IllustrationPASSENGER'S SIDE SEATBELT IS STUCK, WILL NOT RETRACT OUT, WHICH WILL NOT ALLOW PASSENGER TO PUT IT ON, RESULTING IN LOSS OF PROTECTION. *AK
1998 Mazda Protege
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Mazda Protege do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 66.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Protege years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 8 of 46 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
46 reportsDRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE PLASTIC DOOR LOCK COVERS BROKE, CONSUMER HAD THEM REPLACED WITH METAL ONES TO PREVENT FUTURE BREAKAGE. NLM
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE TRANSMISSION IS JUMPING AND SHIFTING VERY HARD, AND THERE IS SOME KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. ALSO, VEHICLE SOMETIMES LURCHES FORWARD. MANUFACTURER CAN'T DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 55MPH CONSUMER WAS REAR ENDED AND THEN WAS HIT FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE WAS PUSHED INTO THE BACK OF A EIGHTEEN WHEELER, AND NIETHER OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *AK
MASTER CYLINDER MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING NO BRAKING PERFORMANCE, AND RESULTING IN A CRASH. PREVIOUSLY, THE BRAKE PADS BEEN CHANGED. DEALER DETERMINED THAT MASTER CYLINDER WAS DEFECTIVE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
I HAVE RETURNED MY CAR FOR REPAIRS A TOTAL OF SIX TIMES SINCE NEW PURCHASE IN JULY 1998. THE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED, BUT THE CAR STILL HAS AN EGG SMELL. IT ALSO HESITATES WHEN SHIFTING AT LOW SPEEDS. I FILED A LEMON LAW COMPLAINT IN MAY 1999. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS NOT COMPLETELY FAILED, CAR IS STILL BEING DRIVEN DUE TO FACT THAT DEALER IS 90 MILES AWAY. PROBLEM IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN CAR IS STILL COLD. WHEN VEHICLE IS SLOWED FOR AN INTERSECTION OR STOP SIGN, IF YOU DON'T COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THERE IS A VERY HARD "THUMP" FELT UPON ACCELERATION. HAS BEEN G…
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AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS NOT COMPLETELY FAILED, CAR IS STILL BEING DRIVEN DUE TO FACT THAT DEALER IS 90 MILES AWAY. PROBLEM IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN CAR IS STILL COLD. WHEN VEHICLE IS SLOWED FOR AN INTERSECTION OR STOP SIGN, IF YOU DON'T COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THERE IS A VERY HARD "THUMP" FELT UPON ACCELERATION. HAS BEEN GETTING NOTICEABLY WORSE WITH TIME. AS FAR AS THE DOOR HANDLE IS CONCERNED, ONE DAY IT JUST STOPPED WORKING, THE HANDLE MOVES IN AND OUT, IT JUST DOESN'T OPEN THE DOOR.
WHILE PULLING INTO PARKING SPACE WITH FOOT ON BRAKES VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE JUMPED THE PARKING BUMP & HIT A BRICK WALL. NO PHYSICAL INJURIES. PRIOR TO ACCELERATION, HAD VENICLE AT DEALER & THE TIMING BELT WAS ADJUSTED. *AK
DIVERS SIDE SEAT FAILED IN A MINOR REAR END COLLISON. SEAT BACK BROKE AND FELL DOWN INTO REAR SEAT . NO OCCUPANTS IN REAR SEAT. ALSO, NO INJURIES. *AK
TAPE DECK IS NOT WORKING. YH
Official recalls
115V674000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Oct 19, 2015
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 1989-1998 MPV, 1990-1995 323, 1990-1998 Protege, 1992-1993 MX-3, 1993-1995 929, 1993-1997 MX-6, and 1993-1998 626 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, grease applied to the contact points inside the ignition switch may become conductive and overheat.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2015. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Experience Center at 1-800-222-5500, option#6. Mazda's number for this recall is 8715J.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.