Automatic Transmission Cooler problems of the 2001 Mazda 626

After two hours of highway driving, my 2001 Mazda 626 o/d off light began flashing, as my transmission fluid over-heated. I checked the transmission fluid level, which was ok. My engine oil level was 2 qts. Low. This did not make any sense since I had just had my oil changed two weeks prior and checked the oil level after the work was completed. I called the Mazda dealership and was told to bring the car in to have it evaluated. The car registered a p1783 code during diagnostic testing. I was told that there was a service bulletin recommending that an atf cooling kit be installed to reduce the atf temperature, preventing over-heating. The service manager recommended that I not have the atf cooling kit installed at a cost of $1,100 since my transmission may possibly fail within a few months. After reading TSB 634465 and realizing that the transmission design is under-sized for the 2001 626, I recommend that Mazda recall the 626 transmissions installing the required atf cooling kit to prevent premature failure of Mazda's under-sized transmission design for the 626 model.

While driving children to school my car started losing speed and the rpms were way high. Pulled over to side of highway and was not able to go in any gear. Luckily I pulled over when I did. Car was towed to transmission shop and was told they see so many Mazda vehicles come in because Mazda put in a Ford transmission made for a smaller vehicle. Therefore the transmission burns out. Was told my transmission needed rebuilt and to add this cooling unit $2,100. 00. Thank you Mazda for keeping your customers informed of this. If I had known that it needed this cooling unit or my transmission would burn up, I would have spent the $140. 00 for the unit. But Mazda did not feel that their customers were privy to this information. Never will by Mazda again!!!!!.

Faulty/defective transmissions are being used in Mazda vehicles well after the manufacturer knew about the issue. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of individuals and companies who have had their transmissions go out. . . Many with well under 60k miles. And, many have been through several transmissions before 100k miles. All of the problem vehicles share the same symptoms: od light flashing off and on, and transmission slipping in and out of gear, as the transmission burns up, literally from poor design and implementation which doesn't allow for proper air flow and cooling. This problem is widely acknowledged by the manufacturer, car owners, dealers, service centers, and other automotive professionals. Proof of this fact was a notice sent out to dealers that there is a cooling kit "available" for this transmission that should aid in keeping the transmission cool. However, this is not a free addition! Mazda is actually charging customers to add a fix to their design flaw! I feel this problem is not only a fraudulent issue, but is also a safety issue. People could be (and may have already been) severely injured or killed, by having their transmission go out as they attempt to enter high traffic, high-speed areas, such as a freeway. I was not even notified about the transmission problem by Mazda and only found out about it after my transmission failed. I am exploring the possibility of filing a class action law suit against Mazda corporation.

I was alone in the car with my 9 yr old autistic son when the transmission failed on my 2001 Mazda 626. I was fortunate enough to get off the road with out being rear ended however we were forced to pull over in a very dangerous part of austin. I am being told that my transmission has failed and needs to be rebuilt or replaced. I am learning that this is a common problem with all Mazda 626 models 94-2002. Apparently the transmission is a Ford and too small to support the 626 model therefore the cooling system is not sufficient to cool the transmission hence the system overheats. How many complaints have to be filed for Mazda to be forced to recall this vehicle. My research is discovering that tons of accidents have happened because of this defect and nothing is being done to hold Mazda accountable.

Transmission has always been acting unusual but I mistakingly thought it was how the ride was in the brand new 2001 Mazda 626 when bought in April 2001. It was heavy and I was used to driving heavier cars. 53,000 miles later the transmission dies and the servicer at the dealership tells me its "burnt. " wants to charge $3700 to replace the transmission when I still owe $3700 on the car in payments. Research on the web tells me the transmission has a cooling system issue which needs to be replaced (@ about $800) in order to prevent this from happening again. Dying transmission caused car to roll back in d. . . Beware!!!.

My 2001 Mazda 626 4 cyl had low power from the beginning. When it reached about 52000 miles I noticed that it was shifting slowly. At about 53000 the overdrive light began flashing and within a week or so the car would not go in reverse and was very difficult to start moving after a stop. I called harold Mazda and they told me I needed a new transmission which they put in for a mere $3800 as it was 3013 miles over the 50000 mi warantee period. . At the time I asked them if there was a reason it failed and they told me no there were no problems with the Mazda 626. They also told me there was nothing I could do to reduce the likelyhood of it's happening again - they did not mention the cooling unit I have read about. Now my Mazda 626 is again shifting slowly and I afraid it will happen again. There is only 67000 miles on it now but the new transmission is out of it's 1 yr warantee period. Mazda should be made to acknowledge this problem and offeer compensation to it's victims.

On or before February, 2005, my 2001 Mazda 626 began experiencing a problem while changing gears. I was on the highway when the vehicle began sputtering, changing gears very roughly and backfired. As this was taking place, the o/d light began flashing on and off. I immediately pulled off the road to prevent an accident and turned the vehicle off. It took about forty-five minutes before it turned on again. Ever since this incident, the vehicle continued to have the same problem ( rough gear shifting). It is now at a transmission shop who has explained that the transmission has burned out because of the lack of a cooling system. After doing some research, I found that there are many consumers with Mazda 626's that were manufactured in the years 1992 to 2002 with the same problem. I have not had the problem fixed as yet, I will do so and request to keep the old parts if necessary.

I have 24,000 miles on my Mazda 626 4cyclinder. This is the second transmission I had put in the car. After purchasing the car, I drove the car home and it was jerking a little. I thought it was me just getting use to driving the car. The next day I drove to church and the car started going in reverse while the gear was in drive. When I got to church, I called the dealer and they told me to have the car towed. Mazda people said it was the transmission. They put a new transmission in. Two years later on 10/2/04 I was returning from a funeral and the car started to slow down (no warnings). I turned it off. The car would start, but would not move in drive or reverse. I called the Mazda dealer and they told me to call for towing. The car was towed to Mazda dealer again. Once again, its the transmission. They are going to replace the transmission again because its still under the warranty. I was surfing the internet regarding Mazda transmissions came across some very important information. 626 Mazda 1994 - 2002 have a Ford model cd4e transmission. The transmission has an over heating problem. Mazda knows about this problem but they are noting fixing it. They issued a technical service bulletin telling how to correct the problem but they are not telling the customer about it unless the customer mentions something about it. The transmission needs a transmission cooling kit. My car is at the Mazda dealer now. When I called about this cooling kit they told me that it would cost $280. 00, only because they have to put in a transmission. If they do not have to put a transmission in it would cost more. I should not have to pay for the cooling kit. I have only had the car a little over two years. Mazda should be made reponsible to pay for all repairs and or replacements that are covered under the warranty.

Mazda 626lx transmission went three times and the car is only 3 years oldmobile.

O/d light flashing tranny new then fixed four times thereafter. Still having shifting problems. 2001 madza 626lx. Started at about 50,000 miles. About $1000. 00 out of pocket expences sure to incur more.