2002 Mazda Protege Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“I have a 2002 Mazda Protege lx with 61,000 miles on it. Recently my transmission failed and had to fix it with aamoco. Total bill, $2500. I realized the problem when I drove the car it wouldn't shift. It acted like I was driving in neutral. Mazda refused to take care of the problem and now I'm stuck with a have safe half reliable car. This is very dangerous because if your driving on a highway and you can't accelerate it creates a very scary dangerous problem.”

“My 2002 Mazda Protege has 61,000. The transmission has completely gone out on it. When I called the dealer to inquire if this was 'normal' because I had only once before had to replace a transmission at 120,000 she said, oh yeah we get them all the time. Then wanted to charge me $4,500 to fix it. I went into the Mazda dealer to try and replace the said car and I told him about my situation and he also said, yeah, 61,000 miles, just after the warranty expires, they timed that right. I can not believe the transmission has gone out so soon.”

“There is a distinct transmission whine/squeal that occurs when the car accelerates beyond 50 MPH. This began to occur after about 17000 miles. It was not present when I purchased the car. Mazda claims this is 'normal' and caused by the resonance of parts which occurs once the engine has been broken in. This information was never disclosed to me when purchasing the vehicle and I feel it is bizarre that a new car would have such an inherent flaw that Mazda feels is normal and that customers accept the noise factor once the car is 'broken in'.”

“We purchased a Mazda protege5 in january of 2002. Within a very short time, (~1000 miles, maybe less), we noticed a high pitched whining noise. This noise occurs between 50 and 75 miles per hour on average. We brought the vehicle in to Mazda, and a mechanic immediately tied the problem to the transmission. So, in very short order, they replaced our transmission, (which worried me a little). Unfortunately, this did not correct the problem, so we complained once more, and within a week or two Mazda apparently released a bulletin which releases them of all responsibility. …”

“We purchased a new 2002 Mazda Protege lx in 08/2002. Within days we were having problems with the transmission. Sometimes just hesitation in acceleration and shifting. Frequent failure to shift at all or failure to shift for prolonged intervals (sometimes miles). Occasional slamming into gear and car lurching forward. We have had 3 incidents that almost lead to accidents. We have had car in for repairs on 5 separate occasions, but dealer said they could not find anything wrong. Letter of notification of defect to manufacturer sent to Mazda corporate on 3/22/03. …”