Problems · NHTSA complaints
1996 Mazda Protege problems
Owners filed 73 complaints about the 1996 Mazda Protege with NHTSA between Sep 1995 and Mar 2010. The most-cited component is air bags (24).
Complaints
73
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
24
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
24
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags24
- Power train9
- Service brakes, hydraulic8
- Equipment5
- Seat belts5
- Vehicle speed control4
- Engine and engine cooling4
- Steering4
- Suspension4
- Electrical system3
- Seats3
- Child seat2
- Visibility2
- Interior lighting2
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 12, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
9
18
12
12
5
7
1
5
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 1 |
| 1996 | 9 |
| 1997 | 18 |
| 1998 | 12 |
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2000 | 5 |
| 2001 | 7 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 5 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Air bags
24 reports20 crashes
“CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED WHILE STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, WHICH CAUSED A CHAIN REACTION WITH TWO OTHER VEHICLES. CONSUMER'S HEAD IMPACTED THE STEERING WHEEL , THE SEAT BACK, AND THEN THE STEERING WHEEL AGAIN. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK”
Power train
9 reports1 crash
“WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED THAT TRANSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS. AFTER BEING INSPECTED CONSUMER CONCLUDED THAT TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. *AK”
Service brakes, hydraulic
8 reports2 crashes
“EVERY TEN THOUSAND MILES BRAKES HAVE TO BE REPLACED. *AK THE BRAKES BEGAN FAILING RIGHT FROM THE FIRST DAY OF PURCHASE AND LATER AT 6000 MILES AND 10000 MILES. *YH”
Equipment
5 reports
“AIR CONDITIONER AND HEATING FAN DO NOT WORK. *SLC”
Seat belts
5 reports3 crashes
“CONSUMER WAS LOCKED IN DRIVER SEAT BECAUSE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT UNLATCH. CONSUMER HAD TO CUT HERSELF OUT. NOTIFIED DEALER, REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY.*AK”
Vehicle speed control
4 reports1 crash
“I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE - THE MAZDA PROTG MENTIONED UNDER "SUBJECT" OF THIS E-MAIL - ACCELERATING WITHOUT THE GAS PEDAL BEING TOUCHED ON AT LEAST THREE OCCASIONS SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW IN THE FALL OF 1996. THE VEHICLE ALSO EXHIBITED INTENSE RUMBLING WHEN IN DRIVE AND WAITING AT IDLE AT A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT. ON ONE OF SEVERAL OCCASIONS THAT I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ABOUT THE LATTER PROBLEM, A YOUNG ATTENDANT AT THE DEALER (MAZDA MAPLE SHADE IN MAPLE SHADE, NEW JERSEY) MENTIONED - APPARENTLY INADVERTENTLY - THAT THE RUMBLING WAS A "FACTORY DEFECT". I NEVER MENTIONED THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM SINCE I HAD ALWAYS MANAGED TO PUT ON THE BREAKS FIRMLY WHENEVER IT OCCURRED, AND THEREBY PREVENTED MOVEMENT THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS DAMAGE TO ANYTHING IN FRONT OF ME AS WELL AS THE CAR. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAS AN ELECTRONIC FEATURE THAT CAUSES IT TO AUDIBLY "REV UP" THE MOTOR BRIEFLY (APPROXIMATELY SEVERAL SECONDS, BUT LESS THAN A MINUTE) TO WARM UP. ONCE THE WARM-UP CYCLE ENDS THE CAR "REVS DOWN" TO A NORMAL IDLE SOUND. EVENTUALLY I HAD ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE CAR THAT REQUIRED THAT A MAJOR REPAIR BE DONE TO THE TRANSMISSION - AT…”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 12, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.