NHTSA — Power Train: Automatic Transmission Problems

2002 Mazda MPV (Page 1 of 3)

2.4

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,521 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Mazda MPV transmission problems

transmission problem

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2002 Mazda MPV Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #53

Jun 162011

MPV

  • 96,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Mazda mpb. The contact stated that he was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the gear selector lever needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 96,000.

- Oakland , CA, USA

problem #52

Apr 042009

MPV

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Mazda MPV. The contact stated that the transmission had been slipping on and off for the past two years. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 136,000.

- Athens, WI, USA

problem #51

Oct 082010

MPV

  • 91,650 miles
I was driving my 2002 Mazda MPV minivan with 91,000 miles on it on the freeway and when I tried to accelerate, it would not shift into higher gear. It seemed to go into neutral and I began loosing speed. I have done all maintenance as was suggested in the handbook by Mazda. In fact, Mazda has done all of the maintenance. This was incredibly dangerous as there were no warning signs. I was told by Mazda that it needed a new transmission and Mazda refused to accept any responsibility for this even though it is a known issue with this model and year.

- El Cerrito, CA, USA

problem #50

Aug 082010

MPV

  • 94,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a 2002 Mazda MPV. It has about 94,000 miles on it. Recently while driving the car, I was trying to increase speed but the car would not go faster, instead the car began to redline and decrease in speed. When I applied pressure to the gas pedal the car was running but did not move. I had to pull over on the shoulder of the highway, luckily I was in the slow lane otherwise I may have caused a severe accident. There was no indication the car had any problems, no warning light or system failure light at all. The car was towed to a local shop and I was told the transmission was shot. Cost to repair $2,600. After researching this problem I found that there seems to have been a recall Mazda of Japan for 81,000 vehicles. Also it is the number one problem cited for Mazda MPV vans some with far less mileage than mine. I am very upset about this incident as I was traveling with my two young children in the car at the time and was fearful for their safety.

- Pittstown, NJ, USA

problem #49

Aug 092010

MPV

  • 91,000 miles
2002 Mazda MPV transmission kept slipping out of gear.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #48

Jun 032010

MPV

  • 104,000 miles
We have a 2002 Mazda MPV (first owners) with 104K; followed all manufacturers recommendations for maintenance. Died on the way to work this morning, had to be towed to shop. They want 6000$ to replace transmission (with a rebuilt one). I'm shopping around. The car isn't worth 1/2 that for trade-in. We have had the trans module replaced about 3 years ago.

- Dayton, MD, USA

problem #47

Apr 302010

MPV

  • 67,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Complete transmission failure at 67,000 miles in our 2002 Mazda mpv2. All routine maintenance had been performed. I was driving on the highway (thankfully close to home) at the start of rush hour and was unable to maintain 40mph - the car would not shift down, the revs increased, but I had no acceleration. I was able to get most of the way home before the transmission started audibly whining and came to a complete stop. My 10 year old and I pushed it into the side of the road. We had the car towed to the local transmission shop who said we would need the transmission replaced. Mazda would not consider any out-of-warranty help unless we had the vehicle towed to a Mazda dealership (at a cost of $100 for us) and diagnosed there (another $100). Having done this, they said no help would be made available. They said this was at the discretion of the area service manager, but refused to give his contact details so we could not discuss this with him. We have researched this problem on this website, looking at problems listed under automatic transmission. The numbers of complete transmission failures needing replacement are as follows for the specific years: 2000 = 1 probable failure; 2001 = 1 probable failure; 2002 = 40 complete failures; 2003 = 1 failure; 2004 = 2 failures; 2005 = 0 failures; 2006 = 0 failures. It seems clear to us that there is a problem with the 2002 Mazda MPV transmission. People should realize that Mazda are not standing behind their product when there is an obvious problem like this. What will it take to get Mazda to accept some responsibility? it looks like this will cost nearly $4000 to fix. I don't think we'll be buying another Mazda..ever.

