Mazda Protege 5 2003
Model Protege 5 made in 2003 by Mazda got 43 consumer complains as well as 1 recall. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to engine and engine cooling and exterior lighting. There was one recall concerning exterior lighting .
Model 2003
Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | ||||||||||||||||
| 06E064000 | TRADESONIC | E (Equipment) | 4029 | OVSC | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 07/17/2006 | 07/17/2006 | 571 | 108 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Lack of amber side reflectors in the lamps will decrease lighting visibility to other drivers and may possibly result in a vehicle crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | This recall only pertains to tradesonic aftermarket lamps and has no relation to any original equipment installed on the listed passenger vehicles.for more information on the lamp model numbers, click on document search and view document titled | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 10/21/2011 | 85000 | ||
| The car suffered a failure of the intake manifold whereby the screws inside the intake had come loose and caused damage to the engine. it is unclear at this time if my car is covered under the current recall 3005 c. | |||
| 08/24/2011 | 56197 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 07/30/2009 | 79000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mazda protege 5. while idling the engine, it misfired and two of the cylinders did not make a connection. an authorized technician removed a screw from the cylinder within the engine at his own expense. the technician also stated that the intake manifold was losing screws and affecting the cylinders. the manufacturer offered no assistance. the current mileage was 83,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 79,000. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 11/01/2010 | 107000 | ||
| 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 mainfold 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 manifod 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 amyone 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 bne the next step. all of this could have been avoided had the first mazda dealership replaced the intake manifold in the first place. | |||
| 08/19/2010 | 101000 | ||
| 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 agin 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 compresssion 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. | |||
| 05/18/2009 | 72000 | 1 | |
| My 2002 protege 5 (built december 2002) had a catastrophic engine failure, due to loose vics screws from the intake manifold coming loose and being sucked into the combustion chamber. these screws sheared off the top of my spark plug, and destroyed my piston and valves. the outward symptoms was a loud 'coin in the washing machine' sound coming from my engine, followed by a sudden loss of power and stalling. after the engine was opened, 3 of 8 vics screws were off completely, and the remaining 5 were loose. this is clearly the identical defect to a recall for protege 5's built shortly after my vehicle (emissions recall 3005c), but my vehicle was not covered in the recall. reading online boards for protege owners, it is clear that this is a frequent defect effecting both owners in and out of recall range, and that this vics recall should be widened to include additional owners. quotes from mazda for repair are ~$5000 for a new intake manifold, valves and pistons, and labor to repair. *tr | |||
| 04/16/2008 | 26490 | ||
| Tl*the contact's son owns a 2003 mazda protege 5. while approaching a red light at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled and had to be restarted. the contact heard loud noises coming from the front end of the vehicle. the contact pulled to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to a service station. the mechanic diagnosed the cause of the failure as a blown rod. the vehicle was then towed to a mazda dealer, who stated that there was engine failure and it needed to be replaced. the current mileage was 31,289 and failure mileage was 26,490. | |||
| 04/03/2007 | 100000 | 2 | 01/08/2004 |
| I purchased vehicle new in jan 04. while exiting the freeway, i felt a hiccup in the engine at which time it ran very poorly and check engine light came. the serpentine belt had also jumped about 25% off drive pulleys. i was traveling out of town at this time and took it to a local service station. technician identified problem as an engine misfire and installed a new belt. i decided not to have service station perform any additional diagnosis preferring take vehicle to dealership instead. dealership determined that a spark plug had failed and came apart. dealership then replaced all spark plugs. vehicle ran fine. appx 1 month later, exact symptoms occurred - engine hiccup, rough idle, check engine light. again i took to dealership. master tech was assigned to my vehicle this time and determined cause to be shutter valve screws had come loose from the intake manifold and entered engine causing damage to spark plug. technician informed me of recall # 3005c that had been issued and that he would contact his regional service manager to request the repair be covered by mazda. regional svc mgr declined to cover costs stating my specific vin was not in the effected range and that my mileage was too high. i looked up the recall and determined the recall issue date to be 6/1/05. at that time my mileage would have been 40,000 to 50,000 miles. i then contacted mazda usa customer assistance - reference number 112751060. i was told that mazda would not cover the expense because my vin # was not in the range of effected vehicles. i was also told that vin range was determined by the nhtsa and not by mazda and that it was illegal for mazda to pay for the repair expense. i believe this to be a lie on the part of mazda. i believe mazda is not accepting its' responsibility to the consumer because this would be admitting the problem is larger than the original scope and will cost the company a substantial amount of money. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 05/08/2007 | 61000 | 1 | 09/16/2003 |
| While driving normally to my home after work the car stalled at a stop light. )when restarted there was a loud clanking/hammering noise from the engine for about 15 seconds then the sound went away, the cell lit up and the engine started shaking. when checked for codes a misfire on cylinder -4 was found. (the spark plug on cylinder 4 had been smashed flat by a foreign object that caused the hammering noise, nothing was found inside the cylinder , using a magnet. the spark plug was replaced and the car worked as normal. upon investigation on the internet i found recall 3005c for the vehicle that describes my problem and if not fixed can cause engine failure. when contacting mazda customer assistance they said my vin was not in range for this recall and that i would have to pay for any repairs because my car has 61000 miles and even though the emissions warranty is still active, the regular warranty is over.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 05/18/2007 | 114000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 12/20/2007 | 129000 | 2 | 03/01/2003 |
