2002 Mazda Protege: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 98 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is seat belts (17% of complaints); the 2001 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2009
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 98 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Underneath the car is nothing but rust. It is affecting the undercarriage, the ball joints, the control arm, and the car's frame itself. I have replaced both ball joints both control arm shock and the car is still hard to steer”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Sep 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mazda protege. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the brake pedal was applied and the vehicle lunged forward. The vehicle then accelerated up a hill and suddenly stopped. The contact had the vehicle towed to a tow yard. Later, the vehicle was driven to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the frame was bent and the fuel and brake lines were destroyed. The vehicle was unable to be repaired and was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. Updated 11/09/15*lj”Owner report · Structure · Jul 2015
“I was driving at about 35 mph and hit a bump on the road that caused the driver seat belt buckle to come loose and it got in my way of the steering wheel. I was lucky to be driving on the left lane on one way street, I was able pull over, and to my surprise the buckle wouldn't latch to the female connector. It seems like the female connector pieces inside it had broken. Please check, this is a huge concern for anyone. If this would have happened on an interstate freeway I can't imagine taking my eyes of the road for even 1 sec. Please investigate! *tr”Owner report · Seat Belts · Dec 2014
Show 7 more owner reports
“Recently purchased a 2002 mazda protege5. Without warning, it wouldn't start. The low beam headlight burned out. The heat, stereo, headlights & power windows all worked. The car had no power and didn't even turn over. About 15 mins later, it started fine and never had a problem again until a few days ago (approx a month in between incidents). Same thing all over again, but this time the car refuses to start. What can I do? What info should I be aware of? I discovered online that this is an extremely common problem. *tr”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2013
“At first the seat belt locked and I could not get out of it. After about 15 minutes I was able to get it released. Thank god I was in the garage at home. Then approx 6 weeks later I was latching the belt to the buckle and the darn thing fell apart. The right rear door handle broke last year but since no one sits back there I never worried about it. Now with the seat belt issue I was searching for the part and someone suggested I check the recall list for this car, because they are not supposed to do that. I found numerous complaints on line and then this site. *tr”Owner report · Seat Belts · May 2013
“I was driving on 905 west, close to the 805 n exit, and the road was broken. There was a hole on the road and my car's tire exploted when I drove by it. My car's alignment is lost. I almost had an accident because of it. Unfortunately I didn't have a good spare tire so I had to drive to my house with the exploted tire, and since it happened at 10pm I will have to miss work to fix it, and buy a new tire. *tr”Owner report · Tires · Feb 2012
“Seatbelt will not lock in on driver's side and today the handle broke on the inside driver's side to get out of the car! *tr”Owner report · Seat Belts · Sep 2011
“2002 protege heater fan switch malfunctioned and melted plug and switch almost caused a fire but it was smoking when it fried and caused the 4th speed of the fan not to work I had to splice a new plug in to fix the issue and to keep it from catching fire I have pictures if needed. *ln”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2010
“The car began to shutter and dropped from 50 to 25 in seconds. The check engine light (cil) starting flashing and the car began to stutter like it was going to die, I pulled to the side of the road and the car died. Started car again the cil continued to flash, it only would accelerate to 25 miles an hours even with my foot all the way down on the gas. I took it to the a mechanic and the codes were p0421, 171, 300. The mechanic did everything from engine flush, spark plugs, oil, air filters and installed a new catalytic converter but the problem persists. Its now a year later and the car is doing the exact same thing. *tr”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Dec 2010
“Myself, the driver, rear-ended another driver at a speed of 35-40mph. The driver slammed on his brakes and I had no time to react. The result is a totaled front end w/ $4000+ of repairs. The seat belt did not restrain me and the airbag did not deploy. The car will be totaled and I suffered extensive bruising because of this failure. *tr”Owner report · Seat Belts · Nov 2010
When filing, owners marked a crash in 12 of these complaints and injuries in 14 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
CERTAIN ALFAOTTO COMBINATION HEADLAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: ALFAOTTO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 10, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ALFAOTTO AT 626-656-2992 OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALFAOTTO.COM.
CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2002 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Protege by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Mazda Protege reliable?
NHTSA has 98 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2002 Mazda Protege. The most complained-about area is seat belts (17% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2002 Mazda Protege problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 63,000 miles or less.
Does the 2002 Mazda Protege have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning exterior lighting:headlights. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.