Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
AIR BAGS
080030610/04/200610021000Non genuine accessories affect air bag operation. *kb02/22/2007

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
AIR BAGS
02/04/200645000104/24/2005
 I was taking a corner on hwy 36 and hit gravel on the side of the road. the car went off the road did a nose dive into a ditch flip forward end over end, slid and rolled twice. non of the air bags deployed. neither driver or passenger. i am not positive but my car should have had side curtain air bags but they did not deploy either. *jb
01/19/200414666404/26/2003
 My son was involved in an auto accident and none of the front or side air bags went off. though he or the other driver was not seriously injured my concern was why didnt the air bags go off? everyone i have spoke to about this felt there may of been some defect in this car because of all the damage involved my son was pulling out of a side road onto the main highway he never saw the driver and hit the car on the passenger side my sons car was totaled. he just purchased the car brand new in april 2003 he had less than 15,000 miles on the car the transmission was busted as well as many other parts i spoke to senator corman regarding this issue and he said to file a complaint i also spoke to mazda regarding this however they said they werent aloud to investigate it that we would have to do this ourselves the insurance adjuster also commented on the air bags not going off i have pictures of the wrecked car and my son has the police report if you need any other information please call or email me down below i listed 4 failures that was all the air bags as for anyother information about this i have the insurance copy of the damage any assistance you can give me would be greatly appreciated
01/19/2004104/26/2003
 Failure of front and side air bags to deploy. *ak
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
03/31/2005110/12/2003
 Drivers frontal impact at 45 mph airbags did not deploy. my car 2003 mazda protege 5 was totaled. now i am having neck and back pain when i use my car. i called mazda they told me to use my insurance com. to investgate the airbags and get with madza. *jb
02/23/20041204201/04/2004
 I was involved in a head-on collision in my 2003 mazda protege5 while traveling approximately 10-20mph. the other party was traveling approximately 20-25mph. upon impact, the seat belt pretensioner didn't work (i was wearing my seat belt) and none of the airbags infated. the damage to the car was mainly structural, estimates to fix the car were approximately $13,000-$14,000, subsequently the car was 'totaled'. to describe the structural damage, the frame was bent, the right fender and structural parts underneath were buckled at the windshield, and quite a few engine components destroyed as well as all of the 'cosmetic' parts on the front of the car. the damage was classified by the reporting police department as major. in this accident, i received a patella (kneecap) fracture that is severe enough to keep me off work for approximately five weeks. physical therapy will continue for a total of approximately 6-8 weeks. medical bills will be approximately $8000 or more. on march 19, 2004, i visited the mazda dealership i purchased the car from on january 4, 2004 (the car had only 1204 miles on it at time of accident). i inquired from the available service technician where the airbag sensor was located. it was explained to me that there's a box that sits close to the dash, in front of the radio/cd changer. in this box is a cup with a little ball in it. around the cup are the sensors that, if the cup and ball are jarred enough in a collision, will set off the airbags. i have been asked by my insurance company (esurance), by the other party's insurance company (aaa), and the collision center (1st class collision) why the airbags didn't go off. i see the other two complaints regarding this same equipment failure and am wondering when there will be something done - does someone have to be seriously injured or killed before an investigation is started? this airbag sensor system obviously seems to be an inadequate feature of this model of mazda.*ak
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
10/25/200420000302/13/2003
 Air bag light illuminated while driving. vehicle had been to the dealer on three separate occasions. on each occasion, within three weeks or less , the air bag light illuminated while driving. *ak
AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW
12/20/200415500107/26/2003
 I have a 2003 mazda protege. when i purchased the car, i paid extra for a side airbags and anti-lock brake package. on monday, december 20th of 2004, i was broad sided by a 1990 huge chevy work pick up. i was going 40 mph, i estimate the truck at the same. my side airbags failed to deploy. if i had not seen the truck coming and offset the angle of impact, my brother and i would most likely be in the hospital right now. when i contacted mazda consumer affairs, i was told that they were not guaranteed to deploy and ?made a note in my file they failed to deploy.? at no point during the buying process was i told they were not guaranteed. when talking to mazda?s consumer affairs, i was also told they would not look into the failure unless my insurance company came after them. *nm
11/12/200215012/09/2002
 Failure of side air bag to deploy. on date indicated the right side of my 2003 mazda protege5 struck a metal utility pole with sufficient force to cause the vehicle to be a total loss, yet the side curtain air bag did not deploy. this was a direct and not glancing blow the main force of which struck immediately over the right rear wheel. interestingly enough, when notified, the mazda usa customer service representative stated that the insurance company (usaa) should initiate any required action. yet, the insurance company claims they are not involved if the air bag did not contribute to the cause of the accident. is no one but me concerned that there may be a defective side air bag system design or that a defective unit may have been installed in my car?