| While driving to work my car began to shudder and hiccup. then the engine light cam on so i pulled off the highway. i started it back up and the car had a more serious shudder. i got it to a local service station and they ran a computer diagnostic and said it was a misfire in the #4 cylinder. the sparkplug was smashed. nothing was found in the cylinder so the sparkplug was replaced and temporarily fixed the problem. two weeks later the same shudder problem and again the engine light came on. this time the #1 cylinder was the problem and again with the same smashed sparkplug. my mechanic thought it was a very odd occurrence and checked and found the recall #3005c. my local mazda dealer then said my vin# did not fall within the range of the recall and yet there seems to be many people with this problem. it looks like mazda is trying to avoid this problem. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| 2003 mazda protege 5 with rough idling and other engine issues. consumer states the vehicle had a rough idle and that it would have trouble starting. *kb when the mechanic inspected the engine, he found the screws had passed through the engine and were found in the catalytic converter. the consumer discovered there was an intake manifold shutter and variable tumble control valve emission recall for mazda protege's, however the consumers vehicle identification number did not fall within the range. *jb | |||
| 09/25/2006 | 67000 | 1 | 11/01/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle began hesitating. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop, who determined the computer gave a code stating a misfire in the first cylinder. the spark plug was taken off and the gap was closed. the air intake manifold was then taken off and the screw had come off, this closed the gap on the spark plug. the intake manifold was being replaced. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 09/11/2008 | 68364 | 1 | |
| The low beam halogen bulb (headlight) on the passenger side of my mazda recently burned out. > first complaint--because of a cramped engine compartment, the bulb is difficult to replace. i have smallish hands for a man. there was barely room to access the bulb socket (holder) on the outside corner of the headlight pod. > second complaint--the bulb holder was complex. the bulb plugs into an internal socket; this pair slides into the headlight pod; the pair is then held in place by a wire clip; everything thus far gets covered by a rubber gasket; and lastly, there's an external connection (plug). > third complaint--the headlight pod is a intrinsically lousy design. even in broad daylight, i couldn't see the catch-point for the wire clip. > fourth complaint--the pod itself is frail. it's apparently plastic. the plastic apparently ages badly. my gentle attempt to refasten the wire clip broke something on the back of the pod--i don't know what. so i was forced to replace the pod assembly at a cost of over $400. > note--i'd previously replaced three headlight bulbs on this car; and though successful, i was frustrated with the process each time. > there oughta be a law! > an owner should be able to replace any safety-related light bulb on the outside of their vehicle with 1) no prior experience mechanically, eg, a teen barbie-bimbo; 2) only modest hand dexterity, eg, an old fart with arthritis; 3) no tool more complex than a commonplace screwdriver; and 4) without an owner's manual, eg, an older used car. > the goal here is to empower an owner to keep their vehicle in safest condition. i request that the usdot issue and enforce suitable standards for the manufacture of family vehicles. > it's too | |||
| PARKING BRAKE - CONVENTIONAL | |||
| 11/14/2006 | 42000 | 1 | |
| Emergency brake fails on inclines--this happened to me and a woman with the same make, model and year car sitting next to me at an insurance hearing! it caused significant damage to both our cars and her friend's property.*cn | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 09/27/2006 | 1 | 09/20/2003 | |
| My daughter drove my mazda protege 5 to pick up my son and to retrieve something from a friend's house. she parked the car on the friend's flat driveway, placing it in first gear. while she was inside of the house, the car somehow popped out of gear and picked up enough momentum to roll onto the road. the road was a hill, which caused the car to accelerate. the car ended up striking a house, causing damage to both the house and the shrubbery outside of the house. nobody could find any apparent problems with the car/transmission. *cn | |||
| SEAT BELTS | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 85000 | ||
| The front driver side seat belt receptacle (female) on my 2003 mazda protege5 will not latch, the vehicle has 147,000 miles on it now and is no longer under warranty. | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 90000 | ||
| Front driver seat belt suddendly was incapable of being buckled. drivers seat belt could not click in receptacle and was not usable. dealer said it was not covered b/c it was out of warranty and i was responsible for repair which was about $100. | |||
| 06/11/2008 | 40000 | 1 | |
| The seat belt no longer buckles. initially the buckle would go into the receptacle but not latch unless you pressed real hard and jiggled it around. after about a week, it stopped working all together. the buckle goes into the receptacle but does not latch. *tr | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 09/17/2009 | 89500 | 1 | 12/30/2002 |
| 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 | |||
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 70000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CABLES | |||
| 12/12/2006 | 78000 | 1 | 03/01/2003 |
| Tl* - the contact stated that 2003 mazda tribute has been idling at a high rpm. the contact took the vehicle to an exxon station and the vehicle was diagnosed as needing a new speed control cable. the contact researched, and found that there was a recall issued for the speed control. she took the vehicle to a mazda dealer, and was told there was no recall, but they did not diagnose the cause of the problem. the contact stated that the high idling happened frequently, but not every time she started the car. it also happensed when she stopped at a light. there were no warnings signs or indicator lights present at the time of the failure. *ak | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | SAN RAFAEL | 94901 | MARIN MAZDA | 415-454-9240 |
| GA | MARIETTA | 30062 | JIM ELLSI MAZDA | |
| MA | WAKEFIELD | 01880 | 128 MAZDA | |
| OH | CINCINNATI | 45249 | KINGS MAZDA | 513-683-4900 |
| TX | WHICHITA FALLS | BROADY'S BUICK | ||
| VA | ALEXANDRIA | BROWNS MAZDA |