1999 MAZDA PROTEGE Complaints

MY SON PURCHASED A 1999 MAZDA PROTEGE LX LAST YEAR. HE HAS HAD MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING HOT. HE WAS TOLD HE NEEDED A TIMING BELT AND WATER PUMP. HE HAD THE CAR FIXED AT A COST OF $750.00. AGAIN THE SAME THING HAPPENED ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER. HE AGAIN IS BEING TOLD THAT HE NEEDS THE SAME WORK DONE. THIS TIME IT IS GOING TO COST HIM $900.00 AND THE ENGINE HAS TO BE TESTED TO SEE IF THERE IS NO DAMAGE. IF THERE IS DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE IT WILL BE MORE COSTLY. ALSO THE POWER LOCKS ARE DAMAGED AND THIS OCCURRED THE FIRST WEEK OF PURCHASE.*AK

I AM NOW HAVING TO PUT THE 3RD TRANSMISSION IN MY 99 MAZDA PROTEGE, THE FIRST TWO WERE AT MAZDA EXPENSE AND I FEEL THE 3RD SHOULD BE AS WELL SINCE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THIS MODEL.*AK

I OWNED A 1999 MAZDA PROTEGE THAT HAD THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT 49500 MILES. APPROXIMATELY 24 MONTHS LATER AT 85000 MILES, THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AS WELL. IN BOTH INSTANCES THE PROBLEMS WAS THE AXLE BREAKING THE RESTRAINING CLIP CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO MOVE OUT OF POSITION. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD THEN LEAK CAUSING SLIPPING AND LURCHING. THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION INSTALLED BY THE DEALER WAS A REBUILT TRANSMISSION THAT ONLY HAD A 12/12000 WARRANTY. *AK

CLUTCH FAILURE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME CLUTCH FAILED. FIRST TIME AT 57K, NOW AT 149K. FIRST TIME WAS FIXED AT MAZDA DEALERSHIP, BOTH REPLACED WITH MAZDA CLUTCH PARTS. HIGHWAY MILES USED MAJORITY OF TIME. *LA

MY CAR STARTED WITH UNINTENTIONAL ACCELERATION LAST FEB. 2003. THEN IT STARTED TO FELL LIKE THE GEARS WERE SLIPPING. THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER AND THEY COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. NOW, IT IS OCT. 2003 AND THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED. LAST NIGHT THE CAR GOT STUCK IN LOW GEAR AND WILL NOT REVERSE. THE RPM GO UP WHEN YOU TRY TO ACCELERATE, BUT THE CAR WILL NOT GO PAST 10 MILES AN HOUR. RIGHT NOW THE CAR IS AT THE DEALER'S SHOP AND I AM MAD!!! I AM A SINGLE MOM WHO BOUGHT THE CAR NEW. I'VE HAD ALL MAINTENANCE, AND I WANTED A CAR THAT WOULD LAST FOR 10 YEARS. NOW I FEEL CHEATED BY MAZDA!!

