Reliability & cost of ownership
Mazda Protege Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Mazda Protege? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Mazda Protege problems by model year
30 recall entries and 805 owner complaints on file across 9 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Protege | 4 | 120 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Protege | 4 | 98 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Protege | 5 | 50 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 Protege | 3 | 102 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1999 Protege | 3 | 88 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 Protege | 2 | 46 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 Protege | 2 | 66 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1996 Protege | 2 | 70 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 Protege | 5 | 165 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Mazda Protege, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- air bags152 complaints
- power train134 complaints
- engine and engine cooling103 complaints
- seat belts76 complaints
- service brakes72 complaints
- hydraulic66 complaints
- electrical system50 complaints
- tires48 complaints