Mazda 626 grinding brakes problems

Filed Feb 5, 2008 · Electrical, Engine · 138,645 miles · IN

1998 mazda 626 lx 2.0l 4cylinder engine. Returning back to the guest house after dropping a friend off at the airport that evening, after getting off the interstate, I heard a crack (followed by a grinding noise) from the passenger's side of the engine. Within moments as I slowed the car to a safe spot, I heard a whipping noise from the same region. That later happened to be the serpentine and alternator belts both broke just after exiting the interstate, the engine and battery lights came on at once.., and then, immediately after that, the engine stopped working. I called my insurance and had my car towed to the guest house. The car was looked at and the diagnoses were the gears in the water pump were broken which froze the alternator belt, the alternator belt-now stiffened- shredded and mangled the serpentine belt. Then the serpentine belt tore along the grooved lines. Plus, the engine is now leaking coolant. Repairs???? I am waiting for the estimate to come in. I have been warned that it would not be cheap to fix. $500-$700 I asked? Nope! He said, after letting out a chuckle..., much higher he replied. At least $1000 or more.

Filed Nov 10, 2007 · Electrical, Transmission · 72,200 miles · TX

I have a 2002 mazda 626 4cyl with 71,200 miles. I had just paid it off last month and come to find out my automatic transmission is going out on me. When accelerating it sounds as if gears are grinding. There was a couple times over the last 3 months my check engine light came on. I took it in and was told my battery connection was loose. Other than that there was no events leading up to this and happened all of a sudden. I have tried to change transmission fluid and the defected transmission is still in the vehicle continuing with grinding noise. Took it back in and told me the transmission is about to need rebuilding I have read many problems online dating back to 1996 regarding these 626's transmissions and here is another one.

Filed Oct 6, 2006 · Transmission · 104,000 miles · CA

My 2001 mazda 626 has had two transmissions installed and now installing the third one @104000 miles first time the overdrive light flashed and would not shift into the proper gear at 53000 miles we had to fight with mazda north america for several weeks to take care of it. Also wheeler mazda in yuba city did not help or care witch the car was purchased at new. I have had the car serviced at the dealer for all recommended service. Now the second one just went out @ 104000 miles and the mazda rep for mazda north america will not help at all. The cost to repair this one is2,900 dollars. I have 3 children and one on the way. This is not what I expect from a new car that has been well taken care of. The axles went out @ 70000 miles the stereo went out 2 times in the first month. The 2nd transmission started squeaking for about 10 minutes then the transmission just quit. Thanks.

Filed Sep 18, 2006 · Transmission · 90,300 miles · FL

A 1999 mazda 626 was purchased in june 2006 from carmax in tampa, fl. We traded in our 2004 ford explorer for this 626 to save on gas. The mazda has been in the shop 4 times for transmission problems, none of which have been clearly explained to us; nor are they explained on the receipts. The first problem we experienced was an overheated transmission which caused it to get stuck in second gear. The mazda dealer recommended a transmission cooler once the transmission was dissected to be sure there was no internal damage. Carmax towed the vehicle from the dealer and had aamco do the repair work. New parts were ordered though carmax said aamco didn't know what was wrong with the car. Upon driving my 1 year old son home after this first repair, the transmission began to leak and make grinding sounds, none of which did it do before being repaired mind you. The second time we simply experience the stuck in gear issue again, however, this time belts were also squealing and our fuel efficiency has dropped. The third time seemed do be the charm, or so we thought. This morning driving the car to work, we experienced the same stuck in second gear problem we had originally! After calling the local store they said to take it to aamco. I never dealt with aamco before why should I take it there now. I also called the carmax corporate help line and they said they would call the local store we originally purchased the car from. I have yet to receive any phone calls or get the service or guarantee that carmax promised when I purchased this car.

