Automatic Transmission Cooler Problems of Mazda 626 - part 1

2000 Mazda 626 2. 5l auto. Complete transmission failure due to lack of fluid cooling. Design flaw is to blame. Trans fluid is in contact with cooling agent(air, antifreeze) for a distance of four inches.

See all problems of the 2000 Mazda 626 🔎.

The car is a 2002 Mazda 626 with approximately 90k miles. The car was not in a crash or incident leading up to the issue. August 28, 2007-driving on I-5 on the way home from work the o/d light began to flash. I was approximately 1. 5 miles from home so I continued on. The next morning I started the car and backed out of my driveway. It would not go into gear at all. Reverse works just fine. It was towed to the mechanic and we have been told that the transmission is completely dead and needs to be replaced. The cost of this is going to be $1350 for a rebuilt/remanufactured transmission and labor ($650). This is a total of $2,000 not including tax. There were no used transmissions available at the time. Based on my research this is a known issue with Mazda 626s and they've issued a technical service bulletin # 05-005/02 deals with one specific circumstance: after extended highway driving, the o/d off light is blinking and code p1783 is set (excessive atf temperature). The TSB requires that a cooling kit be installed due to overheating within the transmission the kit is installed at the cost of the owner which is approximately $1,236 (quoted by senator Mazda). The problem is that the cd4e was meant for the Ford contour/mystique which is much lighter than the Mazda 626. In addition, the manual doesn't mention any servicing requirements for the transmission nor have I been contacted as Mazda's due diligence to reach out to their 626 owners to fix the problem as a peremptory strike.

See all problems of the 2002 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.

See all problems of the 2001 Mazda 626 🔎.

I have a 1999 Mazda 626 lx 4 cylinder and for a few years have noticed harsh shifting that has only gotten worse. The other day the odometer light started flashing, and I took vehicle to a transmission shop, and they scanned and codes, and told me that I had an overheating problem with the transmission ,and that it had to be replaced. This seemed so wrong because the car only had 111,000 miles on it, and it was wrong because I knew this problem started a lot earlier when I got this car at 64,000 miles. If Mazda knew about this cooling issue because they have released a service bulletin about it , and if they knew they will ultimately fail why didn't they issue a recall? if they knew they had inadequate cooling they should have installed a cooler at their expense not t at he owners , and they should also replace the transmission at their expense.

See all problems of the 1999 Mazda 626 🔎.

1) overdrive light flashing 2) transmission over temperature condition, excessive slippage, temperature exceeded 132 degrees centigrade (270 degrees fahrenheit. Fluid is up-burned and clutch material in oil. 3) replaced transmission with rebuilt assembly, replaced engine real main seal, flush transmission cooling lines, add oil, road test, recheck for leaks and cleared codes.

Own a 1999 Mazda 626, 2. 0 4-cylinder. It only has 52,170 miles but the automatic transmission burnt out. According to the local transmission shops and Mazda dealers, they have seen and repaired lots 626 (1999 -2001 models) due to the fact that they have automatic transmissions which had been designed by Ford for much smaller and lighter vehicles than the 626. Consequently, if one drives long distance, it does burn out. The dealers and aamco shops recommend to have the cooling pump to cool the transmission. It is well known and documented the case of automatic transmission failures and should be recalled by Mazda.

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!!!!!.

(1) jerking motion of vehicle when driving. Mazda dealership informed me that was normal for Mazda transmissions. (2) transmission failure. (3) rebuilt transmission $1600. 00. 1 year later, it failed again, due to over heating. Needs to be rebuilt again. I had no knowledge that there was a TSB on the transmission for this vehicle requiring a cooling unit to avoid overheating. Now, I have to pay for more repairs to the transmission, with no end in sight. This is not fair. Had I known about these problems, I would never have purchased the vehicle (brand new) in the first place. This is just not fair.

Driving down highway 5, over drive light started flashing. No information in manual regarding flashing over drive light, so continued driving. About 50 miles later, lost power and speedometer dropped to zero. Through aamco, found out about TSB regarding problem with at in my model year (2000) that caused it to overheat. Failure caused me to spend extra money on towing, hotel, and rental car. Car took approximately 2 weeks to repair at aamco, which included a rebuilt transmission and a cooling unit added to help prevent future problems.

Purchased Mazda 626 (1999) new in 12/98. At 27870 miles transmission overheated. Dealer said I had to purchase a cooling kit for trans at my expense. I knew then I would never buy another Mazda. What customer service! problem recurred and I discovered it was a know problem to Mazda about transmission failures in the Mazda 626. Now at 74000 miles they tell me I need a new trans at $3600, no way. Don't buy Mazda.

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.

Transmission failed four times in two years. The first time (August 2004) it failed it was 24 hours after we bought it from a Mazda used dealer, holiday motors in fond du lac WI. They pulled the transmission out and replaced gaskets. I asked then to put on the cooling kit and they did not. A year later (October 2005) my daughter was stranded north of chicago IL with this car and a puddle of transmission fluid under it (gaskets again). The third time (may 2006) it was smoking and leaking fluid (gaskets). Two months later (August 2006) it was smoking and leaking fluid. This time it left my daughter in a very un-safe neighborhood of milwaukee WI. A cooling kit put on this car two weeks before the last problem but it was already too late. This time the shop is replacing the torque converter (?) they say it over heated. Repair cost have been about $600-$300-$150 (cooling kit) $700-$300.

