4.8

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
21,667 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2003 Mazda Protege:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #3

Mar 012005

Protege 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 23,000 miles
2003 Mazda Protege (manual transmission); have trouble going into reverse and sometimes into first gear; also, unable to take key out of ignition; driver window feels like it is rolling off track when rolled down. Problems with vehicle first began some time in March 2005.

- San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

Add Complaint
problem #2

Dec 102004

Protege 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 36,000 miles
Clutch apparently failed to engage transmission after being driven 15 miles to work with no apparent symptoms that it was going to fail. Vehicle has previously had a motor mount break that was covered under the terms of the warranty. I believe the motor mount failure caused a misalignment of the drive train which resulted in the premature failure of the clutch. Mazda has refused to cover the clutch as a warranty repair even though they did the motor mount repair. At the time the motor mount failed the motor or transmission was making an awful racket. The clutch sounded like it was under an awful strain!

- Ceredo, WV, USA

Add Complaint
problem #1

Nov 012003

Protege

  • Manual transmission
  • 6,000 miles
Leaking gear oil fluid at the linkage coupling.

- Macon, GA, USA

Add Complaint