2002 Mazda 626
The Verdict
The 2002 Mazda 626 has 88 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are transmission (67 complaints) and body (10 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 76/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating.
This is the cleanest year on record. Nice pick.
Klunk Score: Solid Pick
Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING OUT OF FORWARD GEAR WHILE AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AFTER RELEASING THE BRAKES AND GENTLY PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE VEHICLE DIDNT MOVE. MANUALLY SHIFTING INTO 1ST GEAR WAS THE CAR ABLE TO MOVE BUT CAUSING A VERY HARSH LURCHING FORWARD CAUSING A LOUD "CLUNKING" NOISE. I WAS ABLE TO LIMP THE CAR 3 MILES TO MY HOME. I WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END ACCIDENT AT THE NEXT TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN 1ST GEAR AND HAVING THE BRAKES APPLIED THE TRANSMISSION CAUGHT IN GEAR AND LUNGED FORWARD CAUSING ME TO CONTACT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. BOTH MYSELF AND THE OCCUPANT OF THE VEHICLE I HIT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AND WELL AS PROPERTY DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE AND THE BACK OF THEIRS.
THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE NOW. EVEN AFTER WE GET IT FIXED IT STILLS JERKS AND SOUNDS LIKE THE ENGINE IS GOING TO FALL OUT. IT HAS A TERRIBLE TIME SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU PUT IT IN REVERSE IT JUMPS AND SOUNDS LIKE IT IS GOING TO FALL OUT. MY DAD IS 94 YEARS OLD AND NEEDS THIS CAR TO WORK. HE DOESN'T NEED TO GO OUT AND BUY ANOTHER ONE OR SPEND ANOTHER $1800 OR SO TO GET THIS ONE FIXED. I HAVE READ A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS CAR AND THE TRANSMISSION AND I FEEL MAZDA NEEDS TO MAKE IT RIGHT.
TAMARA RECALL
MY CAR WAS DRIVING FINE AND THEN ONE DAY AS I WAS LEAVING WORK MY CAR STARTED ACTING AS THOUGH IT WANTED TO SHUT OFF. I MADE IT ALL THE WAY HOME AND WAS GOING TO GO TO THE STORE AND MY CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR I TRIED TO ADD TRANSMISSION FLUIDS BUT IT SOUNDS NOT MOVE.
TRANSMISSION JERKS-HARD KICKING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISION/DEFECTIVE TRANSMISION ON THIS MODEL NO MATTER WHAT I DO TO TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM.(FLUID FILTER SPEED SENSOR ETC)STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM...THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN ON ALL THE MAZDA VEHICLES WITH THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION
THE CAR STARTED TO NOT WANT TO CRANK IT WOULD CRANK SOMETIMES THEN ONE DAY WE WENT TO THE STORE THEN WHEN WE WENT TO LEAVE THE STORE IT FINALLY JUST STOPPED TRYING TO CRANK ONLY MAKING A CLICKING SOUND AND WHILE TRYING TO CRANK IT THE STEERING COLUMN STARTED SMOKING AND ALMOST CAUGHT ON FIRE I BELIEVE IT IS THE IGNITION SWITCH
TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE ON HIGHWAY. TRANSMISSION FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 45,000 MILES. REPAIR ENDED UP COSTING APPROXIMATELY $3,000 FOR A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. I HAD OWNED THE CAR FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS AT TIME OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND HAD PUT LESS THAN 10,000 MILES ON IT PERSONALLY. CAR WAS PURCHASED USED BUT IN GOOD CONDITION. *TR
MY CAR WILL MOVE FINE UNTIL IT WARMS UP BUT THEN SLIPS OUT OF ALL GEARS AND WONT MOVE UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. *TR
TRANSMISSION MAKING POPPING NOISES AND LAGGING WHEN MAKING TURNS SOUNDS HORRIBLE TOOK TO A MECHANIC HE SAYS HE CAN FIX IT FOR 1700.00 THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD. AT A LITTLE OVER A 100 THOUSAND MILES IT SHOULDN'T NEED REPLACED. FORD SHOULD HAVE TO FIX IT. *TR
ON ACCELERATION FROM BEING STOPPED THE TRANSMISSION WOULD MAKE A SERIES OF POPPING SOUNDS. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED TO BE A STRETCHED DRIVE CHAIN IN THE TRANSMISSION. INSTANCES OF HIGH TORQUE WOULD CAUSE THE CHAIN TO SKIP PAST TEETH, CAUSING THE POPPING NOISE. DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT IF PROBLEMS THAT PLAGUE THE CD4E TRANSMISSION THE ENTIRE UNIT WAS REPLACED. *TR
HAD TRANSMISSION REPLACED IN 2010 AFTER HARD SHIFTING AND SKIPPING GEARS, SAME PROBLEM AGAIN STARTED IN SEPTEMBER 2012. SHOULD NOT BE REPLACING A TRANSMISSION EVERY TWO YEARS. *TR
SMOKE CAME FROM AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN. *TR
TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. WHILE TRYING TO MAINTAIN SPEED TO EXIT THE FREEWAY, THE ENGINE STARTED TO OVERHEAT. AS SOON AS I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO THE LOCAL GAS STATION PARKING SPOT, THE ENGINE DIED. THE TRANSMISSION APPEARS TO NEED A REBUILD. *TR
2002 MAZDA 626 TRANSMISSION BROKE ON ME AT 107,000 ODO . *TR
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR
AUTO TRANSMISSION HAS CONSTANT PROBLEMS WITH LEAKING AND SHIFTING. TONS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE OF PROBLEMS WITH THESE CARS. WHY CANT SOMETHING BE DONE ABOUT THIS LIKE A RECALL? *TR
FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION, 2002 MAZDA 626, TWICE IN LAST 6 MONTHS. CAR LURCHES, STALLS, WILL NOT SHIFT INTO GEARS, HAVE BEEN STUCK ON BUSY FREEWAY. ALSO FUEL PUMP JUST CUTS OFF AND CAR WILL NOT START. *TR
TRANSMISSION FAILURE, 2002 MAZDA 626 4CYL. TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING AND SHIFTING HARD BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS. 97,000 MILES BUT HAD REGULAR "HARSH CONDITIONS" MAINTENANCE AS IT WAS BEING OPERATED IN THE AZ DESERT HEAT. TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT BUT NOW SHIFTS HARD 1ST TO 2ND IN ADDITION TO 2ND AND 3RD DESPITE BEING SENT BACK. THERE ARE WIDESPREAD FAILURES OF 626 TRANSMISSIONS BUT MAZDA WAS NEVER FORCED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO ISSUE A RECALL. THE TRANSMISSION IS TOO SMALL FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE PER SOME REPORTS. $2,500 FOR REBUILT TRANSMISSION. I'VE NEVER HAD A AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GO OUT THIS SOON AND I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 35 YEARS. *TR
2002 MAZDA 626 ES, LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING FAILED. FRONT DRIVE SHAFT FAILED. *TR
2002 MAZDA 626 TRANSMISSION CHAIN FAILURE. CAR HAS ONLY 72K MILES ON IT, NEEDS ENTIRE RE-BUILT TRANSMISSION COSTING OVER $1900.00. *TR
88 total