My wife and I own a 1997 Mazda 626. In 2006, seemingly out of nowhere, the transmission started shifting rough. I checked fluid levels but they were fine. Then while driving on the interstate one morning, my o/d kicked off (with warning light) and the entire drive home was extremely rough. Brought the car to a reputable local transmission shop and as soon as I told them what kind of car I had, they knew right away what the problem was. I ended up paying $2000 to have a new transmission installed due to the extent of damage in the original. Seems to me that if all of the transmission shops and (as I found out later) owner forums know about the problems with these transmissions, Mazda/Ford probably knows as well. It's irresponsible to know that a $50 repair could correct the problem but they do nothing to even inform their buyers of the problems. $50 would have been a lot easier to come up with than $2000. Summed transmission overheated due to insufficient cooling causing severe transmission failure. Transmission had to be completely replaced.

See all problems of the 1997 Mazda 626 🔎.

I bought my 2002 Mazda 626 in February 2003. In Jan. 2006 with just over 50,000 miles on it, just over the 50,000 mile warranty the transmission failed, while I was driving on the highway. Out of no where I couldn't go over 30 mph, not safe!!! my only option was to put a rebuilt transmission into the car at a cost of $2600. Now in may 2006, I am having transmission problems again and have been doing as much research as possible. I have come to find that Mazda put a Ford transmission (cd4e) in the 626's and this specific transmission has caused many problems for many people. This is a transmission built for smaller, lighter cars but Mazda put it in the 626 anyway, although it is a heavier car. I now see that a technical service bulletin (TSB #0500502) was released by Mazda stating that this problem can be compensated by installing a transmission cooling kit. It would have been nice to know about that long before now, saving my $2600 and a close call on a highway. Mazda needs to step forward and take deserved blame!!! someone is going to hurt or killed if this isn't made aware to the consumer. Please do something!!!.

The o/d light started flashing while driving down the highway. Stopped and found that there was a large amount on transmission fluid all over the engine compartment. I filled the trans back up and it all leaked out within five minutes. The fluid is coming out of the vent tube. I will be taking it to get it fixed. This is one of many problems I have had with this car. Just replaced the cooling lines that rusted in half!.

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.

I own a '00 626 that I bought from my grandmother in 2-04, who had bought it new in '99. I have since had tranny issues on 2 occasions with the most recent requiring a complete replacement with what the tech. Described as "an identical failure prone unit". My grandmother had a new (not rebuilt) and identical transmission installed at ~42k miles as noted in the service log. I did a search on the web and I was shocked at what I found. Numerous cases of failure, at alarmingly similar intervals and all had the commonality of being equipped with auto. W/ od tranny mfg'd by Ford and installed in 4 cyl. Mazda 626's. From what I can gather the high failure rate has something to do with "the inadequate cooling design" and subpar materials used in the "clutch packs". So because of this when it's all said and done with we will have shelled out ~$2500 (exc. Labor) for a rebuilt tranny that is expected to fail in less than 30k miles regardless of the service intervals. There are suggestions on the internet how to gain some addl. Life out of a unit, albeit small. To me it would seem this responsibility should fall on the manufacturer and not on the consumer. As a consumer I'm expected to trust an automobile manufacturer to properly design and test a vehicle and it's subsystem prior to releasing it upon the public. Failing that it would seem to me the manufacturer should be held accountable for flaws such as those not related to normal wear and tear as is apparent in this case. Which in turns is what brings me here. When all else fails the consumer and public at large has only one advocate and that is the u. S. Government, which in the interest of safety and consumer rights has the authority to enforce this accountability. Everyone single person privy to this complaint should take a moment and consider anyone they know who owns or drives an automatic Mazda 626 of the years 98-02 with the above mentioned generic and common configuration is impacted by this design flaw.

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.

Faulty/defective transmissions are being used in Mazda vehicles well after the issue was known about by the manufacturer. There are literally hundreds, of 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 fraudulence issue, but is also a safety issue. People could (may have already) be severely injured, or killed, by having their transmission go out as they attempt to enter high traffic, high-speed areas, such as a freeway. Personally, I expect to receive the difference between what I could have sold my car for, and what I actualy had to sell it for due to this known defect. I also expect to see Mazda make good on this problem with current and previous owners, as well as correcting this issue once and for all, to ensure that this problem doesn't continue. Thanks, david williams.

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.

O/d light flashing, automatic transmission overheating, very hard shifting when in o/d on mode for more than 20 minutes at highway speeds.

3 Mazda 626's one 1999 and two 2001. They all have the same problem transmission starts slipping and jumping especially in reverse all three transmission have failed and had to be replaced Mazda supplied the transmission for the 1999 at 81,229 miles I had to pay for installation and a cooling system for the new tranny. I took the second one to the place I bought the vehicle( a wreck rebuilding services) and they installed a used tranny for $1500. The third is in the shop now and Mazda has refused to help. Incident dates: 1st 1999 model Nov 11, 2003 2nd 2001 model sept 20, 2004 3rd 2001 model in the shop now this is Nov. 8, 2004.

