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2002 Mazda Protege

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2002 Mazda Protege do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 66.

About this comparison →
98Owner complaints

Model-year median: 66

0Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
88
1999102
200050
200198
2002120
2003
Compare all Protege years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Seat Belts
20Power Train
17Air Bags
9Electrical System
9Structure
9
All reported categories
Tires
9Service Brakes, Hydraulic
8Engine And Engine Cooling
7Fuel System, Gasoline
7Equipment
6Vehicle Speed Control
6Wheels
5Visibility
4Steering
3Suspension
3Latches/locks/linkages
2Service Brakes
2Engine
1Exterior Lighting
1Seats
1Service Brakes, Air
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

65 reports with mileage · 33 unknown

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.

  • Seat Belts. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports2 fire reports11 injury reports

Latches/locks/linkages complaints

2 reports
Clear category filter
76,124 miles · Aug 25, 2009
Latches/locks/linkagesStructure

1. NORMAL USE OF THE VEHICLE. 2. THE LEFT FRONT SEAT INSIDE DOOR HANDLE (DRIVER'S SIDE) BROKE OFF 1/28/09. ONLY WAY OUT IS TO CRAW OVER CENTER CONSOLE AND EXIT PASSENGER SIDE. 3. THE LEFT REAR SEAT INSIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE OFF 8/22/09. CHILD HAD TO EXIT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CAR. 4. GOOGLE (NO QUOTES) "PROTEGE BROKE DOOR H…

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1. NORMAL USE OF THE VEHICLE. 2. THE LEFT FRONT SEAT INSIDE DOOR HANDLE (DRIVER'S SIDE) BROKE OFF 1/28/09. ONLY WAY OUT IS TO CRAW OVER CENTER CONSOLE AND EXIT PASSENGER SIDE. 3. THE LEFT REAR SEAT INSIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE OFF 8/22/09. CHILD HAD TO EXIT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CAR. 4. GOOGLE (NO QUOTES) "PROTEGE BROKE DOOR HANDLE" AND SEE OTHERS WITH THIS DEFECT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10281667

81,000 miles · Apr 22, 2008
Latches/locks/linkages

THE HYDRAULIC ARM BROKE AND SNAPPED OFF AT THE METAL BALL JOINT SUDDENLY SLAMMING THE HATCH DOOR ON MY 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE 5 CLOSED. FORTUNATELY, MY SON AND I HAD JUST STEPPED BACK FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. HAD EITHER ONE OF US STILL BEEN RETRIEVING ITEMS FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR, I BELIEVE WE WOULD HAVE …

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THE HYDRAULIC ARM BROKE AND SNAPPED OFF AT THE METAL BALL JOINT SUDDENLY SLAMMING THE HATCH DOOR ON MY 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE 5 CLOSED. FORTUNATELY, MY SON AND I HAD JUST STEPPED BACK FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. HAD EITHER ONE OF US STILL BEEN RETRIEVING ITEMS FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR, I BELIEVE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10225348

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.