2002 Mazda Protege power train problems
17 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2002 Mazda Protege — 17% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“2002 mazda protege5 was being driven at speed no greater than 40 mph and the automatic transmission would not shift past 3rd gear. Had car towed to local dealership where I was informed the transmission failed and would have to be replaced. The car only has 72,200 miles on it. In november 2006 the…”
filed Feb 20, 2008
“Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mazda protege. While performing an emissions inspection, the dealer noticed a leak caused by a faulty transmission seal and stated that it was a defect. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 77,000.”
filed Sep 6, 2007
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
This Service Alert supersedes the previously issued SA listed below: The changes are noted in Red. SA-011/24 02/12/24, 06/06/24, 07/29/24 DESCRIPTION Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance…
SA-029-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2026
Power Train problems in other Protege years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Protege | 12 | 10% |
| 2001 Protege | 6 | 12% |
| 2000 Protege | 29 | 28% |
| 1999 Protege | 22 | 25% |
| 1998 Protege | 15 | 33% |
| 1997 Protege | 10 | 15% |
| 1996 Protege | 8 | 11% |
| 1995 Protege | 19 | 12% |
| 1994 Protege | 7 | 9% |
| 1993 Protege | 2 | 5% |
| 1992 Protege | 4 | 6% |
| 1991 Protege | 4 | 8% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2002 Mazda Protege
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.