Filed Jun 24, 2006 · Transmission · 86 miles · PA

I have a 1999 mazda 626 lx 2.0 that I purchase in october 2001. What seemed to be a pretty reliable car turned to crap in 2003 when the transmission failed suddenly without much notice. I had the transmission rebuilt at aamco (the biggest rip offs on the planet next to mazda) for $2650.00. The car ran fine for 2 more years when once again with out much notice the car starts making a grinding noise in reverse, I took it back to aamco where they told me that I once again needed a replacement and that my extended warranty just ran out "go figure". So here I am left with this car that I owe $1500.00 on and I need $2000.00 worth of work. I come to find out that I am one of many with the same problem with this car. Thanks mazda, after much research I bought a honda a much more reliable car.

Filed May 14, 2006 · Brakes · NY

The brake pads must be replaced every 6-8 months because of wear, the brakes can be felt grinding when applied. Acrid, burning rubber smell in the passenger compartment when waiting at traffic signals and stop signs. Dealer refused to examine the car without a recall letter, however research revealed this car's VIN # is in the recall group.

Filed Apr 20, 2006 · Brakes, Locks · 94,700 miles · VA

Dt*: the contact stated the rear passenger door is locked and cannot be unlocked. The dealership determined the motor needed to be replaced. Also, the brake pads must be replaced every 6-8 months, because the brakes do not properly stop the vehicle, there is a loud noise, and the brakes can be felt grinding when applied. There have been no other attempted repairs to the brakes.

Filed Jan 20, 2006 · Transmission · 100,100 miles · FL

Transmission hold light come on and off,will not operate in drive,reverse or any other gear. Trans seem to be over heating. Loud squeaking sounds like a fan belt.

Filed Oct 8, 2005 · Transmission · 14,000 miles · CA

(1)transmission occasionally shifted with a hard jolt from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd, then began to emit a loud whizzing/squeaking type of sound in all gears(including park and neutral). The sound was very similar to that of a loose belt, but was clearly coming for within the transmission. (2)within a week of making that sound, the transmission, although apparently shifting in the correct sequence, started slipping. Obviously this resulted in the vehicle being extremely unsafe to drive. (3)at this point I have: a - received estimates ranging from $1800-$2700 for a complete transmission rebuild with installation, as well as estimates ranging from $650-$1750+shipping for a used transmission without installation. So far, I have replaced the transmission fluid after draining and flushing the system, at which point I discovered that unlike virtually all other automatic transmissions, the ford cd4e transmission must be removed and completely disassembled in order to replace the transmission fluid filter. Obviously, as the filter becomes clogged with debris, the pressure and flow of the fluid is restricted, resulting in loss of performance, over-heating, and eventually a complete system failure.

Filed Sep 6, 2005 · Transmission · 79,000 miles · FL

No specific event lead to this, just parking the car normally running an errand and trying to drive home. The first time this happened (about 9 months ago) my daughter was stuck at 11pm the car would not move into any gear. The tow truck driver told us the cable underneath probably disengaged. We towed it to our repair shop and they replaced the cable. Since then when the car is in reverse it intermittently seems to stick causing it to delay moving or jerking back. We brought it back to the shop and insisted they put on a new cable . Last week (approx aug 24th) my daughter once again called that the car would not move out of the parking space, it wouldn't go into any gear. The tow truck again towed us to the shop where they reported that the cable was fine etc and they couldn't locate the problem. This costs me money and time everytime I have to leave work, get it towed and spend repair fees. Not to mention the added stress of the car being unreliable. I decided to look for recalls and known defects out here. I cannot believe that with the number of problems reported mazda/ford is not helping those of us who are loyal to mazda. I purchased 2(used) from hertz and a 2005 mazda 6 a few months ago. With 3 mazdas sitting in my driveway im especially interested to see what's being done about this problem. Why hasn't mazda/ford paid for the transmission problem ??? Maybe we should start a class action suit>I expect at the least repair to my vehicle whether or not it means a new transmission, not a used or rebuilt one. Im still making payments on this car! The funny thing is a few years back I had a ford taurus that jerked forward so badly it caused me to have an accident, I wish I had known about this problem before. In addition weve already had the axles replaced, and several brake jobs but the brakes continue to squeak like they need new brakes.