- Boulder, CO, USA

problem #46

May 012010

MPV

  • 117,694 miles
Transmission failure with no warning, all scheduled maintenance completed.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #45

Feb 062010

MPV

  • 111,000 miles
Transmission failed in my 2002 Mazda MPV at 111K miles. After reading several stories online that sound identical to mine, I felt compelled to file a complaint. I was travelling on a major interstate with 5 cubscouts and the transmission completely failed, leaving us stranded on the side of the road. Transmission gave no warning that it was about to fail, other than a few rough shifts from time to time. Mechanic checked fluid levels and pressure of transmission and all checked out okay after incident. This was not driver or maintenance error. The transmission will not engage at all in drive, low gears or reverse.

- Mount Juliet, TN, USA

problem #44

Jan 032010

MPV

  • 42,000 miles
On the freeway, my transmission failed and has to be replaced. My car only has 42,000 miles.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #43

Oct 132009

MPV

  • 53,583 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The transmission on my 2002 Mazda MPV failed with just 53,000 miles on it. I had noticed some problems shifting on hills and freeways. The repair man called it "flash shifting" when I took it in to be checked out. Dealer diagnosed the problem and performed a "reflash" of the transmission control module. 3 days later, the car lost the upper gears. Lost the others the next day. I had it towed to another repair shop as every time I take the car to the dealer, I'm back 2 months later with a more expensive repair. The transmission has now been pulled out 4 times in 6 weeks to be rebuilt, replace solenoids, etc. I have heard that many other Mazda MPV owners have had to replace transmissions on vehicles with even lower mileage than mine. I believe that this car is dangerous. I'm afraid to drive it with my 3 young sons. I'm so grateful that this happened in a parking lot at a soccer game and not on the freeway on the way to that soccer game. The results could have been disastrous. Mazda should be held responsible for selling cars with faulty transmissions. We are still waiting to get our car back from the third repair. Maybe it's finally fixed, maybe not.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

problem #42

Oct 312009

MPV

  • 40,800 miles
My husband and I own a 2002 Mazda MPV LX. Last week on Saturday, October 31, 2009, the transmission failed while my husband was driving on the walt whitman bridge coming to philadelphia. Although our van is 7 years old, it only has a little over 40,000 miles on it and we keep it in great condition. After having it towed to 2 different mechanics, it is now costing us between $2400-$2600 to have the transmission rebuilt. The Mazda dealer where we purchased the van told us it would cost $4,189 to rebuild the transmission. We are not in a financial position to purchase a new or used vehicle, so we are borrowing the money to pay for this costly problem. After reading hundreds of complaints regarding transmission failure (I'm sure there are a lot more) without warning on the 2002 Mazda MPV, especially at low mileage, I believe a recall of this vehicle is in order. I also believe the 2002 model of the Mazda MPV has a defective transmission. It is extremely dangerous to have this happen without any warning. Thank god the transmission failure did not cause an accident and that our children were not in the vehicle.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #41

Sep 032009

MPV 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Mazda mvp. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph on an incline, the transmission failed without any prior warnings. The contact shifted the vehicle into neutral in order to prevent himself from being rear-ended, he had to push the vehicle to a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and a technician concluded that the transmission pump was design defectively; however, upon notifying the manufacturer he was not provided any assistance. No repairs have been made. The current and failure mileages were 58,000. Updated 12/07/09 updated 12/09/09.

- Loiuville,, KY, USA

problem #40

Jan 162009

MPV

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles
My 2002 MPV suffered a complete transmission failure at about 75K miles, stalling out in morning traffic and needing to be pushed from the road. The transmission occasionally kicked when shifting since the car was new. I called Mazda, which refused to pay anything toward the repair, saying it had relinquished liability for a vehicle several years past warranty. Despite what I see in NHTSA's complaint log and elsewhere on the net, Mazda told me that it does not agree that the transmission on the 2002 MPV is unusually prone to failure. In the past seven months, this MPV has needed several other expensive engine repairs, some of which also repeatedly show up on the NHTSA complaint log: 3 ignition coils, a PCV hose, an idle control valve, and an oxygen sensor. This is quite a string of expensive failures for a car less than 7 years old. The dealer offered to do the transmission work for $3600, although it looks like I will have it done elsewhere for somewhat less. I strongly urge NHTSA to reevaluate whether a recall is merited for the 2002 MPV's defective transmission. The consumer stated he had to have 3 ignition coils, a PCV hose, and idle control valve nas a right upper oxygen sensor. Updated 02/12/09.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #39

Dec 112008

MPV

  • 72,000 miles
At 72K, transmission failed while driving at hwy speeds. Transmission went into neutral on its own. Had to replace transmission. Also all 6 coils have been replaced. 1 failed at approx. 38K, 2nd at 50K, the remaining at 72K.

