Overdrive Light On problems of the 1998 Mazda 626

I bought a Mazda 626 1998 and it had 116,000 miles on it the transmission o/d light began to flash and then it started shifting hard then oil started to burn and I had to install a external transmission cooler this only lasted for a while and then the transmission shifted hard and oil went everywhere.

105,626 original mileage. Coming from a long highway drive. Car began to rev really high. Transmission was slipping. O/d light began blinking. Crawled the vehicle to repair shop. Was told there was a complete failure of the transmission. Transmission was rebuilt.

My Mazda was doing just fine then one day it started having major problems shifting from 1st to 2nd gear and revs very high going between gears, and the o/d light flashes. I have not been able to afford the repairs yet.

I was driving at 65 mph on a freeway when o/d light started blinking, then the engine accelerated to 7000 rpm at the speed. Pulled over and stopped, after that I could not move the car. Apparently, the transmission is blown (as what everyone says). I researched this extensively and it looks like it is a defect that the manufacturer was aware of and, as such, should help mitigate. Looks like tons of 626s were damaged like this. I will attempt to have dealer take a look at it and hopefully they will fix it. But I believe all the complaints on this forum are a valid ground for a recall.

7 months ago, the transmission needed to be replaced at 150,000 miles. That is to be expected for that mileage. When I put the car in drive it is sluggish moving forward. This is because the car is starting out in 2nd gear instead of 1st. At 15 - 20 mph, the car downshifts to first, then immediately back to second gear. At 20mph, the car does not want to shift into 3rd gear for about 15 seconds, but eventually shifts. The o/d light begins to flash on the dashboard. When I slow down, the car will down shift abruptly in to a lower gear. I took it to my mechanic and he said that this should not happen to a 7 month old transmission. I researched online and there are tons of people that have experience this very same problem with the 626. This is a manufacturer defect and I would like to see what can be done about it. The car is unsafe to drive.

: the contact stated while driving 65mph, the automatic transmission began to hesitate, and the overdrive light illuminated. The vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop. A diagnostic test was performed which detected a failing transmission. The dealer was alerted about the problem.

I have a 1998 Mazda 626 lx 4 cylinder, automatic transmission. I am sure you are aware of the transmission problems with these vehicles from 92-02. During long drives (over 30 miles), I began experiencing problems with the o/d (overdrive) light flashing. Accompanying this phenomenon, was erratic shifting at high speeds between third and fourth gears. When pulling over and stopping the car, black smoke can be seen coming from the left side under the hood. This only seems to occur at high speeds, above 50 mph. This occurred on long drives as soon as I purchased the car. Multiple mechanics were unable to diagnose the o/d light problem. I had the O2 sensors replaced. I found out later through internet chat rooms for the Mazda 626(aka: support group for automatic transmission 626 owners), that this problem is the first sign that the transmission is burning up. The transmission finally failed at 105,000 miles(lucky to last that long). Cost me $2000 to replace transmission with one from a junk yard. Now the o/d light still flashes when driving over 30 miles over 50 mph. Just waiting for the transmission to go out again. Mazda should pay for these repairs, and the thousands of other unfortunate Mazda 626 owners out there.

My 1998 Mazda 626 replaced transmission at 49000 miles on it o/d light flashing on transmission down shifting on its own. Transmission fluid blew out, the dipstick was replaced, speedometer gear set also flushed rad. & cooler now new transmission doing same thing at over $2600 dollars out of pocket. Heard lots others have had same problems would like to report. To see if the Mazda dealership could be responsible for repairs.

I had the automatic transmission on my 1998 Mazda 626 rebuilt at no. 1 auto repair center in stafford, va, back in November of 2002 at a cost of 1650. 00. On January 1, 2006, while driving home from lorain, OH, to kettering, OH, this rebuilt transmission seemed to overheat and blow. The transmission went out suddenly and smoke proceeded to billow from my hood while I was driving at a speed of 75 mph. The o/d off light had been blinking a few weeks ago, so I took the car in to grismer auto repair in dayton, OH. They said the transmission fluid was very dark and sludgy and recommended a flush and change. The o/d off light went off after that and didn't come on again until moments before this second transmission failure. Now it looks like I will have to get a second rebuilt transmission for the same car within a span of approximately three years. By the way, my last payment is next month on a five-year lien. That's two rebuilt transmissions I have had to pay for before the car was even paid off. Will someone please tell me how this is fair.

