Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Mazda 626 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The transmission in my 1999 Mazda 626 burned up at 51, 590 miles. Two delaer mechanics said the failure was due to driving at speeds over 70mph for an extended period of time. One of them said he has seen a lot of this in the 626s for a few years . Of course, Mazda no longer makes the 626. I was driving between 75 and 80mph for approximately 2.5 hours. It turns out Mazda did not install transmission coolers on the 626 for several years. The cooler, according to Mazda, is an after factory part. Unfortunately, the consumer is not told that their car does not have this and that if they drive at highway speeds for an extended period of time they May face thousands of dollars in repairs. The cooler, which Mazda does not make, costs around $100.00 depending on labor, etc. …
At present I own a 1999 Mazda 626es and am extremely dissatisfied with Mazda, Ford, and this vehicle overall. The 626 has caused me a lot of headaches and money. Every time I turn around there s something wrong with this vehicle. I recognize that all cars must be maintained according to the dealer suggested maintenance schedules to get the full life out of the vehicle (which I do), but this is absolutely preposterous! The priciest expense was the transmission that I replaced December 2002. With a price tag of $2900.00 for a rebuilt transmission, you would think it would be rebuilt to last longer than 1 year. Yep, here it is January 2004 and the Ford transmission that was placed in my car is slipping! And of course, the 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty the Mazda dealership offers has now expired. I just felt a need to express my sincere disappointment in the Mazda brand. …
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 bought a used 1999 Mazda 626 ex from a Mazda dealership in November 2000. It was a "gold check certified" car. While we were buying the car, the dealership was sold to capital Mazda of cary. We never received any recall notifications about the car, though we did receive solicitations for service and repair work, warranties, or to buy a new car. In April 2004, we drove the car from raleigh nc to charleston sc, and the transmission went out. We had our 3 year old and 1 month old in the car, in the heat, walking to get help. The aamco dealer told us it was a manufacturing defect of the Ford transmission. There was a crack inside the transmission which he said was an "inherent defect." we had no choice but to repair it so we could get home. We are very upset that we had to pay $2000 to fix it when it is clearly a manufacturing problem - we feel that Mazda sold us a defective product. …
I bought a 1999 Mazda 626 lx in November of 1998. VIN [redacted] the time the warranty ran out I had taken my car into an oil change franchise. They suggested that I flush and renew the transmission fluid. So I did. That's when all the problems began. I then drove the car from nj to fl where I lived. It started burning up a lot of oil so I took it into to Mazda. They said that it was well known that my make and model car runs hot. They said they could not see anything wrong with what the oil change franchise did. They recommended that I put a radiator on the transmission to keep it from boiling...which is what it was doing. I believe it is the boiling transmission which has cause my engine to heat up so much that the oil has gunked my engine. …
Refer to odi 10150361. Want to clarify that purchased vehicle new 6-28-99. Trans went out at 87000 miles. Had rebuilt. Never shifted correctly when new. Even worse after rebuild. Reverse shifted very roughly after very apparent pause. Called Mazda dealership purchased from, they didn't care. Said nothing was wrong with it. Had rebuilt 23 months ago. Already went out at christmas 2005. Had rebuilt. Lasted two days - returned to trans shop. Went back to the shop today for the 5th time since was "rebuilt" again at christmas. No one drove the car/sat in driveway after picked up the last time. Decided to take through car wash today, and didn't make it out of the driveway - so no car wash. Wanted to get it ready to trade off, and trans started slipping and jerking again. O/d light flashing, check engine light on again. Won't shift into reverse. Same thing again. …
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. …
This is totally incredible!! How can this many complaints go by with out Mazda doing something about this!? I bought a 1999 Mazda 626, with just at 59,000 almost 60,000 miles on it, this summer. And now this winter, a few months later, with almost 67,000 miles... I am having most of the problems that everyone else is having...flashing od light and horrible transmission problems. Transmission has to be warm to run smooth... Other wise it hesitates when shifting into gear and even then it shifts hard when running down the road... So bad that I sound like I am peeling out when taking off from a stop. This mainly happens when the car has only been running a little while. After being warm and driving a while transmission is OK except for at stop lights. Then transmission seems to shift (feels like I am being "tapped" by another car from behind). …
1999 Mazda 626 transmission died I have been informed by reading on the forums about transmission problems on the Mazda 626. I just purchased this car about a year ago with about 110K miles (the car was in excellent shape). I have put about 7K miles and three weeks ago the transmission started to slip. A couple of months ago I took a trip and on the way back home the o/d light came on and it did not turn off until I stopped at a rest stop and the car cooled down. I guess it was a sign the transmission was overheating. Well, I have since taken it to a transmission shop and have been told that it needs to be rebuilt ($1500 min.). I have since tried driving it to another shop and now it runs for a couple of minutes and quits. Will not move at all. I turn if off and wait a couple of minutes to let it cool off and it works again for another couple of minutes. What a crock!! …
Purchased a 1999 Mazda 626 in February of 2003 with 28,000 miles. Car has been great until recently in 2009 the transmission has started to develop problems. It now slips in second gear, I cannot drive on the interstate for fear that the infamous o/d off light will start to flash and leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere. This occurs sometimes after a short period of maybe 30 minutes or more driving 70 MPH, and sometimes at 65mph. When it does happen, the car looses power, and burns up the transmission fluid. Also when it happens, you risk the chance of nearly blowing the transmission, being run off the road, being forced to stop in the middle of nowhere, and being in a serious accident, because the car all of sudden stops moving!this is so sad that I cannot really enjoy my vehicle, as well as many others here! …
Transmission complaints in other 626 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 1999 Mazda 626?
NHTSA has 233 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 1999 Mazda 626, 73% of the model year's 318 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (219 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Mazda 626 transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 1999 Mazda 626, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Mazda 626 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.