roof will not slide back, air bag flashes sometime,cup holder will not keep containers from tilting over,oil dip stick handle broke off,cruise control do not work,cracked manifold

Filed Dec 4, 2001 · Acceleration · FL

Speed control would not disengage when applying brakes, and engine increased power, consumer turned onto median to prevent crashing, consumer turned ignition off and vehicle spun out causing vehicle to hit a ditch and damage the underside and 2 wheels. Dealer replaced loose brake light and cruise control switch. *ak

Filed Sep 18, 2000 · Acceleration, Engine · GA

When driving the o/d off light flashes, the cruise control will cut off without touching the brakes. When accelerating from stops the engine revs but the car continues to move as though it is in neutral for about 5 to 10 minutes before it kicks in gear very hard. Occassionally the car will not even roll forward when trying to accelerate after stopping.