Transmission failure: I have a babied 1998 Mazda 626lx. At 107,000 miles I noticed some very slight transmission shift problems. I consulted the manual. Nothing. I called the dealer, vague answers, no recommendations. I drove it and noticed the o/d light coming on at about 60 miles ( heat ? ). So I started short driving only. Finally it failed and blew fluid all over the engine compartment. Repairs. So far - $1590. 00, but no confidence it is over. My mechanic said the trans cooler was designed poorly and could not be cleaned to where it would work properly. We put on an aux cooler. We hope it works. Problem is the car is not worth it. I am angry at ^&% ^%$#^& Mazda for their inept support and stupidity. I will never use them again. They have leeched me long enough on this car. They could have helped a long time ago about the heat build-up of the fluid. They knew this was coming. They are vultures waiting for your car to die and then they will help themselves to your $2500. 00. I will die telling folks to steer clear of Mazda and Ford.

Mazda 1998 626. . . . Overdrive light started coming on and off. Trans fluid had boiled out over motor. . Only had 65,000 miles. . . Car was fine had trans and cooling system serviced at 52,000 miles was told everything was fine needed to be done again at 100,00. . . It will cost me between 1,800 to 3,600 to get fixed.

Imade a complaint earlier but I forgot a few things. My o/d light sometimes flashes and my check engine light is always on. I took it to autozone to get the light read and the man gave me a list of problems wrong with the car. I don't remember every thing but one thing was just a sensor and the other problem was something wrong inside of the transmission.

Started off as a speedometer problem. Speedometer would peg from 0 to whatever speed I was traveling when taking my foot off the accelerator, then it would reverse it and only peg back and forth when my foot was on that accelerator. Overdrive light blinks on and off and overdrive fails. Transmission shifts into gears quickly,chirping tires. Also, when speedometer drops to zero, if you push the accelerator the car seems to think it needs to shift into first or second gear no matter how fast you are going. Almost caused me to have 3 accidents in one day just driving home from work.

I purchased my 626 in June 1998. At 58,700 miles (Nov 2001), the 1st transmission went up (flashing o/d, wouldn't shift, etc). I had a rebuilt transmission installed at a local transmission shop because it was no longer covered under the warranty. It cost $1,500. At 92,000 miles (Nov 2003), the 2nd transmission also went up. I had the third transmission installed at the same shop at a cost of $1,800. The vehicle currently has a little over 100,000 miles on it and it is currently in the shop getting it's 4th transmission. This time, we were headed out of town with the car fully packed for vacation when it decided to dump all of the transmission fluid, started smoking, flashed o/d lights, etc. Four transmissions in 100,000 miles is a glaring failure on the part of Mazda and/or Ford (who built the transmission). I will never buy another Mazda and I will advise everyone I know that Mazda vehicles can't be trusted. I don't understand why there was no recall on this horrendous piece of junk.

I have a 1998 Mazda 626, automatic transmission with overdrive. July 2003 the overdrive light began to flash and the transmission started to slip while I was on the freeway and almost was hit. The car would not move. I could barely pull over to the side to obtain towing service. I paid aamco in renton, wa $4000 to repair the car. Well, guess what. . . It happened again. On July 3rd 2004, I was driving out of town for the 4th of July, and made it only 30 miles out of town and the overdrive light was flashing again and began to pour transmission fluid on the engine. There was so much smoke I could barely pull the car off I-5 in order to seek a safe place to pull over. I had to have my car towed back to seattle, and again it needs a new transmission. The Ford cd4 transmission is in the car, and it is a piece of garbage. Where is the recall and all the money I dumped into this car going? I still owe on the car and cannot trade it in with it's current shape. The first time this happened was 85,000 miles and it now has 100,000 miles. Out of warranty but out of pocket. Thanks Mazda.

I bought my 626 new in 1998. I have had transmission troubles regularlysince then. In 2003-4, I had the transmission rebuilt, then purchased a new one. The new one is having problems. It will get hot, the o/d light flashes, and we are stuck on the side of the road waiting for it to cool.

On April 15th, 2004 I was driving to work in my 1998 Mazda 626 lx and the automatic transmission began to slip then failed completely. I had to drive off the highway in first gear. I then took my 626 to a local transmission shop and they informed me Mazda transmissions had a faulty drum. He informed me the transmission would have to be replaced. I picked up my vehicle from the transmission shop on April 23rd, 2004 and on April 24th, 2004 I was driving on the freeway and the overdrive light began flashing and the the car began to decelerate and also began smoking. I had the vehicle towed to the transmission shop and they informed me the transmission had blown once again. They replaced the transmission a second time and on Sunday, may 2nd, 2004 I was driving on the freeway and the overdrive light began to flash once again. I immediately pulled off of the freeway and had the vehicle towed to the same transmission shop. I called Mazda and they informed me they were aware of the faulty transmission and stated I needed to install a transmission cooler to keep this from happening. They informed me a recall has not been done on the faulty transmission. The original transmission is not available. During this time I not only had to pay for a new transimssion and cooler I also had to pay for towing costs and car rentals for almost 3 weeks.

