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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE COMPLETELY FRACTURED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO LATCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO NOTIFY THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 151,000.

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

MAZDA HEADLIGHT HARNESS - THE LIGHTS ARE CONSTANTLY GOING OUT (DURING THE PAST 4 YEARS). I WENT TO REPLACE THE BULB YEARS AGO AND IT CAME BACK ON AS I WIGGLED THE HARNESS TO PULL THE BULB OUT. OVER 80 TIMES SINCE THEN I'VE HAD TO SMACK THE HEADLIGHT TO GET IT TO COME BACK ON. THIS HAPPENS PREDOMINANTLY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 0 CELSIUS (FREEZING). THIS HAS OCCURRED ON MY 2001 MAZDA MPV (WHICH I GOT RID OF THIS YEAR) AND MY 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE WHICH I STILL HAVE. ONCE IT HAPPENED ON MY PROTEGE I KNEW IT WASN'T AN MPV SITUATION, IT MUST BE A MAZDA PROBLEM AND LIKELY RELATES TO THE SUPPLIER THAT MAKES THE HARNESS FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. MANY TIMES MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN 'FLASHED' BY OTHER DRIVERS FOR NOT HAVING LIGHTS ON. *KB

WHEN OUR VEHICLE WAS STRUCK FROM BEHIND THE DRIVER SEAT COLLAPSED BACKWARD. I WAS MILDLY INJURED AND IF MY 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE REAR SEAT INSTEAD OF THE PASSENGER SIDE, I WOULD HAVE CRUSHED AND LIKELY KILLED HER. I AM NOT OVERWEIGHT AND WAS STRUCK WHILE STOPPED BY A VAN AT RELATIVELY LOW SPEED. *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

THE CURRENT ISSUES ( WHICH WE BELIEVE ARE MAZDA CORPORATE ISSUES) AND INHERENT TO THIS VEHICLE WHICH HAS LOW, LOW, LOW MILES HAVE CAUSED THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT AND HAVE RESULTED IN AN ENGINE FIRE, TWICE, ON THE FREEWAY: 1)FAULTY ELECTRICAL PARTS: THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD THE SAME ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS SINCE THE FIRST DAY WE BROUGHT IT AND HAS HAD MULTIPLE REPLACEMENTS OF THE ELECTRICAL MODULE, BATTERIES, ALARM SYSTEM, AND OTHER ITEMS, WHICH HAVE PROVEN FAULTY BY MAZDA. 2)SHUTTER VALVE RECALL: OURS WAS INSPECTED, BUT NOT REPLACED EVEN THOUGH THINGS WERE OUT OF SORTS. IT WAS LATER DEEMED A PROBLEM. 3)FAULTY BELTS, DUE TO ENGINE OVERHEATING, WHICH TECHNICIANS HAVE TOLD US WAS FROM AN OVERHEATING ISSUE AND POTENTIALLY CREATED BY THE INHERENT PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. 4)LEAKING RADIATOR TECHNICIANS HAVE INDICATED THIS IS DUE TO THE ONGOING OVERHEATING PROBLEM WE HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMED BY THE INTERCHANGES WITH MAZDA PERSONNEL REGARDING A ?LEMON? VEHICLE WE PURCHASED IN 2003 OR 2004. SUBSEQUENTLY, WE DRIVE IT MINIMALLY AND IT ONLY HAD 30,000 PLUS MILES ON T WITHIN THE 4 YEAR, 50,000 WARRANTY EXPIRED. THAT SAID, WITHIN 24 HOURS OF PURCHASE, THE CAR HAD ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. WHEN IN AN ?OFF? POSITION, THE LIGHTS STAYED ON AND THE ALARM SOUNDED ERRANTLY AND INTERMITTENTLY. THE CAR RAN HOT, AND HAD OTHER ISSUES WE MENTIONED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRICAL MODULE AND/OR ALARM SYSTEM. THE PROBLEMS PERSISTED. WE BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR INSPECTION MULTIPLE TIMES, AND RECEIVED MULTIPLE RESPONSES FROM SERVICE TECHNICIANS: 1)NOTHING WRONG 2)NEEDED ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, OIL, PLUGS, POINTS, ETC 3)MULTIPLE BATTERY REPLACEMENTS DUE TO DEAD BATTERIES AND DRAINING ISSUES 4)CAR OUT OF ALIGNMENT ( THE CAR HAD 3 SETS OF TIRE REPLACEMENTS AT 40K) 5)FAULTY BELTS ( WE PAID FOR REPLACEMENT) 6)SHUTTER VALVE ( RECALL WAS NOT REPLACED) 7)WATER PUMP LEAK 8)ELECTRICAL ISSUES NOT DEFINABLE, BUT BATTERY DRAINS 9)ENGINE RUNS HOT AND ROUGH 10) FIRE IN ENGINE ON FREEWAY. *TR