2001 Mazda Protege Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 2about this part
- Share
- 4%of 50 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 87,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 2 complaints about the engine of the 2001 Mazda Protege, 4% of the 50 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 87,500 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Takata recall I bought by 2001 Mazda Protege a couple years ago and was never sent anything about any recalls. After pulling a car fax report there is 5 recalls all having to do with headlights. I've received a ticket for no headlights on when they were on and was recenctly in a car accident due to not seeing the other vehicle . The damage to my vehicle is on the front end including damaging my radiator which needs to replaced, bumber and grill. I had only liability insurance on my vehicle and they only would pay for the other car that was hit. Why was I never informed of recall issues? …”
NHTSA complaint #10954122, filed 2017-02, 153,000 miles“The contact owns a 2001 Mazda Protege. The contact attempted to start the vehicle but the engine failed to start accompanied by an abnormal knocking from the engine. The contact also mentioned that the failure occurred more often when the engine was cold. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 22,000. Updated 05/28/14 ma the consumer stated model year 2003 vehicles have been repaired for the same failure by the manufacturer. But the manufacturer refuses to repair model years 2001-2002. …”
NHTSA complaint #10549544, filed 2013-10, 22,000 milesEngine: other model years
Other parts of the 2001 Mazda Protege
11 complaintsEngine cooling
8 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 complaintsBrakes
5 complaintsTires
4 complaintsElectrical system
3 complaintsEquipment
3 complaintsFuel system
3 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaintsSteering
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2001 Mazda Protege
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology