Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Mazda 626 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
WHEN ENGAGING THE IGNITION SWITCH TO START THE VEHICLE, SMOKE COMES FROM THE STEERING COLUMN, I MUST IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF THE CONTACT POSITION. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS SECONDS AFTER THE IGNITION SWITCH IS ENGAGED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MAZDA 626. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN OVER TO START THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE FAILURE WAS PROGRESSING TO THE POINT THAT THE VEHICLE MAY NOT START INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.
WHEN ENGAGING IGNITION SWITCH TO START VEHICLE, SMOKE COMES UP FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. HAVE TO IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF SWITCH. THIS PROBLEM STARTED 2011. VEHICLE IS IN STORAGE AT THIS TIME.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MAZDA 626. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED CAUSING THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL WIRES TO CATCH ON FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE FIRE INITIATED DUE TO A IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V674000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 156,000.
DT: THE CONTACT COMPLAINED ABOUT VEHICLE PROBLEMS ON FEBRUARY 27, 2001, WHEN DRIVING AT 60 MPH THE VEHICLE SHOOK. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE DEALER REPLACED IT. THE CONTACT STATED ON MARCH 15, 2005 THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS RUNNING HOT, THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC. THERE WAS NO WARNING AND NO NOISE.*AK THE HEAD GASKET AND ALTERNATOR FAILED. UPDATED 11/16/05. *JB
AFTER STARTING THE CAR AND DRIVING, WHEN CAR IS TURNED OFF WILL NOT RESTART, FOR 15 MINUTES TO 2 HRS. *NM
AUGUST 26, 2003 THE MAZDA WAS IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT. APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE MAZDA STARTED STUTTERING. WE HAD THE MAZDA PUT ON COMPUTER AND WAS TOLD IT NEEDED NEW SENSOR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUE TO GO ON AND OFF. IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE MAZDA STARTED STUTTERING AND LOST SPEED AND THAT LED TO NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP SPEED UP AND WHEN WE ENTERED THE TRAFFICE LIGHT IT TURNED YELLOW THEN WHILE WE WERE UNDER IT IT TURNED RED AND WE WERE HIT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. SEPT 26, 2003 I AM APPROXIMATELY 115 MILES FROM HOME THE OVER DRIVE LIGHT STARTS FLASHING AND I LOSE SPEED AGAIN THE ENGINE IS SMOKING. THE CAR IS TOWED BACK TO CHARLESTON, SC WHERE I LIVE. I HAD TO SPEND 3HRS AT A REST AREA ALL ALONE WITH MY 15 YR OLD DAUGHTER. THIS IS THE EXACT REST AREA WERE A WOMAN WAS MURDERED 2 YEARS AGO. WE WERE SCARED TO DEATH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON. I AM ON MY WAY TO THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP TODAY FOR ESTIMATE. I THINK MAZDA HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN PUTTING OUT LEMONS NOT CARS. I WANT AND WILL JOIN CLASS ACT LAWSUIT.
I BOUGHT MY 1999 MAZDA 626LX USED IN JUNE OF 1999 WITH 39,000 MILES ON IT AND THROUGHOUT THE TWO YEARS THAT I HAD IT I'VE GOTTEN SERVICED MORE TIMES THAN I CAN EVEN COUNT. OVER THE PAST 8 MONTHS THE PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR HAVE BEEN GETTING WORSE. INITALLY THE CAR WAS SHUTTING OFF OCCASIONALLY WHENEVER I CAME TO A STOP. THAT ALONE SCARED ME AND I FEARED DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE BECAUSE OF THIS. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT MY SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED SO I DID THAT BUT THE SAME DAY THAT I GOT IT FIXED THE SAME THING HAPPENED AND CAR STARTED DRIVING VERY ROUGH. ALTHOUGH THE CAR HAS NOT SHUT OFF ON ME LATELY IT HAS DONE SOME VERY WEIRD THINGS LIKE DRIVING WHILE THE CAR IS IN REVERSE. I PARKED THE CAR ONE DAY IN AN AWKWARD WAY SO I WANTED TO CORRECT MYSELF AND WHEN I TRIED TO REVERSE THE CAR KEPT ON DRIVING FORWARD (I'M LUCKY THERE WASN'T ANOTHER CAR IN FRONT OF ME) AND IT WAS HARD TO SHIFT INTO PARK WHEN I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO DO THAT I TURNED TO CAR OFF BUT