2002 Mazda Protege

2002 MAZDA PROTEGE5 WAS BEING DRIVEN AT SPEED NO GREATER THAN 40 MPH AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT PAST 3RD GEAR. HAD CAR TOWED TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS INFORMED THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR ONLY HAS 72,200 MILES ON IT. IN NOVEMBER 2006 THE ENGINE COIL FOR CYLINDERS 2 AND 3 HAD AN INTERNAL FAILURE WHICH FLOODED THE SPARK PLUGS AND MADE THE CAR INOPERABLE AT THAT TIME AS WELL. I AM CURRENTLY WAITING TO SEE IF EXTENDED WARRANTY WILL COVER WHAT I AM SURE WILL BE A REBUILT TRANSMISSION WHICH IF THE SAME KIND AS ALREADY IN THE VEHICLE WILL MOST LIKELY FAIL AGAIN. *TR

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

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

I HAVE A 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE LX WITH 61,000 MILES ON IT. RECENTLY MY TRANSMISSION FAILED AND HAD TO FIX IT WITH AAMOCO. TOTAL BILL, $2500. I REALIZED THE PROBLEM WHEN I DROVE THE CAR IT WOULDN'T SHIFT. IT ACTED LIKE I WAS DRIVING IN NEUTRAL. MAZDA REFUSED TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM AND NOW I'M STUCK WITH A HAVE SAFE HALF RELIABLE CAR. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IF YOUR DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND YOU CAN'T ACCELERATE IT CREATES A VERY SCARY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *JB

2002 MAZDA PROTEGE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION AT 30 MPH YET THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*MR THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED TWO SLIPPED DISK IN HER BACK. AFTER THE VEHICLE'S BODY DAMAGE WAS REPAIRED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE AIR BAGS TESTED BUT THE DEALER REFUSED TO TEST THE AIR BAG. THE INDICATED THAT AS LONG AS THE AIR BAG LIGHT WASN'T ON THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. THE RADIO SWITCHES STATIONS ON IT'S OWN. THE SEAT BELT LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED 9/7/2004, 40561 MILES. THE VEHICLE ALIGNMENT WONT HOLD. THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES DUE TO NOISE.

WE PURCHASED A MAZDA PROTEGE5 IN JANUARY OF 2002. WITHIN A VERY SHORT TIME, (~1000 MILES, MAYBE LESS), WE NOTICED A HIGH PITCHED WHINING NOISE. THIS NOISE OCCURS BETWEEN 50 AND 75 MILES PER HOUR ON AVERAGE. WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN TO MAZDA, AND A MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY TIED THE PROBLEM TO THE TRANSMISSION. SO, IN VERY SHORT ORDER, THEY REPLACED OUR TRANSMISSION, (WHICH WORRIED ME A LITTLE). UNFORTUNATELY, THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM, SO WE COMPLAINED ONCE MORE, AND WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO MAZDA APPARENTLY RELEASED A BULLETIN WHICH RELEASES THEM OF ALL RESPONSIBILITY. THIS BULLETIN APPARENTLY STATES THAT THE WHINING NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH CERTAIN MAZDA PROTEGE5 VEHICLES IS MERELY A VIBRATION IN THE ENGINE AND WILL NOT AFFECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE VEHICLE OR ITS RESALE VALUE. I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT I CERTAINLY WOULD NOT BUY AN OTHERWISE PRISTINE VEHICLE IF IT WHINED EVERY TIME I GOT ON THE FREEWAY...I HAVE TO TURN MY RADIO UP QUITE LOUD JUST TO DROWN IT OUT!!! MAZDA WILL DO NOTHING FOR US, WHICH IS SAD, BECAUSE I HAVE ENJOYED OWNING THIS AND OTHER VEHICLES, BUT WILL NOT NECESSARILY CONSIDER BUYING ANOTHER. *AK

PROBLEMS WITH TIRE EQUIPMENT ON THE 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE 5. *MR THERE WAS DIFFICULTY WITH PLACING SUITCASES OR BOXES INTO THE TRUNK OF THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE, THE CD PLAYER SKIPPED, THE TRANSMISSION DISPLAYED A LOUD CLUNK NOISE, THERE WAS A SPARE TIRE PROBLEM, THERE WAS A NAIL IN THE TIRE WHICH COULD NOT BE REPAIRED BECAUSE IT WAS LOCATED TOO CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF THE TIRE, 50% OF TREAD REMAINED, AND THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE WHEEL NEEDED TO HAVE FIVE HOLES FOR BOLTS (SPARE WHEEL), AND THE BRAKES HAD 50% REMAINING. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED THAT A MEMORANDUM BE SENT TO ALL MAZDA DEALERS EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM, ENSURE THAT ONE OR TWO REPLACEMENT TIRES SHOULD BE STOCKED DUE TO THE EXTREME DIFFICULTIES IN LOCATING THE CORRECT INFORMATION OF THE TIRE AND WHEEL. *SC *JB