2003 Mazda Protege

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA SPEED PROTEGE. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE SEVERELY WHEN THE CONTACT RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. HE EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY STEERING AND CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VARIABLE TUMBLE CONTROL SYSTEM SHUTTER VALVE BECAME STUCK IN THE CLOSED POSITION. THE FAILURE PREVENTED AIR FROM ENTERING THE VEHICLE. THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, HE DISCOVERED A RECALL FOR THE SAME FAILURE ON THE REGULAR MAZDA PROTEGE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE MAZDA SPEED PROTEGE HAD NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

TL*THE CONTACT'S SON OWNS A 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5. WHILE APPROACHING A RED LIGHT AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND HAD TO BE RESTARTED. THE CONTACT HEARD LOUD NOISES COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A SERVICE STATION. THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE AS A BLOWN ROD. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO A MAZDA DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THERE WAS ENGINE FAILURE AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 31,289 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,490.

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK MY CAR BEGAN TO SHUDDER AND HICCUP. THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAM ON SO I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY. I STARTED IT BACK UP AND THE CAR HAD A MORE SERIOUS SHUDDER. I GOT IT TO A LOCAL SERVICE STATION AND THEY RAN A COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC AND SAID IT WAS A MISFIRE IN THE #4 CYLINDER. THE SPARKPLUG WAS SMASHED. NOTHING WAS FOUND IN THE CYLINDER SO THE SPARKPLUG WAS REPLACED AND TEMPORARILY FIXED THE PROBLEM. TWO WEEKS LATER THE SAME SHUDDER PROBLEM AND AGAIN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS TIME THE #1 CYLINDER WAS THE PROBLEM AND AGAIN WITH THE SAME SMASHED SPARKPLUG. MY MECHANIC THOUGHT IT WAS A VERY ODD OCCURRENCE AND CHECKED AND FOUND THE RECALL #3005C. MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALER THEN SAID MY VIN# DID NOT FALL WITHIN THE RANGE OF THE RECALL AND YET THERE SEEMS TO BE MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. IT LOOKS LIKE MAZDA IS TRYING TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM. *TR

2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5 WITH ROUGH IDLING AND OTHER ENGINE ISSUES. CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE HAD A ROUGH IDLE AND THAT IT WOULD HAVE TROUBLE STARTING. *KB WHEN THE MECHANIC INSPECTED THE ENGINE, HE FOUND THE SCREWS HAD PASSED THROUGH THE ENGINE AND WERE FOUND IN THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED THERE WAS AN INTAKE MANIFOLD SHUTTER AND VARIABLE TUMBLE CONTROL VALVE EMISSION RECALL FOR MAZDA PROTEGE'S, HOWEVER THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER DID NOT FALL WITHIN THE RANGE. *JB

PURCHASED A PRE OWNED 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE WITH APPROXIMATELY 50,000 MILES ON IT. I DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 4000 MILES BEFORE THERE WAS AN ENGINE FAILURE. THERE WERE NO EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO THIS INCIDENT. THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MAKE A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER OF PURCHASE. A SCREW ON AN THE INTAKE CAME LOOSE AND WENT INTO THE ENGINE CYLINDER. DAMAGE CAUSED THE ENGINE TO NEED TO BE REPLACED. MAZDA HAS RECALL 3005C FOR THIS PROBLEM FOR THE EXACT YEAR, MODEL, AND ENGINE AS THE ONE I PURCHASED. HOWEVER, THE VIN NUMBER WAS A FEW THOUSAND NUMBERS OUTSIDE OF THE RECALL RANGE. IM STUCK WITH A 15,000 PIECE OF JUNK. *AK

WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY TO MY HOME AFTER WORK THE CAR STALLED AT A STOP LIGHT. )WHEN RESTARTED THERE WAS A LOUD CLANKING/HAMMERING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS THEN THE SOUND WENT AWAY, THE CELL LIT UP AND THE ENGINE STARTED SHAKING. WHEN CHECKED FOR CODES A MISFIRE ON CYLINDER -4 WAS FOUND. (THE SPARK PLUG ON CYLINDER 4 HAD BEEN SMASHED FLAT BY A FOREIGN OBJECT THAT CAUSED THE HAMMERING NOISE, NOTHING WAS FOUND INSIDE THE CYLINDER , USING A MAGNET. THE SPARK PLUG WAS REPLACED AND THE CAR WORKED AS NORMAL. UPON INVESTIGATION ON THE INTERNET I FOUND RECALL 3005C FOR THE VEHICLE THAT DESCRIBES MY PROBLEM AND IF NOT FIXED CAN CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE. WHEN CONTACTING MAZDA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE THEY SAID MY VIN WAS NOT IN RANGE FOR THIS RECALL AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY REPAIRS BECAUSE MY CAR HAS 61000 MILES AND EVEN THOUGH THE EMISSIONS WARRANTY IS STILL ACTIVE, THE REGULAR WARRANTY IS OVER.*AK

I PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW IN JAN 04. WHILE EXITING THE FREEWAY, I FELT A "HICCUP" IN THE ENGINE AT WHICH TIME IT RAN VERY POORLY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME. THE SERPENTINE BELT HAD ALSO JUMPED ABOUT 25% OFF DRIVE PULLEYS. I WAS TRAVELING OUT OF TOWN AT THIS TIME AND TOOK IT TO A LOCAL SERVICE STATION. TECHNICIAN IDENTIFIED PROBLEM AS AN ENGINE MISFIRE AND INSTALLED A NEW BELT. I DECIDED NOT TO HAVE SERVICE STATION PERFORM ANY ADDITIONAL DIAGNOSIS PREFERRING TAKE VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP INSTEAD. DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT A SPARK PLUG HAD FAILED AND CAME APART. DEALERSHIP THEN REPLACED ALL SPARK PLUGS. VEHICLE RAN FINE. APPX 1 MONTH LATER, EXACT SYMPTOMS OCCURRED - ENGINE HICCUP, ROUGH IDLE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. AGAIN I TOOK TO DEALERSHIP. MASTER TECH WAS ASSIGNED TO MY VEHICLE THIS TIME AND DETERMINED CAUSE TO BE SHUTTER VALVE SCREWS HAD COME LOOSE FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND ENTERED ENGINE CAUSING DAMAGE TO SPARK PLUG. TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME OF RECALL # 3005C THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED AND THAT HE WOULD CONTACT HIS REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER TO REQUEST THE REPAIR BE COVERED BY MAZDA. REGIONAL SVC MGR DECLINED TO COVER COSTS STATING MY SPECIFIC VIN WAS NOT IN THE EFFECTED RANGE AND THAT MY MILEAGE WAS TOO HIGH. I LOOKED UP THE RECALL AND DETERMINED THE RECALL ISSUE DATE TO BE 6/1/05. AT THAT TIME MY MILEAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN 40,000 TO 50,000 MILES. I THEN CONTACTED MAZDA USA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE - REFERENCE NUMBER 112751060. I WAS TOLD THAT MAZDA WOULD NOT COVER THE EXPENSE BECAUSE MY VIN # WAS NOT IN THE RANGE OF EFFECTED VEHICLES. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT VIN RANGE WAS DETERMINED BY THE NHTSA AND NOT BY MAZDA AND THAT IT WAS ILLEGAL FOR MAZDA TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR EXPENSE. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A LIE ON THE PART OF MAZDA. I BELIEVE MAZDA IS NOT ACCEPTING ITS' RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CONSUMER BECAUSE THIS WOULD BE ADMITTING THE PROBLEM IS LARGER THAN THE ORIGINAL SCOPE AND WILL COST THE COMPANY A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY. *JB

FOR OVER TWO AND A HALF YRS, MY CAR HAS HAD A ROUGH IDLING NOISE AND THE ENGINE OFTEN HESITATES AND WANTS TO TURN OFF. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE ENGINE HAS HESITATED AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. VERY RECENTLY A LOUD NOISE WAS COMING FROM MY ENGINE. (YOU COULD HEAR A RATTLING NOISE) IT SOUNDED LIKE A PIECE OF METAL RATTLING AROUND IN THE ENGINE. A YEAR AGO I TOOK MY CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF A RECALL (RECALL 3005C) TO GET IT CHECKED OUT (THIS IS WHAT THE LETTER FROM MAZDA ASKED ME TO DO) MY CAR WAS THERE ONLY TWO HOURS AND ONLY LOOKED AT MAYBE ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES. I RECEIVED AN OIL CHANGE AND THEN THEY WERE TO INSPECT IT DUE TO THE RECALL. WHEN I RETRIEVED MY CAR THEY GAVE ME A CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION, BUT INFORMED ME THAT NOTHING HAD BEEN FIXED AND THAT THEY WERE ONLY AUTHORIZED TO INSPECT. THAT IF THE PART BROKE THAT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A RECALL. HERE I AM ONE YEAR LATER AND I HAD MY CAR LOOKED AT AND IT APPEARS THAT TWO OF THE SCREWS MUST HAVE COME LOOSE DUE TO THE RECALL. (THEY WERE FOUND IN MY EXHAUST) I GOT NO HELP FROM THE DEALER. I FOUND THE RECALL INSTRUCTIONS ONLINE FROM MAZDA TO THE DEALER WHICH INSTRUCTS THE DEALER TO REPLACE THE PARTS IF THEY HAVE NOT BEEN REPLACED ON ANY PREVIOUS OCCASION (WHICH WAS PROCEDURE B). AND IF IT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY WORKED ON THEY ARE TO PROCEED WITH PROCEDURE A WHICH INSTRUCTS THEM TO DO AN AIR COMPRESSION INSPECTION FOR INTERNAL DAMAGE AND GIVE A CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. THEY DID THE WRONG PROCEDURE ON MY CAR AND NEVER ACTUALLY DID WHAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR MY CAR TO BE LEGAL AND OK TO DRIVE. THEY ARE NOW AVOIDING MY CALLS AND NOT RETURNING NUMEROUS E-MAILS OR VOICE MAILS. I HAVE BEEN TRYING THE DEALER AND MAZDA THEMSELVES. ON TUES .I RECEIVED NOTHING BUT RUDE MOCKING FROM EACH PLACE TELLING ME THAT IT WAS MY PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN TRYING EVERYDAY SINCE AND I HAVE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. *NM UPDATED 2/23/2007 - INTAKE MANIFOLD SHUTTER AND VARIABLE TUMBLE CONTROL VALVES.*NM