Engine complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
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.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Mazda 626. The contact stated that the vehicle shut off without warning. The vehicle underwent regularly scheduled maintenance and oil changes prior to the failure. Firestone stated that oil was leaking in the engine and under the motor. The contact took the vehicle to ice cold motors and they changed the valve cover gasket. Ice cold motors discovered an issue with the vehicle, but did not provide any further explanation. The current and failure mileages were 86,000.
The engine is misfiring causing the check engine light to come on. The first two times I took the car in for this problem they replaced spark plugs and told me I was putting "bad gas" in the car; the third time they replaced a distributor cap, the fourth the ignition wires, the fifth the computer in the car, and now for the sixth attempt they are replacing valve one in the engine. The dealer has had my car for 31 days (21 business days) and as of yesterday, even after replacing the valve in the engine, the problem has still not been corrected. I've had a rental car for the 31 days they've had my car. I purchased the optional insurance because my insurance agent advised me to do so (what the rental company expects in the event of an accident is much higher than what an insurance company would pay...therefore I would be responsible for the difference). …
I've had numerous problems with this car since 03/2001. I purchased it new from marlin Mazda. This car has stalled several times while driving. The sunroof and corner roof between the front windshield and driver door leaked water when it would rain. January 2003 my car ran hot, the air conditioning was not blowing.they said they replaced the head on my engine and that some hose was not connected, this is why my air wasn't blowing? My car stalled on me 08/27/03. No warning lights came on. The car wasn't even hot. Towed to marlin Mazda.I paid for new battery. I asked them to chaeck under hood to be sure no other problems, they told me at least $500 to check engine thoroughly? Week later stall again. This time towed to ocean Mazda,knocking noise under hood, they said it is the engine and oil pump. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Mazda 626. When the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal odor of fuel inside the cabin. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer (perry Ford, 440 hitchcock way, santa barbara, ca 93105 [phone]), but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The failure mileage was 44,825. The VIN was not available.
Vehicle began to make pinging noise, that was only noticeable under heavy acceleration, thus causing me, the driver, to acclerate with gingerly. Approx. One day after the engine made pinging noise no matter how fast or slow the vehicle accelerated, eventually leading up to the following: the car was at a speed of approx 55-60 MPH on the freeway, when all of a sudden the pinging got louder, the engine lost all power, a loud noise occured, something appeared to shoot from underneath the vehicle, and smoke began to pour from under the hood. After the vehicle was towed to a local service station, I was then told that an engine rod blew through the engine block, thus requiring a new engine. Approx 1 1/2 to 2 weeks prior an oil change was performed on the vehicle, and thereafter the car ran with no problems at all up until the pinging occurance. …
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. …
I was driving and the car was losing speed even though my foot was on the gas pedal. I took my foot off for a moment and then pushed on the gas pedal again hoping to regain speed. I did not regain any speed, and it continued to drop. I was able to get a break in traffic where I could turn into a small parking lot to remove myself from traffic. As I began to make the turn I noticed that I had lost all power steering and had to turn the car manually. When I got into the parking lot, I had help attempting to jump the vehicle to see if that was the problem, but nothing worked. I called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to my local mechanic. As they were attempting to locate the problem it was discovered that the timing belt had "jumped". This was caused by the tensioner spring breaking. …
Related recalls (2)
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. An external spring in the timing belt tensioner could break.
Remedy: Dealers will check the tensioner installed and replace it if the vehicle is equipped with the affected tensioner.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. An external spring in the timing belt tensioner can break and get caught in the timing belt.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tensioner and replace it if necessary.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mazda 626 years have engine problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (83), 1999 (50), 1997 (41), 1996 (34) and 1995 (28) model years. Engine complaints make up 19% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Mazda 626 engine problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 00V-134 (engine, May 9, 2000); 98V206001 (engine, Sep 8, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mazda 626 engine problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles; 12% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the engine (103 mentions), followed by the engine › gasoline (49).
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.