IllustrationYEAR 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE LX, GAS TANK LEAKING TO THE TRUNK. *TR
2003 Mazda Protege
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Mazda Protege do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 66.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Protege years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
240–25K
1025–50K
1750–75K
1475–100K
17100–150K
7150K+
89 reports with mileage · 31 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports2 fire reports10 injury reports
Fuel System, Gasoline complaints
2 reportsI HAVE HAD TWO OCCURRENCES OF SCREWS FROM THE BUTTERFLY VALVES ON THE VTCS SYSTEM FROM THE INTAKE OF MY 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5 COMING LOOSE AND BEING SUCKED INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OF THE VEHICLE. EACH INSTANCE HAS CAUSED THE PISTON TO KNOCK THE SCREW INTO THE SPARK PLUG, THEREBY CAUSING FAILURE OF A SPARK PLUG, WHICH CAUSES …
Read full complaint
I HAVE HAD TWO OCCURRENCES OF SCREWS FROM THE BUTTERFLY VALVES ON THE VTCS SYSTEM FROM THE INTAKE OF MY 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5 COMING LOOSE AND BEING SUCKED INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OF THE VEHICLE. EACH INSTANCE HAS CAUSED THE PISTON TO KNOCK THE SCREW INTO THE SPARK PLUG, THEREBY CAUSING FAILURE OF A SPARK PLUG, WHICH CAUSES THE ENGINE TO MISFIRE TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS UNDRIVABLE, THEREBY LEAVING ME STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS MISDIAGNOSED (SPARK PLUG REPLACED). THE SECOND WAS DIAGNOSED CORRECTLY AND THE INTAKE MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THE 2.0L FS-ZE MAZDA ENGINE. MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM. FOR MORE INFORMATION TO DEMONSTRATE THE PREVALENCE OF THE PROBLEM, PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.MSPROTEGE.COM AND SEARCH USING THE KEYWORDS "VCTS" AND "SCREW". YOU WILL SEE MANY THREADS WHERE PEOPLE ARE DISCUSSING THIS PROBLEM. *NM
Official recalls
0No 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.