Comments: 1-15, 16-23
At 3,285 miles, car had a broken front passenger side power window regulator, a ripped driver's side floor mat, and a loose weather strip on the rear driver's side door. Mazda replaced the window regulator, weather strip and both front floor mats at no charge, all under warranty.
At 15,801 miles, the car check engine light was flashing and the car was running rough. Problem found to be a faulty coil and igniter. Mazda replaced under warranty.
At 18,133 miles, the car check engine light came on. Problem found to be a defective catalytic converter. Mazda replaced under warranty.
Mazda Protege handles good going around turns, nice and flat and very predictable. Unlike the Metro which rocks like the Queen Mary in a Typhoon.
0 - 60 times in the Protege are in the 10 second range. Pickup is good in all speed ranges. Passing ability 40 - 70 is a little above average. Unlike the Metro, which took almost a whole eternal minute to get up to 60mph, especially if there's three overweight passenger's with luggage tagging along.
Mazda dashboard layout is very user friendly and logical. What's there to say about the Metro except, one speedometer, a brake, a steering wheel for maneuvering those sailboat like nautical turns, and a tiny little gas pedal that matched up well with those three out of breath mice under the hood.
Mazda trunk is nice and roomy. The Metro has a nice flat roof, just don't forget to bring along lots of rope.
Front driver's side seat on Protege has lumbar support. Would be nice to have the same for the front passenger side seat. Rear seats are comfortable for up to three average size adults, as long as the rear seat passenger's don't have beehive hairdos. Actually this is the only category where the Metro wins. The Cone Heads would have a blast in this car.
Oh my God!
These problems are identical to mine at about the same mileage! the only difference is that I had problems with my driver's side window. I have been inconvenienced too many times. This should have been a recall! Furthermore, I'm not happy with Mazda's service. The few times that my check engine light came on I took it to the dealer and they found nothing wrong, only to find out a month or so later I had to have parts replaced (i.e. the c. converter and the ignition coil) I really don't recommend this model at all!
I am an owner of a 1995 Mazda protege' and I have not had any problems, except 1 idle-ing complication. It was very shaky at a stop sign or red light and was starting to give me headaches. I had that fixed while it was still young, and it has 171,000 miles and still putting along-I am about to buy a 2000 Mazda Protege' and it is even nicer. I am so very glad that I bought my first Mazda.
Zach, LaCrosse-WI.
I had the same experience with the catalytic converter. Starting at about 30,000 miles the check engine light came on after the car started sputtering on the start. I took the car to the originating dealer and after running their diagnostic, they told me that the spark plugs were bad (I just had gotten the plugs done) and the catalytic converter. I got the spark plugs done (by my mechanic) and the catalytic converter changed by the dealer since it was under warranty. Fast forward about 4 months and only a couple more thousand miles and the result is 2 more replaced catalytic converters and O2 sensor. By that time I wasn't going to the same dealership. After about 3 months of getting my last catalytic converter, the check engine light came on again -- this time I was past my warranty -- and the problem was attributed to a bad MAP sensor. The dealer still fixed it for free -- that was the good thing -- since the problem traced back to when the car was only at 30K miles.
Since then, couple minor problems that I could live with, nothing major or expensive. But I do doubt that I would buy another Protege just because the way the first dealer treated me.
J. Wangner
Northern Virginia
I have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES and I have had too many troubles with it. I have had to have the auto lock replaced on two of the doors and now need a third one done. The weather stripping keeps coming off and leaving black sticky tar on the paint and anything else it touches. I have had to replace the battery 4 times now. I have had a rattle in the engine compartment that everyone seems to notice except for people who work at the dealership. My car is an automatic and the transmission keeps slipping, yet it never happens to the people at the dealership when I take it in for repair. And today, my transmission is stuck in 1st gear, my battery light came on (I just put in a new battery 2 months ago), and my airbag light is flashing. I am sure, however, when I take it to the dealership they will insist that nothing is wrong. I am very disappointed in my Mazda and the service I have received (not received?) at several of their dealerships!!!
I also own a 2000 Mazda Prot
We bought a 1997 Mazda Protege as our first new car. Within several weeks of owning the car it began idling poorly-Mazda could not diagnose the problem, nor could our personal mechanic-wiring harness, distributor cap and plugs were changed; this has never been fixed per Se, but the car runs better on premium fuel. Engine light has been coming on over the past several weeks, no fix yet after several visits-O2 sensor has been replaced, mechanic suggests replacing the catalytic converter (sounds like this is a theme with the protege). We are looking for a new car now-we will not buy another Mazda.
What does the car do when the transmission slips, does this happen when it is in drive going on the highway?
In response to the question about the slipping transmission, my 99 had this infamous clunk and I mean a clunk where it felt like I was leaving the transmission on the road. It happened like once a year in the 6 years and 85k miles I put on it and nothing ever came of it. Other than normal things happening and a broken timing belt (that I did not change at the recommended 60k) the car always started, always ran and I loved till it was destroyed when I was rear ended - I just replaced it with what I thought was a perfect 2000 with 77k...on the drive home I started hearing a weird clanking in the back when I put on the brakes...but it's got a 2 mos. warranty... so I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best! But the clunking transmission never resulted in anything else.