I BOUGHT THE CAR IN AUGUST 1999,IT HAD 12 MILES ON IT I HAD JUST GOTTEN RID OF ANOTHER PROTEGE 1994 THE MOST LOUSY CAR I HAD EVER SEEN,I HAD SPENT OVER$ 8,000 ON REPAIRS. 2 TRANSMISSIONS IN 2 YEARS. 2 SETS OF CV BOOTS ETC. ANYWAY I THOUGHT IF I COULD GET A NEW ONE I WOULD NOT HAVE ANY TROUBLE FOR A LONG TIME, IF ANY AT ALL. WELL,I HAD IT PROBABLY HAD IT ABOUT 6 MONTHS OR SO,AND IT STARTED MAKING A METALLIC RATTLING IN THE FRONT IN THE ENGINE. IT SOUNDS LIKE BACK IN THE OLD DAYS WHEN A CAR NEEDED OIL IT WOULD RATTLE LIKE A PIECE OF JUNK. THEY CHECKED IT OUT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING,TOOK IT BACK SEVERAL TIMES, SO THE SERVICE MANAGER JOE BURK VERY NICE MAN VERY HELPFUL. THEY CHANGED A FEW PARTS, POWER TRAIN ETC, PLEASE CHECK MY RECORDS WITH THEM IF YOU CAN, OR I WILL HAVE TO DIG IN MY FILES TO FIND ALL OF THE RECEIPTS.SO HE SUGGESTED THAT I TRY DIFFERENT GAS. WELL,I DID I TRIED ALL OF THEM COST ME ALMOST $1,500. MOBIL,EXXON,CHEVRON,TEXACO,SHELL MID GRADE GAS. ABSOLUTLEY DID NOTHING,THIS WENT ON FOR A YEAR.THIS IS ABOUT 2001. WELL IT SEEMS IT DOES THIS VERY BADLY WHEN IT GETS HOT. HE SAID THAT THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS IN HOUSTON WITH THEIR HEAT AND HUMIDITY. I ASK IF THIS DOES NOT WORK WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO? WELL MAZDA MENTIONED MAYBE GIVING ME ANOTHER CAR. THEY DECIDED TO PUT A BRAND NEW ENGINE IN IT,(A BRAND NEW CAR)BY THAT TIME IT HAD A LITTLE 20,000 MILES ON IT. I PAY $412.64 A MONTH ON A CAR THAT RATTLES LIKE A PIECE OF CRAP. THAT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AS OF THE WEEK OF AUGUST 4-8 TOOK IT BACK STILL DOING IT, THEY REPLACED THE POWER TRAIN ON IT AND IT STILL DOES IT. THEY LOOKED AT IT AGAIN. NOTHING CAN BE DONE,AS LONG AS I AM IN WARRANTY I AM ALRIGHT, BUT WHEN THAT RUNS OUT I AM SCREWED.

THE ABOVE DESCRIPTION IS THE FIRST TIME THE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN REPAIRED. NOW AT 47,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION IS OUT AGAIN. JOEY

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH THE CONSUMER REAR ENDED ANOTHER MOTORIST. NONE OF THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. AS A RESULT THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO HER STERNUM FROM IMPACTING THE STEERING WHEEL. *NM

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HIT THE REAR END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. FRONT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED NECK AND BACK INJURIES. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.

TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE AND DAMAGED THE FENDER WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED. FIRESTONE, SIZE P185/65R14, DOT# H406JDNO79. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE AND STEERING WHEEL STARTED SHAKING. THE CONSUMER TURNED OFF THE A/C, RADIO AND REDUCED SPEED TO LISTEN AND DETERMINE THE CAUSE. ONLY TWO EXITS AWAY FROM THEIR EXIT, THE CONSUMER HEARD A THUD. HE PULLED OVER AND SAW THE RIGHT REAR FENDER HANGING OFF TO THE CURB AND THE RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS BALD. ALL THE TREAD ON THE SURFACE WAS GONE. HE CHANGED THE TIRE, SECURED THE FENDER WITH DUCT TAPE AND WENT TO SEARS TO PURCHASE A NEW TIRE. CONSUMER SENT THE TIRE TO FIRESTONE/BRIDGESTONE FOR INSPECTION AND COMPENSATION. CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THERE INSPECTION SHOWED THAT THE TIRE WAS OPERATED FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME WITH INSUFFICIENT AIR PRESSURE TO CARRY THE LOAD. THE INSUFFICIENT AIR PRESSURE WAS EVIDENT BY THE DEFORMATION THROUGHOUT THE TIRE BEAD AREA. THEY CONCLUDED THAT THE TIRE FAILURE WASN'T THE RESULT OF DEFECTIVE MATERIALS OR WORKMANSHIP. THE TIRE WAS RETURNED TO THE CONSUMER UPON HIS REQUEST. THE INSURANCE COMPANY ESTIMATED DAMAGES AT $902.54. *PH *NLM