Mazda Transmission Failure

Consumer Complaints & Reviews

curt of Hawthorne , CA on Aug. 1, 2011

Satisfaction Rating: 1/5

I have a 2005 Mazda 3, 2.3L hatch with 95,000 miles on it. I'm not a racer, I'm a diligent driver who enjoys driving what used to be a nice inexpensive car. My transmission has failed. I now only have 1st and 3rd gear available to use to drive to shop. I talked to a Mazda mechanic who told me quite frankly, "Due to the mileage, Mazda will do nothing to repair this transmission". Gee, nice to see a company stand behind its product.

Oh, by the way, I'm 46 years old, have over 30 years of licensed driving experience and about 6 years beyond that driving on a farm. Never have I burned out a transmission before. I've even been driving a car older than I am for 10 years with a V8 engine, and the transmission is still strong. Mazda has obviously built an inferior transmission (due to the number of complaints found online at any given time). Like I said, I'm a good driver, a gentle driver and I don't "get on it" while driving.

Laura of Pomeroy, OH on Feb. 13, 2003

I have a Mazda 626 DX, 1995 model. After 65,000 miles, my transmission is gone bad. It is costing about $2500 to have it replaced. I called Mazda and the answer is that was my fault?? I drove the car about 10 miles a day, very gently, how was that my fault? There were many folks on the net that complain about the same issue, Mazda should have a recall on its transmissions!

Holly of Wilmington, NC on Feb. 11, 2003

I've tried contacting Mazda about this and have had no help or advice. I have a 1995 GREEN Mazda mx6. The paint on my car as well as other GREEN 1995 Mazdas is fading terribly. When I called Mazda they told me because of the age of the car, there is nothing they can do.

I feel that there should be a recall on that year's paint. There is not. I'm pretty sure that if all the other 1995 green Mazda owners put 2 and 2 together, they would notice the problem as well. At first, I thought that it was just my car that was doing this. The more time went by, and more of the paint starting fading, I found that all of the other 1995 green Mazdas were doing this as well. No other colors or year. I think that Mazda should, without a doubt, recall or offer to repaint these cars. I know it has age on it, but if I'd known when I bought the car that only the green ones were going to do this, I would've gotten another color.

Annette of Hartland, WI on Aug. 12, 2002

I purchased a new 2002 Mazda Protege 5 for my son the day after Christmas 2001. The vehicle transmission locked up while he was shifting from 4th to 5th gear while going through an intersection at 45 mph. Mazda alleges it is abuse because of premature tire wear. I have had the subject components: trans., clutch, and pressure plate examined by mechanics with as much as 42 years experience and they cannot believe Mazda didn't cover the repairs.
They say they would have reused the clutch. I have had an attorney review the case. While he believes I have a case - a transmission should not fail in under 7000 miles for any reason - I would have to front the expense for expert witnesses, so I have taken the approach to make other consumers aware of how Mazda has treated me as a customer.
Economic damage to repair = $4000. My 17-year-old son has suffered great anger. He doesn't understand how a dealer and maufacturer can get away with what they have. I paid for the repairs; it took over 30 days to get parts.

My cowoker, who is also a mechanic, examined the parts after disassembly 10 days after the vehicle was taken in. He agrees that the failure is not due to abuse. The clutch and pressure plate did not exhibit signs of abuse; he subsequently sold his Mazda as he does not want to be associated with a company that treats consumers the way I was treated.

Theran of Dandridge, TN on Aug. 5, 2002

I have read with interest a complaint by David of VA about his transmission. We purchased a 1995 Mazda in 1995; at about 40,000 miles the transmission went out and was replaced by a Mazda dealer. We took the car in for a 90,000 mile service which included a transmission fluid and filter replacement, and the day we picked it up, with about 70 miles on it, a dashboard light began blinking. We took it back and the dealer informed us that the transmission assembly needs to be replaced at a cost of $2400. The 90,000 mile service itself was over $400.

I feel that the transmission in this car is/was/has been defective, this would be the third transmission in 103,000 miles. The lack of their acceptance of any responsibility and the exhorbitant cost to me is appalling.