I have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES, it was bought in the year 2000 brand new. In June 2006, my transmission and the computer went at 80,000 miles. Luckily I bought the extended warranty and it was covered. I took my car to Aamco they kept the car for over a month because they after they replaced the transmission, the car still was not driving properly (it would slam in to 1st and 2nd gears). Aamco had a difficult time figuring out what was wrong until finally they realized it was the computer. After they replaced the computer, my car is fine. However, the technician that did the work on my car said when my computer went the car should have flashed a warning code on the dash board or at least the check engine light should flashed, but it did nothing. And as far as he could see that there is no light on the dash board to warn the driver that the computer is not working properly. He also told me that the computer tells the car when to shift and because it wasnt working properly it caused the transmission to fail. I say this to warn everybody that if you are having transmission problem it might be the computer in your car. I was lucky because Aamco ended up putting a brand new transmission and computer in my car. I hope this helps someone.
In response to the comment above about Aamco transmission work: Aamco is the LAST PLACE you want to bring your vehicle in for transmission work, or shall I say "Never bring it to Aamco", it is the lion's den and you are sure to be doomed, eaten alive! They will tear up a PERFECTLY GOOD TRANSMISSION at your expense!!!
Anyway, the infamous transmission slip, jerk, or sudden drop is not because your transmission's failing, it's your failed sensor (s) according to the computer and usually accompanied by the check engine light. There is air leaking somewhere, this also means that either the vehicle is running too rich or too lean. I too occasionally would get this sudden "drop" or "jerk" from my transmission when I am driving steadily, maybe once, twice or three times a year. My check engine light came on at 38K miles and Mazda decoded it (P0171) and replaced an Air Flow Meter Sensor under warranty (this problem was recalled for an extended warranty of 7yr/70,000) and reset the light, it stayed off ever since. I service my transmission every 30K miles and everything's fine, but still get the occasional jerk. Recently, when I was doing my 110,000 mile tune up while replacing the air filter, I found a small crack on the Air Intake Hose (the 3 1/2" diameter hose running from the airbox to the engine manifold), I mend it temporarily with some tape and noticed an immediate gain in horsepower and it ran much smoother. I decided to buy the $30 part, which included a new PCV Valve attached to it and replaced it myself in about 10 minutes. The car runs like new now because the computer is in working order, so far the transmission is smoother and less confused, I'm sure that was the culprit to the occasional slip and jerk.
It's weird that so much can happen based on such tiny problem (s) which occurred and interferes with the computer.
If the transmission fails, it will fail for sure, it does not give you much time with the symptoms of slipping and jerking. But luckily, the person above has an extended warranty and Aamco knows this and cashed in. Reminds me of the healthcare industry where insurance is the key to $$$! Poor souls.
I have 2000 Mazda Protege that ran well until last Month. Two weeks after I had a 800 mile trip, the engine started to cut off. It runs smooth for 30 seconds or 1 minute, then there is a sudden drop of power and the car hesitates. The symptom is more obvious when driving at relative high speed (> 50 miles/hour) but is also frequent at lower speed, especially when I accelerate too fast (>3000 rpm). It is not the Mass Airflow Sensor (MAS, recalled by the company) as it was replaced in 2002. I sent the car to two shops for diagnosis. One of them assured me that it was the engine, but not the transmission. The other technician thought it was the crankshaft position sensor, which turned out to be incorrect. Does anybody experience a similar problem or have any suggestions?
Check your hoses as I've mentioned earlier.
I have a 2000 Protege ES with 75,000 miles. I had the door lock problems and oxygen sensor problems like you won't believe. Now my transmission is stuck on D (code a friend got from the car computer). Does anyone know what the fix to this may be?
I just bought a 2000 Mazda Protege 4 door sedan. I have had no major problems so far, but have not had the car long either. My car is a 5 speed so slipping tranny isn't an issue, but, has anyone else got a small banging in the front end when you go over small pot holes and ruts? The struts seem fine and so do the ball-joints. Any ideas? I also have a very stiff shifter movement; are there bushings in the shift socket that wear out, like Hondas?
Overall the car is OK, but it also revs too high for about the first minute after start and I can't find out why.
Now my final comment, (which really puzzles me); why does the car rev so high at highway speeds 100-120 Kph (60-80 mph)? This car is a 5 speed, but still gets close to 3000 rpm on the highway. I have driven cars and big suburbans, all stay neatly around 2000 rpm when cruising. Does anyone know why?
My 2000 Mazda Protege ES has had absolutely no problems until 290,000 miles. I kept up on all the services required on it. At 290,000 both catalytic converters went and the transmission started slipping. After talking to numerous mechanics and two different Mazda dealerships, I have found that the car is extremely expensive to repair. But being able to run a car to 290,000 miles without a serious problem is wonderful. My mechanic said that my engine is well used, but is still in great working order. I love this car and would recommend it to anyone.