2003 Mazda Protege

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

I OWN A 2003 MAZDA PROTEGE 5, AND I HAVE AUTOMATIC/REMOTE KEY UNLOCKS DOORS. ONE DAY IT JUST STOP WORKING, I HAD TO START TO MANUALLY LOCK AND UNLOCK MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR. IT WOULD NOT BE MUCH OF A BOTHER HAD IT BE ANOTHER DOOR, BUT JUST THE MAIN ONE I USE BROKE. I WENT TO THE DEALER BUT THEY WANTED $250 TO FIX IT, SAYING IT NEEDS A NEW CAR DOOR ACTUATOR. NOT 2 MONTHS PAST, AND THE BACK DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BROKE TOO, A DOOR I HARDLY USED. IT WAS A CHEAP PLASTIC PART WITH IN THE ACTUATOR THAT BROKE FOR NO GOOD REASON. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS. I HAVE YET TO COME UP WITH $500 TO FIX BOTH DOORS. *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. WHENEVER THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO USE THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT SHE NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE WOULD NOT CONNECT WITH THE BASE LATCH. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT PRIOR TO THE FAILURE THE LATCH BECAME VERY DIFFICULT CLOSE. THE LATCH MECHANISM WAS REPLACED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 89500. UPDATED 01/05/10. *LJ UPDATED 01/05/10.*JB

I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF A PROBLEM WITH MAZDA PROTG'S. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM, WHICH IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THERE ARE BRACKETS ON TOP OF THE STRUT TOWER THAT ARE NOT COATED OR COATED PROPERLY TO PREVENT RUSTING. THE RUST ON MY CAR AND MAY OTHERS IS SEEN COVERING THE TOP OF THE STRUT TOWER. AS YOU KNOW THERE IS A LOT OF PRESSURE AT THIS POINT ON VEHICLES. IF THE RUST ADVANCES ENOUGH ' THE STRUT AND WHEEL CAN AND WILL COME UP THROUGH THE HOOD. THE RESULT WILL BE A VEHICLE LOSING CONTROL AND CRASHING INTO WHATEVER IS AROUND. MAZDA IS UNRESPONSIVE TO THIS ISSUE. COULD YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE AS MANY PEOPLE CAN BE HURT OR KILLED BY THIS. I HAVE PICTURES OF MY CAR IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THEM (UNABLE TO SUBMIT THROUGH THIS SITE) AND A LINK TO AN AUTOMOTIVE WEB SITE WITH ADDITIONAL PICTURES AND COMMENTS. HTTP://WWW.THETRUTHABOUTCARS.COM/PISTON-SLAP-MAZDA-PROTEGE5-IN-GOD-WE-RUST/. *TR