Beth of Birmingham, AL on May 18, 2002

I bought my 1997 Mazda 626 new and at 87,000 miles the transmission has gone out. Fortunately, I am under the extended warranty. However, after researching these transmissions, I was upset to find that it is a Ford transmission, and there are plenty of people having the same problem with these transmissions. Apparently the car was not designed to adequately keep the transmissions cool enough and they are basically burning themselves up. I will have a transmission cooler kit installed after finding out about this to hopefully keep the rebuilt one cooler.

I am angry that Mazda is not taking any responsibility for these faulty transmissions. They need to know that putting these Ford transmissions in their cars has hurt their reputation tremendously! I will not buy another Mazda, nor will a lot of others out there. I am having to pay for the rental car, however, the warranty company will reimburse me. I feel very sorry for all of the others out there that are out of warranty and stuck with a car that I feel was designed improperly!

Jahida of Orange, NJ on Jan. 25, 2002

Purchased 2000 Mazda Protege in November of 2000. Transmission failed on December 31, 2000, replaced with brand new transmission by Mazon Service in January of 2001. Brakes had to be replaced on two seperate occassions within the same year. As of January 24, 2002 fluid is leaking from the transmission, and there is a chance that the axle is broken.
The car was purchased brand new, it was not a floor model. I have made numerous attempts to rectify this situation, I have made no progress thus far. I called Maxon Mazda Service, spoke to Wayne he said there is nothing he can do until Monday (Jan. 28, 2002), when I called again and asked for the number for Consumer Affairs they completely changed their tune and said "bring in the car immediately, it is unsafe to drive".

The consequences are that they keep telling me they are going to repair the vehicle, but apparently they never fix it. I have two small children to transport each day, their safety is in jeapordy. I am constantly without transportation, because I have to keep putting the car in for service. This vehicle is causing a great deal of stress because I have to pay for a car that is not reliable and does not function properly. I am afraid to drive this car.

Ray of Graham, WA on Nov. 28, 2001

After 70,000 miles the transmission went on our 1997 Mazda Protege. We took it to a certified transmission company and he in turn told us the parts in the transmission were faulty with metal particles found in the transmission fluid. (Faulty transaxle) The result was the cost of a new transmission for $2,877.83 and $43.34 for the fluid change.

Steven of Wheatley Heights, NY on Nov. 15, 2001

In 1995 I purchased a brand new Mazda 626 LX, I have had my transmission replaced 2 times and it has seized again. I understand that there is a manufacturing defect. I have parked my car and have not been able to afford another $2,000.00 repair. The first 2 defective transmissions were replaced at the Mazda dealership. Now I have no car. $17,000.00 to drive a car for 5 years?

Quanetta of Stockton, CA on Aug. 7, 2001

I just purchased my car this year in January from an auction. Now I'm experiencing problems that I having been dreading, associated with the transmission type that was installed from Ford. I don't have the amount of maney it takes to rebuild or repair the transmission. I called the dealer and they told me that there are no recalls regarding the transmission so I have to pay for the cost, which is $650 for labor and $1991 for the transmission.
I viewed a lot of the same problems from people who filed a complaint with the NHTSA website and found that there are over 500 people complaining about the same thing but, they just won't issue a recall on the CD4E transmission that are installed in the Mazda from 1994-1997. They only issued serveral technical service bullentins. For my car alone there are 45 TBS.

I feel that someone with the power to enforce the recall on the automobiles should investigate the matters a little more carefully to help the consumers. Mazda dealers are getting away with first installing the defective transmission that will last for so many miles then you have to get it replaced. Then for so many miles again it will go out then it needs to be replaced again and so forth. I have researched the findings of how many times a year someone needs their transmission repaired a year which is 3-4 times a year. That is ridiculous.

Christopher of Wilmington, DE on March 31, 2000

The transmission on my 1996 Mazda 626 went bad after only 65,000 miles. Although it was after the warranty, I felt that this was entirely too soon for the transmission to go bad. I have written several letters to the company, but they are adamant about not reimbursing. Since then, I have found out through an internet site that this is not uncommon. There are numerous complaints about Mazda's transmissions. It appears that the company is in denial about the problems, and they are not supportive of their customers.

I paid $2,650 to have my transmission rebuilt. Additionally, I have over a year's worth of car payments to make to Mazda Credit. It's salt in the wound.