Ijust bought my 626 about 6 months ago and it is having major problems that it did not have when I bought it. The transmission is failling, it jerks, it smokes, and sometimes it will not even go. To get it fixed I will have to pay about $3000 unless they find more problems in the car. I see many people have the same problem as me and I do not understand why they don't fix it.

See all problems of the 1998 Mazda 626 🔎.

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.

I was driving my 1997 Mazda 626 when all of a sudden, the transmission started shifting hard and acting weird. This was the car's 2nd transmission it had replaced. I fixed the problem by buying a new radiator and an auxiliary cooler because the transmission had overheated.

I bought my car used, and at 72,000 my transmission went out. I brought it into lancaster Toyota Mazda, lancaster, PA and they said my extended warranty would cover the transmission, however there is some external cooling unit that has to be added to it to make it work without overheating again. Mazda is responsible for recognizing this error and not replacing every single one of these in their consumers vehicles. I am requesting a complete refund in the amount of $280. 00 for this unit to be installed along with the deductible on my extended warranty.

1) normal daily use (20) miles to from work on highway roads 2) transmission won't work 3) complete transmission removal and rebuild required. I can't believe the amount of information and complaints all over the internet on this Mazda/Ford transmission problem. I also can't believe this government office has still not acted on it. Surely doesn't appear to be our tax dollars working for the tax payers here. There is a long history of worn out transmissions caused by faulty cooling design on this combined used Mazda/Ford transmissions model la4a-el. Mine is installed in a 1997 Mazda 626 4 cylinder. Will this agency please acknowledge all these complaints. This is costing hard working people a lot of money to replace these transmissions.

I have had nothing but trouble with my 1997 Mazda 626 since I got it on February 14, 2003. The rpm's shoot up and down all the time and the oc sensor is bad and now the transmission is going out already. I only have 80,000 miles on my vehicle and see no reason as to why all of these problems have occured. I have had it in the shop 4 times since I got it a little over aa year ago. I really like the new Mazda 6's that are out but am real reluctant on buying a new one due to the fact that I have had so many problems with the Mazda that I have now and parts are so expensive. I was told it was going to cost $750. 00 in order to fix the oc sensor, that is just crazy. Please help! I see all the complaints that on the transmission going out at low mileage, insane.

This complaint is regards to the automatic transmission (atx) on my 1997 Mazda 626, 2. 0l i4. The transmission is manufactured by Ford, model cd4e. Despite faithfully changing the fluid at recommended intervals, the transmission completely died and needed replacement at 105,000 miles. This transmission was forced on Mazda by Ford in all post 1993 4 cylinder models, and suffers major problems with heat and metal particles due to inadequate cooling and filtration systems. The filter is internal to the transmission and inaccessible (cannot be changed) requiring the fluid to be flushed. It is also woefully under cooled, with a simple pass through the engine radiator, and no external cooler. Models subsequent to 1999 has external coolers installed, so it seems that Mazda/Ford are acknowledging this problem. . Read more...

I have a 2000 Mazda 626 lx. I was accelerating onto freeway and suddenly lost all power. I was able to quickly take next exit and was not in a collision. I had vehicle towed to repair shop and was told that a complete rebuild of the automatic transmission was necessary. The mechanic stated that the cause of failure appeared to be a loss of pressure within the transmission and subsequent damage occured. He also stated that there was a known cooling problem with this model transmission. The total cost of repair was $2500. Judging from other complaints I reviewed there seems to be a history of failure in these vehicles. The vehicle had 75000 miles at the time of failure.

While pulling out of a parking lot engine revved, but vehicle would accelerate faster than 20 mph. Then vehicle stopped accelerating. Dealership indicated that converter cooler was fried and failed to cool the transmission.

O/d light started flashing during a road trip. When I turned the car off and restarted, flashing light would stop. Shortly afterwards the engine light came on. We called the Mazda dealer where we bought the car and they advised that as long as the engine light was not flashing we were safe to drive the vehicle. If the o/d starting flashing again, cut-off/restart. They also advised us to go to autozone to get engine code and then call back. The engine code=p1744 and per the service tech at Mazda it meant that the tcc cylinoid was either stuck; hanging or needed to be replaced. We asked if we could drive the car home (300miles) - he told us yes but if the o/d light started flashing to cut-off/restart. He also said that if the engine light started flashing that we needed to stop and have the vehicle towed. The engine light disilluminated altogether. We were on the road approximately 1 hour when the o/d light started flashing. We stopped and saw smoke billowing from under the hood. When we lifted the hood transmission fluid was all over everything. We towed car to Mazda dealership. The service tech said that the transmission had overheated / purged the transmission fluid/ and burned some components in transmission which resulted in the need for the transmission to be replaced. Repair bill estimate = $2,900. 00. This is a flaw or defect as the fail-safe components failed to operate properly in that the engine light never flashed to warn us and to the contrary the light disilluminated giving the false appearance of all things being well.

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.