2003 Mazda Protege

OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHED ON AND OFF, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON. TRANSMISSION SHIFTED HARD. DEALER DISCOVERED FOUR SOLENOIDS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THEY WERE STEEL PLATED. MANUFACTURER STATED CONSUMER WILL HAVE TO REPAIR AT HIS OWN COST.*AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT 4 SOLEROIDS INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION ARE GOING BAD. STEEL PLATES IN TRANSMISSION SHOW THERMAL DAMAGE. REAR DOOR LOCKS NOT FUNCTIONING AND MAKING A SHORTING SOUND. *TC

WHILE DRIVING A FLAT TIRE. CHANGED THE FLAT, AND PROCEEDED TO DRIVE. UPON COMING TO A STOP SIGN AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKES VEHICLE CONTINUED THROUGH THE STOP SIGN. THIS HAPPENED ON TWO OCCASIONS. THE ABS KICKED IN, MAKING A BUMMING NOISE. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT IT MAY BE THE ABS. *AK

UNDER LOW ACCELERATION BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND AND BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS THERE IS A VERY LOW FREQUENCY NOISE THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS GENERATED BY A VIBRATION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW. I HAVE HAD IT IN TWICE FOR REPAIR TO NO AVAIL AND THE DEALER REFUSES TO KEEP THE CAR OVERNIGHT TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE FURTHER.*AK

THE STEREO UNIT ON THE MAZDA SPEED PROTEGE IS VERY DEFECTIVE. THIS UNIT IS MANUFACTURED BY KENWOOD. THE STEREO SUFFERS FROM MULTIPLE INTERMITENT FAILURES AND PROBLEMS. THE MOST NOTICABLE ARE AS FOLLOWS: VOLUME DIMS AND SURGES AFTER THE STEREO IS ON WHEN USING THE DEFROSTER ON THE VEHICLE. SUB-WOOFER BLOWS OUT UNDER NORMAL USAGE, PRONOUNCED WHINE WITH THE ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE WHEN LISTENING TO THE RADIO, RANDOM LOCK UP OF THE STEREO FACE PLATE REQUIRING USING THE SYSTEM RESET BUTTON TO GET IT TO OPERATE NORMALLY AGAIN. THE CAR HAS BEEN INTO THE DEALER 3 TIMES FOR THESE ISSUES AND EXCEPT FOR THE BLOWN SUB-WOOFER REPORTS NO PROBLEM FOUND. THE SUB-WOOFER HAS BEEN ON ORDER FOR 2 MONTHS WITH NO EXPECTED DELIVERY DATE. *AK

MAZDAS PEED PROTEGE SUFFERS FROM EXCESS TORQUE STEER AND VERY UNSTABLE STEERING AT SPEEDS OVER 30 MILE PER HOUR. IF YOU EXCELLERATE HARD THE VEHICLE WILL JUMP LEFT OR RIGHT DEPENDING ON SPEED. ALSO WHEN TRAVELLING AT HIGHWAY SPEED VEHICLE WILL SWERVE LEFT OR RIGHT WITHOUT WARNING OR FOR ANY NOTICABLE REASON ALSO AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE VEHICLE TENDS TO DRIFT IN ITS LANE. DEALER SERVICE STATES THAT THIS IS NORMAL FOR A HIGH PERFORMANCE VEHICLE AND NOTHING IS WRONG. I HAVE OWNED MANY HIGH PERFORMANCE AUTOMOBILES AND HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. THIS CONDITION HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN ACCIDENTS ON MANY OCCASIONS AND ONLY RADICAL STEERING HAS PREVENTED AN ACCIDENT SO FAR.*AK

THE FRONT SUSPENSION ON THE 2003.5 MAZDASPEED PROTEGE HAS A VERY BAD NOISE WHICH YOU CAN HEAR WHEN PASSING OVER SPEED BUMPS OR ANY SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD. THE NOISE SOUNDS LIKE A SODA CAN BEING CRUSHED. THE NOISE IS MORE PRONOUCED IN WET OR COLD CONDITIONS. NOISE HAS BEEN PRESENT IN THE VEHICLE SINCE 2ND MONTH OF OWNERSHIP. DEALER HAS VEHICLE IN FOR THIS PROBLEM 2 TIMES AND INDICATES THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE IT. VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS INDICATE THIS IS NOT A UNKOWN ISSUE AND HAS AFFECT MANY (IF NOT ALL) OWNER OF THIS MODEL.*AK

ENGINE HAS A VERY BAD HESITATION DURING EXCELERATION, BOTH FROM A STANDING AND ROILLING START. HESITATION IS BAD ENOUGH TO CAUSE VEHICLE CONTROL PROBLEMS DURRING THE WINTER WHEN DRIVING ON SNOW OR DURING RAINY CONDITIONS. ENGINE HAS ALREADY HAD THE PCM MODULE REPROGRAMED AS PER OUTSTANDING SERVICE BULLETIN THIS FIXED THE ENGINE MISSING UNDER SAME CIRCUMSTANCE BUT DOES NOT CORRECT THE HESITATION. DEALER HAS LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE 2 TIMES AND CANNOT FIND OR FIX THE PROBLEM.

VEHICLE WENT BACKWARDS EVEN AFTER CONSUMER PUT THE GEAR INTO PARK.*MR WHEN THE CONSUMER GOT BACK IN THE CAR AFTER LEAVING IT RUNNING SHE NOTICED THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT WAS ON, BUT THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE UNTIL IT CAME TO REST ON ITS OWN AFTER ROLLING IN A DITCH. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *JB