2002 MAZDA PROTEGE Complaints

TIRE: FIREHAWK GT BL 205/50R16 87V 50K MILE TIRE. TREAD SEPARATION WITH ONLY 13,582 MILES ON THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THE TIRE WAS OBSERVED TO BE FLAT. ATTEMPTS TO INFLATE FAILED. REMOVED TIRE AND NOTICED TWO PLACES ON THE INWARD SIDE WHERE TREAD WAS SEPARATING - ONE SPOT WAS JUST OVER AN INCH AND THE OTHER WAS JUST UNDER AN INCH. FULL SET (4) ORIGINALLY PURCHASED AT FIRESTONE COMPLETE AUTO CARE STORE, WHICH IS WHERE THE FAILED TIRE WAS TAKEN THE FOLLOWING MORNING. TIRE HAS SINCE BEEN DISCONTINUED AND WAS REPLACED BY A FALKEN ZIEX 912 BL 205/50R16 87V 40K MILE TIRE. HAD OTHER TIRES INSPECTED FOR SAME ISSUES THE NEXT DAY - SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATES THE OTHER THREE TIRES DO NOT SHOW ANY SIGNS OF THE PROBLEM. BASED ON TREAD DEPTH, WARRANTY COVERED CLOSE TO 90% OF REPLACEMENT TIRE. IN THE TWO WEEKS SINCE, THE REPLACEMENT TIRE APPEARS TO BE FINE - NO OBSERVABLE MIS-MATCH ISSUES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON 905 WEST, CLOSE TO THE 805 N EXIT, AND THE ROAD WAS BROKEN. THERE WAS A HOLE ON THE ROAD AND MY CAR'S TIRE EXPLOTED WHEN I DROVE BY IT. MY CAR'S ALIGNMENT IS LOST. I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF IT. UNFORTUNATELY I DIDN'T HAVE A GOOD SPARE TIRE SO I HAD TO DRIVE TO MY HOUSE WITH THE EXPLOTED TIRE, AND SINCE IT HAPPENED AT 10PM I WILL HAVE TO MISS WORK TO FIX IT, AND BUY A NEW TIRE. *TR

THE CAR BEGAN TO SHUTTER AND DROPPED FROM 50 TO 25 IN SECONDS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (CIL) STARTING FLASHING AND THE CAR BEGAN TO STUTTER LIKE IT WAS GOING TO DIE, I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CAR DIED. STARTED CAR AGAIN THE CIL CONTINUED TO FLASH, IT ONLY WOULD ACCELERATE TO 25 MILES AN HOURS EVEN WITH MY FOOT ALL THE WAY DOWN ON THE GAS. I TOOK IT TO THE A MECHANIC AND THE CODES WERE P0421, 171, 300. THE MECHANIC DID EVERYTHING FROM ENGINE FLUSH, SPARK PLUGS, OIL, AIR FILTERS AND INSTALLED A NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. ITS NOW A YEAR LATER AND THE CAR IS DOING THE EXACT SAME THING. *TR

SEATBELT WILL NOT LOCK IN ON DRIVER'S SIDE AND TODAY THE HANDLE BROKE ON THE INSIDE DRIVER'S SIDE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR! *TR

I HAVE A 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE. WERE THE UPPER PASSENGER SIDE MOTOR MOUNT ATTACHES TO THE CAR BODY, THE CAR BODY METAL IS SEVERELY RUSTED AND STARTING TO SEPARATE ON THE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I DID TAKE THE CAR TO A MAZDA BODY SHOP AND THEY QUOTED ME IN THE AREA OF $1,000.00 TO FIX THE ISSUE. I DO NOT FEEL IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY FOR THE FIX AS THIS IS AN AREA HIGH IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT NOT SUBJECT TO THE ELEMENTS. BASICALLY MAZDA HAS SOME PROBLEM WITH THE METAL, THE ANTI CORROSION TREATMENT OR THE FINISH TREATMENT TO THE METAL. THIS IS IN A PROTECTED AREA AND IF PROPERLY MADE SHOULD NEVER RUST. NEEDLESS TO SAY, A GOOD SOLID MOTOR MOUNT IS A CRITICAL ITEM. I FIRST NOTICED THIS PROBLEM ABOUT JUNE 1ST 2010. *TR

2002 MAZDA POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURES. PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, NOW ON ITS 3RD UNIT.. CAR, A 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE5 HAS APPROX. 102,000 MILES ON IT. FIRST FAILURE WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE WITH LOSS OF STEERING WITH NO WARNING NOTICED. 2ND PUMP LEAK WAS DETERMINED BY MECHANIC CAUSING ERRATIC STEERING PROBLEMS. FIRST PUMP (ON CAR WHEN NEW) FAILED AT 87,000 MILES, 2ND OCCRRED SOME 10,000 MILES LATER. THE THIRD PUMP HAS ONLY 3K MILES AND NO WAY OF TELLING HOW LONG IT WILL LAST. MAZDA DENIES ALL RESPONSIBILITY. PUMPS HAS BEEN REPLACED 2X AND ON ITS THIRD PUMP ON THIS CAR. OLD PART NOT LIKELY AVAILABLE. MAZDA TOLD OWNER THEY HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS (EVER?) WITH POWER STEERING PUMPS, A LIE. CHECK INTERNET FOR POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURES. CURRENTLY RECALLING 500,000 POWER STEERING PUMPS ON OTHER YEARS. BELIEVE THEY HAVE NOT ADMITTED THEIR COMPLETE PROBLEMS ON THESE UNITS TO THIS DATE. *TR

2002 PROTEGE HEATER FAN SWITCH MALFUNCTIONED AND MELTED PLUG AND SWITCH ALMOST CAUSED A FIRE BUT IT WAS SMOKING WHEN IT FRIED AND CAUSED THE 4TH SPEED OF THE FAN NOT TO WORK I HAD TO SPLICE A NEW PLUG IN TO FIX THE ISSUE AND TO KEEP IT FROM CATCHING FIRE I HAVE PICTURES IF NEEDED. *LN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MAZDA PROTG. THE CONTACT WAS ENTERING A PARKING SPACE WHEN THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE BRAKE BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND CRASHED INTO A POLE. SHE STATED THAT THE POLE STRUCK A BUILDING AND CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A CLAIM WAS FILED WITH HER INSURANCE COMPANY. THE FRONT BUMPER OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,624 AND THE APPROXIMATE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,000. UPDATED 2/22/11 *CN UPDATED 07/01/11

MYSELF, THE DRIVER, REAR-ENDED ANOTHER DRIVER AT A SPEED OF 35-40MPH. THE DRIVER SLAMMED ON HIS BRAKES AND I HAD NO TIME TO REACT. THE RESULT IS A TOTALED FRONT END W/ $4000+ OF REPAIRS. THE SEAT BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN ME AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CAR WILL BE TOTALED AND I SUFFERED EXTENSIVE BRUISING BECAUSE OF THIS FAILURE. *TR

ON 10/31/09, WHILE MOVING THE '02 MAZDA PROTEGE ES FROM 2ND BAY TO 1ST BAY IN MY SHOP, AT THE 1ST BAY EVEN BRAKE PEDAL BEING APPLIED, THAT CAR RUSHED FORWARD TO THE SHOP WALL ; MY SHOP WALL AND CAR CRASHED. MY ADDRESS IS [XXX](CELL) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR