2003 Mazda Protege

MY 03 PROTEGE HAS VICS SCREWS FALLING OUT AND ALL ISSUES THAT COMES WITH IT. MY CAR HAS BEEN PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY UNTOUCHED BECAUSE I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS DUE TO HOW MANY TIMES MY CAR HAS HAD ISSUES AND CANNOT PASS EMISSIONS. SO I HAVE TO TURN MY TAGS IN WITHIN THE MONTH BECAUSE MAZDA WONT RECOGNIZE THE ISSUE BEING THEIR RECALL SINCE MY VIN IS OUT OF THEIR WINDOW FOR CARS BEING DEFECTIVE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IF SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM; WHY THOSE MONTHS WHEN WE HAVE THE SAME PARTS? MAZDA CLAIMS ITS THE TORQUE BUT OBVIOUSLY ITS THE SCREWS FALLING OUT INCLUDING THE BUTTERFLIES. WHY WAS THE TORQUE DIFFERENT THOSE 3 MONTHS? IF MAZDA IS SAYING THE RECALL IS DUE TO THE TORQUE BEING WRONG AND THE SCREWS ARE FALLING OUT THEN WHY ARE SO MANY VEHICLES THAT ARE IN AND OUT OF THE VIN NUMBER NEEDED TO BE REQUIRED FOR FREE REPAIR? WHY ARE SO MANY VEHICLES BEING CHECKED AND MECHANICS FINDING SCREWS AND BUTTERFLIES IN OTHER AREAS OTHER THAN WHERE THEY SHOULD BE? IF THE RECALL IS DUE TO TORQUE, THEN WHY ARE YOU REPLACING THE ORIGINAL SCREWS? IF TORQUE IS THE CASE WHY NOT JUST USE THE CORRECT TORQUE USAGE, YOU KNOW THE TORQUE THAT'S IN MY CAR! WHY ARE PROTEGES WITH THE VINS OUT OF THE RECALL WINDOW HAVING THE SAME CORRECTIVE ACTION WHEN THEY GO TO GET THE REPAIR AND GET THE SAME PARTS WHEN THEY HAD THE CORRECT TORQUE IN THE FIRST PLACE! ITS CLEAR THIS RECALL ISN'T ABOUT TORQUE, THIS IS ABOUT IT THE RECALL PART BEING FAULTY NO MATTER WHAT TORQUE WAS USED. WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN MORE COST EFFECTIVE AND EASIER FOR YOU JUST TO USE THE REQUIRED TORQUE RATHER THAN NEW PARTS SINCE YOU SAY. MAZDA DOESN'T TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND FIX THEIR FAULTY PART. WE NEED HELP! *TR

THE TIGHTENING TORQUE OF THE SCREWS USED FOR MOUNTING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD SHUTTER VALVE LOOSENED AND FELL OUT (1 INTO THE SPARK PLUGS AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO PLUGS AND COILS).CAUSED MISFIRING, AFFECTING THE EXHAUST EMISSIONS. THERE WAS A RECALL IN 2006 BUT NOT FOR MY CAR'S VIN - BUT MY CAR HAD THE EXACT PROBLEM FROM THAT RECALL. WAITING TO SEE IF MAZDA WILL HONOR THIS RECALL AND PAY FOR REPAIRS/PARTS. *TR

2003 MAZDA PROTEGE. CONSUMER STATES ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE AND SEVERAL OTHER CONCERNS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE LIGHTS STAYED ON AND THE ALARM WOULD SOUND INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRICAL MODULE. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE ENGINE OVERHEATED DUE TO A WATER PUMP LEAK AND LEAKING RADIATOR, THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES, THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT, AND THE CONSUMER HAD TO PURCHASE THREE SETS OF TIRES. *JB

MY SON BOUGHT A 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5, BACK IN LATE JULY 2010. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, ON AUGUST 3RD, 2010 IN FACT, HE KNOWING OF AN OPEN RECALL, HAD THE CAR SERVICED AT THE LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP. APPARENTLY THEY PERFORMED PART A OF RECALL 3005C AND DID A COMPRESSION CHECK AND SLAPPED A "RECALL COMPLETED" STICKER UNDER THE HOOD. COME LATE AUGUST, MY SON TAKES THE CAR AWAY TO SCHOOL. ON NOVEMBER 1ST, 2010, HE CALLS COMPLAINING OF A "'LOUD ENGINE NOISE". 2 DAYS LATER, WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A NEARBY PERFORMANCE SHOP. THEY INVESTIGATED AND NOTICED THE RECALL 3005C STICKER UNDER THE HOOD. KNOWING THIS, THE PERFORMANCE SHOP RECOMMENDED WE TAKE THE CAR TO THE LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP NEARBY MY SONS' SCHOOL. THIS SECOND DEALERSHIP VERIFIED WITH A BORESCOPE THAT THERE WAS DAMAGE IN CYLINDERS 1 AND 3. AFTER MUCH DISAGREEMENT, THIS SECOND MAZDA DEALERSHIP EVENTUALLY OPENED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND FOUND 7 OF THE 8 SCREWS AND ALL 4 BUTTERFLY VALVES LAYING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE INTAKE. THE SECOND DEALERSHIP THEN REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BUT UPON STARTING THE ENGINE FOUND THAT THE ENGINE NOISE STILL EXISTS. NOW THEY CLAIM THE ENGINE NOISE IS DUE TO "ENGINE BEARING FAILURE" AND NOT RELATED TO THE 3005C RECALL. AFTER FORCING THE ISSUE WITH MAZDA THEY CLAIMED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE CAN BE OFFERED. I WAS THEN FORCED TO TOW THE CAR BACK TO THE PERFORMANCE SHOP. THERE THEY REMOVED THE CYLINDER HEAD AND FOUND THE MISSING SCREW EMBEDDED IN THE TOP OF CYLINDER #2. BEARING FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED BY ANYONE YET. I MAINTAIN THAT THE SCREW BEING EMBEDDED IN CYLINDER #2 PLUS OTHER METAL FILINGS RELATED TO THE 3005C RECALL, MUST HAVE CAUSED THE ALLEGED "BEARING FAILURE". MAZDA CLAIMS THE SO CALLED "BEARING FAILURE" MUST HAVE EXISTED PREVIOUSLY. APPARENTLY, THEY THINK I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AROUND WITH THE BEARING PROBLEM. LOOKS LIKE LEGAL ACTION WILL BE THE NEXT STEP. ALL OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD THE FIRST MAZDA DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IN THE FIRST PLACE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 60 MPH FOR 40 MINUTES, THE CAR BEGAN SPUTTERING, JERKING, MAKING NOISES, LOSING ACCELERATION AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IT INITIALLY FELT LIKE SOMEONE WAS TAKING THEIR FOOT ON AND OFF THE GAS. WE PULLED OFF ROAD AND WERE TOWED TO OUR GARAGE. MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE SPARK PLUG FOR CYLINDER 4 WAS SMASHED SHUT, HE REPLACED IT AND TOLD US TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER SINCE THIS WAS THE 3RD TIME WE HAD THIS PROBLEM. IN DEC OF 2009 THE SPARK PLUG FOR CYLINDER 1 HAD SAME PROBLEM THEN AGAIN IN FEB 2010 IT WAS THE PLUGS FOR 1 & 4. EACH TIME WE WERE DRIVING AT 55 MPH OR HIGHER WHEN CAR BEGAN TO SPUTTER THEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. MAZDA IS TELLING US NOTHING IS IN THE ENGINE, THE COMPRESSION IS FINE AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHY SPARK PLUGS ARE GETTING SMASHED. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED OUR MECHANIC THOUGHT IT WAS BAD SPARK PLUG AND REPLACED IT FREE OF CHARGE, THE SECOND TIME WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO COULD FIND NOTHING. IT IS NOW AT THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY ARE SAYING THE ONLY THING THEY COULD DO IS TAKE THE ENGINE APART AND LOOK BUT HAVE NO GUARANTEE OF FINDING ANYTHING AND IT COULD COST $1500. THEY REMOVED SPARK PLUG, CHECKED FOR DEBRIS AND TESTED THE COMPRESSION. THEY ALSO USED A MAGNET TO SEARCH FOR FOREIGN BODY IN CYLINDER AND FOUND NOTHING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, HE NOTICED A LOUD RUMBLING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE MOTOR. HE TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP AND THE DEALER REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD SHUTTER BECAUSE THE VALVE BROKE OFF AND FELL INTO THE ENGINE. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT ASSIST HIM. HE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH HIS VEHICLE SINCE THE REPAIR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 214,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 114,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5. WHILE IDLING THE ENGINE, IT MISFIRED AND TWO OF THE CYLINDERS DID NOT MAKE A CONNECTION. AN AUTHORIZED TECHNICIAN REMOVED A SCREW FROM THE CYLINDER WITHIN THE ENGINE AT HIS OWN EXPENSE. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO STATED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS LOSING SCREWS AND AFFECTING THE CYLINDERS. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 79,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS A NO-START CONDITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND A TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY SCREWS THAT HAVE FALLEN FROM THE BUTTERFLY SHUTTERS INSIDE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND THAT THE REPAIRS WOULD COST $1000.00. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED; HOWEVER, NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 107,000.

MY 2002 PROTEGE 5 (BUILT DECEMBER 2002) HAD A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE, DUE TO LOOSE VICS SCREWS FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD COMING LOOSE AND BEING SUCKED INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER. THESE SCREWS SHEARED OFF THE TOP OF MY SPARK PLUG, AND DESTROYED MY PISTON AND VALVES. THE OUTWARD SYMPTOMS WAS A LOUD 'COIN IN THE WASHING MACHINE' SOUND COMING FROM MY ENGINE, FOLLOWED BY A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND STALLING. AFTER THE ENGINE WAS OPENED, 3 OF 8 VICS SCREWS WERE OFF COMPLETELY, AND THE REMAINING 5 WERE LOOSE. THIS IS CLEARLY THE IDENTICAL DEFECT TO A RECALL FOR PROTEGE 5'S BUILT SHORTLY AFTER MY VEHICLE (EMISSIONS RECALL 3005C), BUT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED IN THE RECALL. READING ONLINE BOARDS FOR PROTEGE OWNERS, IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS A FREQUENT DEFECT EFFECTING BOTH OWNERS IN AND OUT OF RECALL RANGE, AND THAT THIS VICS RECALL SHOULD BE WIDENED TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL OWNERS. QUOTES FROM MAZDA FOR REPAIR ARE ~$5000 FOR A NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD, VALVES AND PISTONS, AND LABOR TO REPAIR. *TR