2003 Mazda Protege Transmission Problems

THE 2003-2003.5 MAZDASPEED PROTEGE POORLY DESIGNED LIMITED-SLIP DIFFERENTIAL HAS SEEN A FAILURE RATE OF OVER 125 DOCUMENTED CASES ONLINE. WHEN THIS PART FAILS, THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND TO ACCELERATION CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND RESIDENTIAL SPEEDS. WHEN THIS PART FAILS, IT COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE AND PASSENGERS TO BE AT RISK FOR ROADSIDE REAR END CRASHES DUE TO LOSS OF POWER ESPECIALLY IF THE DRIVER IS CHANGING LANES AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM FOR THIS PARTICULAR MODEL AND MAZDA USA HAS DENIED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ISSUING A RECALL. 2003-2003.5 MAZDASPEED PROTEGE OWNERS HAVE HAD THE LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL REPLACED ONLY TO FIND THE ISSUE RE-APPEAR AND FAIL AGAIN. HERE IS A LINK TO THE DOCUMENTED LIST OF OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS FAIL. (HTTP://WWW.MSPROTEGE.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=64821&PAGE=29). SOME FAILURES HAVE EVEN BEEN DANGEROUS. I WOULD ASK THAT THE NHTSA LOOK DEEPLY INTO THIS SITUATION BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR WORSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

NHTSA ID

10263194

Incident

Mar 25, 2009

Mileage

83,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10213701

Incident

Sep 27, 2006

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.

NHTSA ID

10129272

Incident

Mar 1, 2005

Mileage

23,000 mi

THE CLUTCH HAD GONE OUT. THEN TWO OF THE TIRES HAD BLOWN OUT. ONE TIRE HAD BLOWN OUT FROM THE INNER WALL AND THE OTHER BLOW OUT WAS DUE TO SIDEWALL FAILURE. *AK *SC *JB

NHTSA ID

10101949

Incident

May 29, 2003

Mileage

100 mi

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! *JB

NHTSA ID

10104106

Incident

Dec 10, 2004

Mileage

36,000 mi

OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHED ON AND OFF, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON. TRANSMISSION SHIFTED HARD. DEALER DISCOVERED FOUR SOLENOIDS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THEY WERE STEEL PLATED. MANUFACTURER STATED CONSUMER WILL HAVE TO REPAIR AT HIS OWN COST.*AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT 4 SOLEROIDS INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION ARE GOING BAD. STEEL PLATES IN TRANSMISSION SHOW THERMAL DAMAGE. REAR DOOR LOCKS NOT FUNCTIONING AND MAKING A SHORTING SOUND. *TC

NHTSA ID

10090286

Incident

Aug 18, 2004

Mileage

87,700 mi

UNDER LOW ACCELERATION BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND AND BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS THERE IS A VERY LOW FREQUENCY NOISE THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS GENERATED BY A VIBRATION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW. I HAVE HAD IT IN TWICE FOR REPAIR TO NO AVAIL AND THE DEALER REFUSES TO KEEP THE CAR OVERNIGHT TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE FURTHER.*AK

NHTSA ID

10080571

Incident

Jan 1, 2004

Mileage

500 mi

MY TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED AT 18,000 MILES AND ONE MONTH SHY OF BEING A YEAR OLD. A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED. I HAD MY CAR BACK FOR ONE WEEK AND THE NEW TRANSMISSION WOULD DOWN SHIFT FOR NO REASON AS I WAS DOING 70 MPH DOWN THE INTERSTATE. AFTER REPLACING THE COMPUTER, THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, THROTTLE RANGE SENSOR, AND THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS, MAZDA HAS NOW DECIDED TO REPLACE THE NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS WILL BE THE THIRD TRANSMISSION IN A YEAR OLD CAR. *JB

NHTSA ID

10062733

Incident

Feb 6, 2004

Mileage

18,157 mi

LEAKING GEAR OIL FLUID AT THE LINKAGE COUPLING. *LA

NHTSA ID

10045239

Incident

Nov 1, 2003

Mileage

6,000 mi