- Kingwood, TX, USA

problem #38

Nov 222008

MPV

  • 104,000 miles
My van started jerking into 2nd gear and it had no pickup, I could feel it not catching gears so I took it to my mechanic and they say it needs a new transmission. It will cost between $2000 and $4000 to fix.

- Glover, VT, USA

problem #37

Sep 272008

MPV

  • 59,000 miles
I was driving our 2002 Mazda MPV, with only 59000 miles on it. We purchased the vehicle new in 2002. In this incident, I suddenly found that while driving at about 38 mph, I tried to accelerate (to 40 mph), and the vehicle decelerated instead. I repeatedly tried this, and the vehicle kept slowing instead of accelerating. We turned the car off, changed drivers in the shoulder, and repeated the same problem. There were no warning lights, just worsening of the problem, with extreme slowing. We managed to get the van to a service station. We were just informed that the transmission needs to be replaced. Something apparently snapped in the transmission, with no warning. The car will go in reverse, but will not go forward. We were headed for the highway that day, and are fortunate this happened where it did, not on a highway, but on a smaller road right near a service station. We are very lucky and extremely frustrated with Mazda. This severe and potentially dangerous problem could happen with no warning, on a well-maintained vehicle with relatively low mileage. The engine is being rebuilt for $2400, and we have been able to borrow a car for the duration of the repair. And by the looks of it, many owners of the 2002 Mazda have had the same problem!

- Maplewood, NJ, USA

problem #36

Jul 112008

MPV

  • 85,000 miles
Since new, hesitates between 40-50 mph, causing sudden loss of power, high rpms but no acceleration. Removing foot from gas van sometimes recovers. Has had transmission control module replaced as a result, then ignition coils were blamed and those were replaced one by one, sometimes more than once, then coolant temperature sensor went, now at 85,000 transmission went. Each event stranded my family by the side of the road and car had to be towed.

- Medford, NJ, USA

problem #35

Jun 162008

MPV

  • 95,000 miles
We have sent in our Mazda MPV 2002 van into 3 different dealerships six times for the same transmission issues. Everyone except one gave us a could not replicate problem answer. However, the one dealership that could replicate the problem said it was the mechanics of the transmission and we should not worry but logged in an incident during our warranty in case we had problems in the future. They also indicated that it would be handled as a warranty problem when and if the problem became worse and needed repaired. Now, the problem occurs all of the time with 3,4,5 gears shifting hard. Mazda has not corrected this issue and wants to charge me money for the repairs. After consulting two transmission specialist, they said it needed a rebuilt or replaced transmission.

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #34

Apr 042008

MPV 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 76,776 miles
O/D light flashing and harsh shift. My family and I was planning to take a trip to williamsburg va, and when I start the van, I discovered the O/D (over drive) light is flashing and harsh shifts. I took the van to amoco and ask to check my transmission. The service tech told me everything is normal, however we noticed your gears are not shifting smoothly. They could get any code of what causing. I left their shop and stopped by cottman transmission. They also scanned and couldn't get any code; they also test drive the van and also noticed same thing that amoco has told me. The tech has asked me to take to the dealer and give this bulletin # 05-001/04 (harsh shifts - reflash PCM). I dropped the car to the dealer over night and mention what have happened and also mentioned the bulletin number. I have received a call the following morning from the dealer service department. The service adviser has told me that I need a new transmission and when I ask how much, he said it will cost to you about $3200. This shocked me and decided to do some research. I found out this has happened to thousand of MPV 2002 owners, which one forum has suggested that I should file a complain here.

- Herndon, VA, USA

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