2002 MAZDA PROTEGE Complaints

THE TIRE WAS SIX WEEKS OLD AND BLEW UP FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON A HIGHWAY. DUNLOP AND TIRES PLUS REFUSED TO HONOR A WARRANTY BECAUSE WE COULD NOT RETURN THE ENTIRE TIRE TO THEM. THE TIRE WAS BLOWN INTO 2 INCH PIECES AND ALL OVER THE HIGHWAY. PERHAPS THEY ARE SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE RISKED OUR LIVES RUNNING AROUND THE HIGHWAY PICKING UP THE PIECES. I AM OF THE OPINION THAT OUR LIVES WERE PUT INTO ENOUGH DANGER DUE THE DEFECTIVE TIRE DUNLOP MADE. *TR

2002 MAZDA PROTEGE. DRIVER-SIDE SEAT BELT RECEIVER , THE PIECE THAT THE SEAT BELT CLIPS INTO, SHATTERED WHEN INSERTING THE SEAT BELT. OUR CAR NOW HAS NO SEAT BELT, AND THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THAT PARTICULAR YEAR. WE HAVE TO SPEND OVER $150 TO HAVE IT REPLACED BY MAZDA. *AK

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE SUDDENLY STOPPED LATCHING. THERE WAS NO WAY TO SECURE THE SEAT BELT AND SAFELY OPERATE THE VEHICLE. *JB

ON 2/7/2007 HAD A 15 MILE HIGHWAY RIDE, THEN PROCEEDED THREE CITY BLOCKS TO PARK AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY. PLACE THE STICK SHIFT IN REVERSE TO PARALLEL PARK HOWEVER NO POWER STEERING AVAILABLE. INEVITABLY HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH STEERING WHEEL TO FORCE THE CAR INTO A PARKED POSITION. UPON RETURNING TO THE CAR WITHIN ABOUT 10 MINS THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO SELF CORRECT. HOWEVER, THE RETURN 15 MILE HIGHWAY TRIP PROVED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED WHEN A RIGHT TURN WAS MADE INTO A BUSINESS COMPLEX -- THE POWER STEERING FAILED. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, A SEAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ON A PUMP. THAT SAME DAY AS THE INCIDENT, THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE MECHANIC WHO COULD NOT REPAIR IT THE SAME DAY BECAUSE THE PART WAS ON BACKORDER AT THE DEALERSHIP UNTIL 2/19/2007. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT WHEN A PART IS ON BACKORDER, IT TYPICALLY INDICATES THAT THERE IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH THE PART. THIS IN ADDITION TO THE MECHANIC STATING THAT THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE FOUND ON A VEHICLE, ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT THE MILES ON MY VEHICLE ARE PRINCIPALLY FROM HIGHWAY TRAVEL (INDICATING LESS WEAR AND THE CAR) ARE THE KEY FACTORS THAT MADE ME CONSIDER RECOMMENDING THIS AS A POTENTIAL ISSUE. ADDITIONALLY, ALTHOUGH THERE IS HEAVY RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC IN THE WASHINGTON DC AREA, I AM NOT OFTEN AFFECTED BY THIS WHICH ALSO REDUCED THE WEAR-AND-TEAR ON THE CAR. *JB

SEAT BELT FAILED TO RELEASE UPON PRESSING THE RELEASE BUTTON. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF TRYING IT FINALLY RELEASED ITSELF. ONCE FREE THE SEAT BELT NO LONGER WOULD WORK. HAD THERE BEEN A FIRE I WOULD NOT OF BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT IN TIME. *NM

MY 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE HAS 61,000. THE TRANSMISSION HAS COMPLETELY GONE OUT ON IT. WHEN I CALLED THE DEALER TO INQUIRE IF THIS WAS 'NORMAL' BECAUSE I HAD ONLY ONCE BEFORE HAD TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION AT 120,000 SHE SAID, "OH YEAH WE GET THEM ALL THE TIME. THEN WANTED TO CHARGE ME $4,500 TO FIX IT." I WENT INTO THE MAZDA DEALER TO TRY AND REPLACE THE SAID CAR AND I TOLD HIM ABOUT MY SITUATION AND HE ALSO SAID, "YEAH, 61,000 MILES, JUST AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRES, THEY TIMED THAT RIGHT." I CAN NOT BELIEVE THE TRANSMISSION HAS GONE OUT SO SOON. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER SEAT BELT WOULD NOT BUCKLE AT ALL. THERE WAS NO CLICK WHEN THE SEAT BELT WAS INSERTED IN THE BUCKLE, AND THE BELT DID NOT LOCK INTO THE BUCKLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. A NEW PART WAS ORDERED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 60 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. AFTER A FEW SECONDS, THE ENGINE REGAINED POWER BUT THE LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THE EGR VALVE AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER WERE REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.

I PURCHASED A USED 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE 5 ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO. THE 5TH GEAR STARTED POPPING OUT OF GEAR ABOUT A MONTH LATER, THEN ACTS LIKE IT IS IN NEUTRAL WHEN YOU PUT IT IN 5TH GEAR. I WAS TOLD I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION FOR ABOUT $2500. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING ON THIS NEW OF A CAR. I HAVE READ MANY OTHER REVIEWS AND COMPLAINTS, IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS A PRETTY COMMON OCCURRENCE, WHY ISN'T A RECALL BEING MADE?

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:THERE ARE TWO SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHICH ARE POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS. 1)WHEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE THE TRANSMISSION FREQUENTLY FAILS TO ENGAGE. DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR FROM A STOP RESULTS IN A RACING ENGINE AND ALMOST NO FORWARD MOVEMENT. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN PULLING ONTO A HIGH-SPEED INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WITH OTHER CARS BEHIND AND AROUND YOU. DEALER MECHANICS OFFER EXPLANATIONS SUCH AS NOT REALLY A PROBLEM, DRIVE IT LIKE IT IS. THIS DEALER HAD THE CAR FOR OVER A WEEK. ANOTHER DEALER (SUGGESTED BY MAZDA AFTER CONTACTING THEM) SAYS WE NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT OUR EXPENSE. THIS PROBLEM IS WORSENING. 2)OVERDRIVE WARNING LIGHT ON DASH BLINKS ON WITH NO APPARENT REASON. WHILE THIS SITUATION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS LOCKED IN HIGH GEAR. ACCELERATING FROM A STOP IS ONCE AGAIN A DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE. *JB