Mazda Protege Common Problems (Expert Advice and Fixes)
Are you thinking of buying a used Mazda Protege? If yes, you may be looking for advice on whether there are any problems you should be aware of before you spend your money. This guide will take you through all the frequently reported issues in Mazda Protégé.
Mazda Protege common problems include:
- Rust and corrosion
- Rough idle and engine misfires
- Check engine light
- Squealing when starting up
- Airbag problems
- Engine cranks but won’t start
- Engine stalls when you stop
In this article, we’ll take a more detailed look at the most common problems reported by Protégé owners and solutions to consider for each of them. Moreover, we’ll discuss the Mazda Protege years to avoid and the vehicle’s overall reliability.
Mazda Protege Common Problems
Here is the complete list of all the common problems as reported by Mazda Protégé owners:
Rust
Mazda Protégés, especially the older models produced in the 90s, are prone to terrible rusting. It affects different parts of the car including doors, wheel wells, rockers, undercarriage, suspension components, etc.
However, most owners seem to complain about finding rust around the rear wheel wells. Many owners reported seeing bubbling of paint, which is one way that rust manifests itself in the car.
Rust not only makes the vehicle look unsightly but also weakens the vehicle’s structural integrity, which can be quite dangerous!
We advise you to fix rust and corrosion as soon as you notice it on your vehicle. Fix any chips and scratches in your vehicle paint to prevent exposure of metal to rust.
Regular inspection of your car can help you catch the rust early and cut it out before it can corrode your vehicle. If you come across any signs of rust or corrosion, you should address them immediately to curb further spread.
Cleaning your car frequently, especially during or after winter when the road salt is used, will also help prevent rust in your car.
Other tips for preventing rust include rustproofing your car, waxing and sealing, keeping the drains clear, and storing your vehicle in a garage or covered area to shield it from elements responsible for rust.
If you’re planning to buy a used Protege whose owner lives in a snow belt area or near an ocean, then we advise you to inspect it for signs of rust.
Engine cranks but won’t start
Another commonly reported problem by Mazda Protege owners is the vehicle engine crackling or turning over but failing to start.
This problem affects nearly all models of Mazda protégé and usually catches up with the vehicle when it hits a mileage of between 17,000 and 300,000.
According to RepairPal, this issue can be attributed to an electrically shorted mass airflow sensor. During the diagnosis, you may find that your ignition spark is normal and the computer has not stored any trouble codes.
One of the owners complaining about this issue explains how their vehicle stopped in the middle of the road and won’t start again. They changed the crank sensor, coil parks, oxygen sensor, plug and wires, but the vehicle still won’t start.
However, several owners seem to agree that their vehicle starts after several (mostly the 2nd or 3rd) start attempts.
When faced with this no-start issue, we advise you to have your car diagnosed to find out what could be the issue.
Pay attention to the mass airflow sensor as it could be faulty. The MAF replacement will cost you anywhere from $300 to $500 to fix.
Rough idling, misfires, and check engine light
Many Protégé owners also seem to experience common engine issues ranging from rough idling to misfires, and even the check engine light frequently popping up on their dash.
The issue affects up to 14 models of Mazda protégé, meaning it’s quite widespread. Most of the affected vehicles have a mileage mark of around 60,000 to 170,000 miles.
You may get a combination of all three issues, or the engine may only misfire, and the check engine light comes on. In some cases, the car misfires under load. Yet, some owners complain about the engine misfiring, rough idle, and engine stalling.
These engine issues are usually attributed to a corroded ground terminal on the cylinder head on the driver’s side. This leads to rug hiding and misfires. There could also be stored trouble codes that make the check engine light come on.
To fix this issue, you may want to check the ground to the cylinder head and try to restore it.
You should also consider having your car computer scanned for the stored trouble codes. These will give you a clue about the underlying issues you’re dealing with so you can fix them and restore your engine to normal functioning.
In case your Mazda Protege engine misfires under load, the issue could be tied to leaky spark plug boots. When the plug boot leaks, it makes the spark arc or jump to the cylinder head.
In this case, you’ll need new spark plug wires to fix the problem.
If your engine misfires, has a rough idle, and hesitates, the potential issues to consider include the EGR valve’s high carbon deposits that result in particle clogging. Cleaning or replacement of the valve can help fix the problem.
Exhaust passage to the EGR valve may also be clogged, causing poor flow. Or the EGR valve lift may be insufficient as a result of a weak vacuum or faulty solenoid.