THEN COULDN'T GET IT TO COME BACK ON SO I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFT INTERLOCK GEAR. SINCE I 'VE GOTTEN MY CAR BACK IT DRIVES WORSE THAN EVER BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS, I CAN ONLY DRIVE IN OVERDRIVE, THE CAR SHAKES WHEN IT SHIFTS GEARS AND AT CERTAIN SPEEDS IT THRUSTS FORWARD WITH SO MUCH FORCE THAT I IT FEELS LIKE I'VE JUST BEEN REAR-ENDED. FORTUNATELY, I HAVEN'T HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION BUT AFTER READING OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THIS CAR I FEAR THAT THE TIME MAYBE COMING SOON ESPECIALLY SINCE I JUST REACHED 83,000+ MILES. WITH ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS PROBLEM MAZDA SHOULD REALLY TAKE ACTION ON THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THESE CARS ARE UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND PERSONALLY I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MAZDA AGAIN. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTING PROBLEM, IRREGULAR RPM'S WHEN IDLING, POPPING NOISE IN FRONT (SUSPENSION?) WHEN DRIVING OVER BUMPS AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED I.E. HIGHWAYS, INTERIOR LIGHT FAULTY,
VEHICLE STALLED AT 60MPH WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER CONSUMER PULLED VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. DEALER STATED STALLING WAS CAUSED BY AN ENGINE ROD FAILURE AND WAS COMMON. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
ON 10/13/2000 WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED ON THE RADIO CAME ON FOR A SECOND THEN SHUT DOWN AND DID NOT COME ON AGAIN, THE DOOR LIGHT ON DASHBOARD STAYED ON & ALL DOORS WERE SHUT, THE SEAT BELT LIGHT STAYED ON WHILE THE SEAT BELT WAS BEING WORN, KEYLESS ENTRY DID NOT SOUND, POWER WINDOWS STOP WORKING, FINALLY ON THAT DAY WHILE COMING TO A STOP THE CAR SHUT DOWN. LATER ON 10/15/2000, WHEN THE FRONT DEFOGGER WAS TURNED ON AND THE CAR WAS JUST IDILING THE CAR BEGAN ACT AS IF WANTED TO TURN OFF AND SHAKE. ON 10/18/2000 MY CAR WENT INTO THE SHOP WHEN IT WAS RETURNED TO ME ON 10/20/2000 AND I WOULD STEP ON THE BRAKE MY RADIO WOULD START CUTTING OFF AGAIN. I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE SHOP ON 10/25/2000 FOR THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM AND I HAVEN'T SEEN MY CAR SINCE. SL. *AK
I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE, NEW, ON APRIL 8, 1999. IMMEDIATELY I NOTICED PROBLEMS, THE CAR MADE AN ODD NOISE AND VIBRATION AT REST, THIS WAS REPAIRED, A MISSING BOLT FROM THE HEAT SHIELD . THE CD PLAYER STOPPED WORKING WITHIN 10 DAYS OF PURCHASE, REPLACED. WARPED WIND DEFLECTER REPLACED, AND BLOWN INTERIOR LIGHT FUSES. THE MAJOR PROBLEM OF COURSE IS THE TRANSMISSION. CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALER ON APRIL 19, 1999 REPORTED CONCERNS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, SHIFTING ROUGHLY, LURCHING AND SLIPPING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. TECHNICIAN TEST DROVE CAR, SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM, DID NOT DO ELECTRONIC ANALYSIS OF TRANSMISSION. I INDICATED MY CONCERN REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION TO MAZDA CORP. IN THE MAZDA CARE SURVEY AS WELL. ON DEC. 15, I WENT TO DEALERSHIP AND DEMANDED THAT A TECH. RIDE WITH ME AS I EXPRESSED CONCERNS. CAR HAD ALMOST CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING 3 DAYS BEFORE. I HAD TO RENT A CAR TO GO TO FLORIDA BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID TO PUT CAR ON THE ROAD. CAR WAS LEFT WITH DEALER, AND FINALLY FOUND TO HAVE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THEY WANT TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION, AND THEN OFFER ME A 12,000 MILE WARRANTY ON THE REPLACED TRANSMISSION, WHEN I CURRENTLY HAVE 35,000 MILES REMAINING AN MY BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. THIS IS INEQUITABLE, AND UNACCEPTABLE. THIS CAR WAS SOLD TO ME WITH A FAULTY TRANSMISSION, AND I WANT A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE (NEW) OR MY MONEY.
AFTER HAVING VEHICLE REPAIRED, INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE SURGES AND STALLS. ALSO, DEALER HAS REPLACED THE BATTERY CABLE. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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