Transmission overdrive light appeared on the dashboard while driving on the highway. This caused the transmission to shift hard and loud.

My 1998 Mazda 626 4cl 2. 0 engine has approx. 71k miles on it. The transmission starting having problems in August 2003, at which point we had the transmission fluid flushed,& the spark plugs changed. The mechanic told us to drive it a little while and let the conditioners take effect, but the car shows no difference in driving. The o/d light flashes now on occasion, and the rpm goes up to 4 or 5 before it shifts to a higher gear. We are not driving it now. . Its been sitting in our driveway for a week & a half. I called the Mazda dealership and before seeing the car they said it needed a new transmission. I have a extended warranty thats good thru 90k, but they may or may not honor it, I can't afford to take the chance if the warranty company dosent reimburse me. This is our only car, and I still have 2 years of payments left. After reading 56 pages of comments on-line with people experiencing the same problem, I have no faith that a new tranny would even solve the problem. . . It looks as though even with a rebuilt one they go out right after the rebuilt warranty. I have not seen a carfax on my car, but I would not be surprised if this wasn't the first transmission. We can not afford to buy a new car without selling this one, but how can I sell a car that dosen't run, especially when I still owe money on it.

Transmission failure at approximately 73,000 miles without prior warning. O/d light began flashing on highway 3 hours into 7 hour highway trip. Vehicle well maintained. Concerned about having transmission repaired--will the engine fail next? what are statistics on how these cars fare after transmission repair?.

While driving south on i75, I had noticed that my o/d light had started to flash. The car seemed okay, but the o/d continued to flash. I was in the process of passing a truck with an eighteen wheeler right behind me and all kinds of stuff started to happen. The speedometer quit working. Then the battery and oil light came on. Once that happen, the engine completely died. After calling stepps and having my car towed to my mechanic, he advised me that I had burned up the transmission. Something blew inside the transmission which caused a fuse to blow and this cause the motor to turn off. My mechanic advised me to look into this because he recalls this happening to another client. He has given me a couple of different costs rainging from $1800 on up. I am shocked to read all of the posts from different people who have had the same issue. I have 123,000 miles on my car and am surprised this different happen sooner. Something needs to be done about this.

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.

I purchased a 1998 Mazda 626 lx sedan in November 1998. At some point in the year 2002 the vehicle began to hesitate when shifting from first to second gear and then the overdrive off light began to flash. Ocean Mazda in miami, florida told me there was an incorrect gear ratio between first and second gear. When I told them to fix the problem they stated that they did not repair transmissions, they only replaced them. I was told the cost of that with parts and labor would be $4,000. 00 which I did not have at that time. I continued to drive my Mazda until the transmission went out on me on March 28, 2003 while I was traveling from tallahassee, florida back to miami. I had to leave the car in orlando, florida at a friend's house for two months and then could not afford to have it repaired until March 4, 2004. At the time of my transmission failure the car had approximately 65,000 miles on it. It cost me $2,400. 00 to have a rebuilt transmission installed at a local shop and now I am on pins and needles hoping that it won't fail again for at least another 3 - 5 years. The gentleman who installed the rebuilt transmission stated that the transmission simply got to hot and burned up the components inside. Reading other complaints I am not that optimistic that it won't fail again and I'm just hoping it will last long enough for me to save and get another car (not a Mazda though).

I brought my Mazda 626 lx on 6/1/01 with about 33,000 miles, since then I had to replace my timing belt at 44,000 due to the tension pin. Meanwhile, I have made numberous amounts of repairs to this car. At about around 70,000 miles my transmission started having problems. Sounded like it was making a popping noise and the car began jerking when under 30 mph. Now the o/d light flashes on and off and my car starts smoking.

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!.

While driving at any speed and with no warning, the vehicle will shut off, causing consumer to pull over. It will become hard to get the vehicle restarted. Dealer notified. The consumer states at normal highway speeds, there was transmission trouble (slipping into gears) overdrive light turned on and off. The result was the transmission burned and had to be replaced. The cause was linked to the computer.

While driving up I-75n , I noticed the o/d off light had started flashing and the engine sounded strange. After a few miles of this, I came upon a rest area and pulled off there. As soon as I stopped the car, the engine started smoking, and making a gurgling, sizzling noise. I had to call aaa to tow me back home, which was 3 hours away. After going back to tampa, had my car dropped off at aamco transmissions. I was advised that the transmission had to be replaced because it was completely burned up inside. So I had them replace the transmission. I spent alot of money between the transmission replacement, towing, and alternative transportation while my car was being repaired.

While traveling consumer noticed overdrive indicator light flashing. Then, engine would idle without any indication. Please provide further information.