2002 Mazda Protege

2002 MAZDA PROTEGE', IN 2006 (UNDER 60,000 MILES) THE DRIVER SIDE SAFETY BELT MALFUNCTIONED AND BEGAN TO STICK. AFTER A SHORT TIME, IT WAS NO LONGER WORKING AT ALL. MAZDA DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE SAFETY LATCH AT NO COST. JUST LAST WEEK THE SAME THING STARTED HAPPENING TO THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT. AS THIS IS WHERE A 2-YEAR OLD IS BUCKLED, I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY FOUND THAT IS INDEED BEGINNING TO MALFUNCTION. THE CAR HAS JUST OVER 80,000 MILES ON IT AND IT IS "NO LONGER UNDER SAFETY WARRANTY". HOWEVER, THE SEATBELT HAS ONLY BEEN USED CONSISTENTLY ON THAT SIDE FOR JUST UNDER A YEAR. A NEW PART HAS BEEN ORDERED BY THE DEALERSHIP AND REPLACEMENT COST WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $100 INCLUDING THE LABOR. UPDATED 01/11/08. *LJ THE DEALERSHIP STATED THEY WOULD REPLACE THE PART AT NO CHARGE. UPDATED *JB

FUEL IS LEAKING FROM THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK/SENDER UNIT INTO THE BACK SEAT OF MY MAZDA PROTEGE5. GIVEN AN IGNITION SOURCE, THIS IS A FIRE HAZARD. THIS FAILURE RESULTED IN A RECALL IN THE MAZDA6, 2003 MODEL YEAR. MAZDA REFUSES TO FIX UNDER WARRANTY IN MY VEHICLE. COST TO REPAIR IS OVER $900. I AM LOOKING FOR A USED REPLACEMENT TANK. I FEEL MAZDA SHOULD REPLACE THE TANK UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND A KNOWN PROBLEM. *JB

DRIVING ON FL TURNPIKE AT NIGHT IN HEAVY RAIN, BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC, WIPERS WERE ON HIGH, SWITCHED THEM TO LOW (NOT INTERMITTENT) AND THE WIPERS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. TRYING TO MAKE IT TO THE RIGHT HAND LANE WITH MY HEAD OUT THE WINDOW SO I CAN SEE, AND THEY JUST CAME BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY. MADE IT HOME, KEEPING THEM ON LOW. THAT WAS 7/17/07. YESTERDAY (8/1/07) IN MEDIUM RAIN IN DAYLIGHT, WENT TO LOCAL STORE. AS A TEST, I PUT WIPERS ON LOW A MINUTE OR SO, THEN HIGH, THEN BACK TO LOW, THEN THEY STOPPED MID WINDOW AGAIN (ALL THIS IN ABOUT 4 MINUTES). TURNING THEM OFF/ON WOULD NOT MAKE THEM COME ON AGAIN. I PUT THEM BACK ON LOW HOPING THEY WOULD COME BACK ON. TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGED AND I HAD TO DRIVE ACROSS FOUR LANES TO STORE WITH NO WIPERS. WIPERS CAME BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY WHEN I PULLED UP TO THE STORE (MAYBE 3 MINUTES AFTER THE WIPERS POWERED OFF). THE CAR HAS ABOUT 60,050 MILES, ORIGINAL OWNER, NO ACCIDENTS OR OTHER MISHAPS. IT APPEARS THAT I CAN REPRODUCE THIS BEHAVIOR. *JB

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

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

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.