Engine stalls when you stop
The engine of different Mazda protégé model years has also been reported to stall when coming to a stop or at idle.
Model years that are mostly affected by this issue include the 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1992, and 1990 models.
The vehicles seem to have a mileage ranging from 85000 to 190000 when they encounter this problem.
Your car will run smoothly but when you come to a stoplight, it may idle unevenly and try to come to a stall or even stall hard!
Some owners report their vehicles sputtering before they cut off. In other cases, the engine stalls when driving at low speeds.
When this happens, the issue may be the transmission system, fuel system, air intake system, or even the ignition system. In simpler words, the most likely culprits to consider include:
- Malfunctioning transmission. For cars with automatic transmission, the torque converter replaces the clutch and helps transmit power. If it gets broken or if transmission fluid levels get low, the converter will be unable to do its job, and your car can’t maintain power at low speeds, causing the engine to cut out.
- Fuel system issues like low fuel pressure, bad fuel pump, or defective fuel injectors
- Bad oxygen sensor
- Defective mass airflow sensor
- Faulty idle air control actuator
- Restricted or clogged EGR valve
- Corroded or loose wiring in the wiring harness
Some owners explain that they were able to fix this problem by cleaning up carbon buildup in the throttle body using an engine cleaner. The car started running and idling fine afterward.
This makes sense given that throttle bodies in cars older than 20+ years are usually dirty.
If you notice your engine stalling when you come to a stop, we advise you to park your car in a safe place and get a mechanic to inspect it as soon as possible.
Avoid driving your vehicle in this condition as it’s unsafe for you and other road users.
Protege squeals when starting up
Hearing a loud squeaking or squealing in the engine area when you start up your Mazda protégé is another commonly discussed problem on Mazda protégé owners’ forums.
This particular issue affects pretty much any Mazda Protégé model. Most of the affected vehicles have an average mileage from 60,000 to 250,000 miles.
Vehicle owners explain that this issue is even more common during cold starts or when attempting to start the car in the cold season of winter.
If you hear a loud squealing as soon as you start your vehicle, the issue is usually a timing belt tensioner pulley that could be producing the noise timing cover area in your vehicle.
Timing belt squalling common causes include a failing water pump pulley, noise transference from a slipping v-belt or serpentine belt, timing belt being too tight, or a misaligned pulley.
In this case, you’d want to consider properly tensioning the belt. If the squealing persists, get an updated tensioner that has a thicker mounting bracket. This will eliminate the vibration and probably the sole squealing issue.
Many owners agree that after tightening the belt, the squealing problem was solved in their vehicles.
Sometimes, the squealing may come up when you turn on your AC system as well as when you start up your vehicle. In this case, you may consider checking the A/C compressor pulley for dirt. Also, check whether the water pump shaft could be bent.
Generally, if you have a squealing problem, we advise you to have a mechanic diagnose your car to find out the source of this noise and then repair it.
Airbag problems
Many Mazda Protégé car owners have also reported air bag related problems.
According to Car Problem Zoo, the most commonly reported issues include airbags failing to deploy, front airbag problems, airbags exploding, window/side airbag problems, and airbag warning lights on.
However, the most common problem seems to be the airbags failing to deploy in the event of a collision. This has caused the vehicle occupants to suffer serious injuries.
Other owners reported their airbags exploding while they were outside their vehicles. Others complain about the airbags deploying on their own.
In some cases, the Mazda Protege airbags warning light may keep flashing. This usually alerts the driver of an issue with the airbags. Most owners had to replace the airbags to fix the warning light issue.
There seems to have been a recall for Mazda airbags back in 1995. The issue was to fix the tie-down bracket, which was behind the deployment issues in Mazda. However, most owners are in the dark regarding this recall.
Mazda Protege years to avoid
The worst Mazda Protégé model years that you should avoid like plague include the 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003 model years. The 1995 is rated the worst of all years by Carcomplaints based on the data collected from users’ complaints. This model year was mostly plagued by engine problems.
Conclusion
Though a highly reliable vehicle that will continue riding smoothly for hundreds of thousands of miles, the Mazda protégé still has frequently reported issues by its owners. These include rust issues, engine stalling at stops, airbag problems, squealing noise when starting up, check engine light, and misfiring under load.
Mazda Protégé 1995 seems to be the worst model year with more engine issues than any other model year. Other model years to avoid include the 2003, 2002, 2000, and 1999 model years. Having read this article, we’re hopeful that you’ll make a wiser decision when buying a used Protégé and you can handle any problems that may arise in your vehicle.
