At first the seat belt locked and I could not get out of it. After about 15 minutes I was able to get it released. Thank god I was in the garage at home. Then approx 6 weeks later I was latching the belt to the buckle and the darn thing fell apart. The right rear door handle broke last year but since no one sits back there I never worried about it. Now with the seat belt issue I was searching for the part and someone suggested I check the recall list for this car, because they are not supposed to do that. I found numerous complaints on line and then this site.
Mazda Protege door locks problems
13 of the 1,074 owner complaints about the Mazda Protege describe doors won't lock, open or latch, most of them for the 1991 model year.
- owner complaints
- 13
- worst model year
- 1991
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20031
- 20022
- 20001
- 19982
- 19952
- 19941
- 19931
- 19921
- 19912
Often reported together
What owners say
1. Normal use of the vehicle. 2. The left front seat inside door handle (driver's side) broke off 1/28/09. Only way out is to craw over center console and exit passenger side. 3. The left rear seat inside door handle broke off 8/22/09. Child had to exit the opposite side of the car. 4. Google (no quotes) "protege broke door handle" and see others with this defect.
2000 protege lx accelerator pedal was stuck in the depressed position. *ts as a result of the accelerator pedal sticking the consumer was involved in an accident. On feb 21, 2000 the vehicle was taken to the dealer because the consumer heard a high pitched ping noise coming from the vehicle. The dealer was unable to duplicate the noise. The left rear door lock assembly was defective. The vehicle would accelerated and jerk while accelerating.
Overdrive light flashed on and off, and check engine light stayed on. Transmission shifted hard. Dealer discovered four solenoids defective because they were steel plated. Manufacturer stated consumer will have to repair at his own cost.*ak the consumer stated that 4 soleroids inside the transmission are going bad. Steel plates in transmission show thermal damage. Rear door locks not functioning and making a shorting sound.
Consumer received recall for the front door latch for improper operation of the automatic seat belt retractor, they refused recall repair and stated that it only applies when it gets stuck half way down the retractor, the door latch is inoperable and the consumer feels the recall should be completed. (recall information not available)
Driver and passenger side plastic door lock covers broke, consumer had them replaced with metal ones to prevent future breakage. Nlm
Rear doors will not unlock.this happens when the car is on or off ,and these are manual doors.dealer has yet to be contacted.
When consumer puts key into door lock it snaps in half and breaks in the lock. Dealer contacted and is aware of problem. Problem still exists.
Automatic transmission has not completely failed, car is still being driven due to fact that dealer is 90 miles away. Problem is most noticeable when car is still cold. When vehicle is slowed for an intersection or stop sign, if you don't come to a complete stop, there is a very hard "thump" felt upon acceleration. Has been getting noticeably worse with time. As far as the door handle is concerned, one day it just stopped working, the handle moves in and out, it just doesn't open the door.
Driver has to use excessive effort to unlock drivers side door lock.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Mazda Protege door locks
Which Mazda Protege years have doors won't lock, open or latch problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1991 (2 complaints), 1995 (2 complaints) and 1998 (2 complaints).
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