1997 Mazda 626 Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 233 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 1997 Mazda 626, 65% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 90,650 miles. The words owners use most often: “transmission failed” (11% of reports).
- 233power train complaints
- 90,650median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $4,000typical repair cost reported by owners
- 48%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Transmission failed: mentioned in 25 of 233 complaints (11%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 1997 Mazda 626 at $4,000, and half of them between $3,400 and $4,800.
Based on 29 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2002–2008), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 132 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 233 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 4 an injury.
Mazda 626 power train complaints by model year
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 1997 Mazda 626. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Left home to go to work made it about 3 miles from my home and my transmission quit working as i was in the middle of a hwy. I was turning onto from a side street. I was about hit as my mazda would not go and quit working on a blind corner. *tr
We recently bought or mazda 626 from a dealer we were told that we were getting a quality car. We were fooled. With in the first week we had to buy part after part.change the trans fluid, change the distributor , spark plug wires, spark plugs, router motor, ignition coil, clean fuel injectors…
Cpsc#i1190531a. 1997 mazda 626. Consumer stated when she brought the car it had severe transmission issues, and began smoking severely once taken the speed limit. She also stated it resulted in being towed on the 6th day of having the vehicle purchased. *ln
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Mazda 626s have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 233 owner complaints about power train for the 1997 Mazda 626 (65% of the 358 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Mazda 626 power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 90,650 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 1997 Mazda 626?
Owners report a typical cost of $4,000 (half paid between $3,400 and $4,800), from 29 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 1997 Mazda 626?
The most frequent phrase is “transmission failed”, in 25 of 233 complaints.
See all 1997 Mazda 626 problems or power train problems across all 626 years.