2002 Mazda 626

No clear pattern

2.1% of complaints about the 2002 Mazda 626 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2002 vehicle, but with only 96 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is power train (69 complaints), typically at 5.4 yr or about 72,200 miles.

Complaints: 96
Median age at failure: 5.0 yr
Median mileage: 73,000 n=64
Crash / fire / tow: 7.3% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Power train mileage not reported 2.2 yr in service

2002 MAZDA 626 LX, TRANSMISSION IS JERKY, BROUGHT TO 3 DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, TOLD ME THAT IT IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF 626'S. VERY WORRIED THAT SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN SOON IF SOMETHING ISN'T DONE. GOING TO CONTACT MAZDA TODAY.*AK

Power train 5,000 mi 2.2 yr in service

MAJOR TRANSMISSION FAILURE AGAIN WITH MY MAZDA 626. SECOND TIME SINCE PURCHASE OF THE CAR. ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 5,000 MILES AND A REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED. SECOND MAJOR FAILURE CAME JUST THE OTHER DAY. *LA

Power train mileage not reported 2.2 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING, SPEED NOT ESTIMATED, THE OVER DRIVE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE DRIVER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE OWNER THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *NLM

Other 626 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2002 Mazda 626

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other 626 model years

How to read this