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Mazda Protege seat belt problems

80 of the 1,074 owner complaints about the Mazda Protege describe seat belt won't latch or retract, most of them for the 2003 model year.

owner complaints
80
worst model year
2003
typical mileage
93,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

Often reported together

Door locks 2No deployment 2Misfire 1

What owners say

Filed Oct 16, 2020 · Seat belts · 170,000 miles · UT

Every time I go to fasten my seat belt into the buckle, it's always unbuckling it self. This happens in stationary and in motion. My radios screen cant be seen or read. The visor on the car broke off and nothing was pulling it.

Filed Oct 24, 2017 · Seat belts · 93,000 miles · TX

Automatic seat belt on driver side did not retract completely when vehicle was off and door was opened. Seat belt only retracted 1/3 of the way and stays there. Seat belt still retracts back to shoulder position when key is turned.

Filed Aug 28, 2017 · Seat belts · GA

The seat belt system has failed. Had to unplug both driver and passenger seat belt motors, because the seatbelt lock wouldn't stop trying to move while in drive.

Filed Sep 18, 2015 · Seat belts · 110,000 miles · MD

Drivers side seat belt latch broke in the latched position. Necessitated taking the latch apart to release the belt.

Filed May 26, 2015 · Seat belts · 142,000 miles · OH

The driver side seat belt latch is no longer working. There appears to be broken parts in the female part.

Filed Mar 19, 2015 · Seat belts · 131,000 miles · UT

I was pulling up to my residence when the seat belt popped out of the receiver by itself.. I tried to re-latch the seat belt and it would not latch. I attempted a few more times and the seat belt receiver completely fell apart..

Filed Dec 9, 2014 · Seat belts · 91,000 miles · IL

I was driving at about 35 MPH and hit a bump on the road that caused the driver seat belt buckle to come loose and it got in my way of the steering wheel. I was lucky to be driving on the left lane on one way street, I was able pull over, and to my surprise the buckle wouldn't latch to the female connector. It seems like the female connector pieces inside it had broken. Please check, this is a huge concern for anyone. If this would have happened on an interstate freeway I can't imagine taking my eyes of the road for even 1 sec. Please investigate!

Filed Sep 9, 2013 · Seat belts · 109,687 miles · TX

The driver seat belt will no longer work. The male end will not connect to the female end. I looked with a flashlight and there were broken pieces inside. It looks like the buckle came apart. I now have to use the passenger side seat belt buckle.

Filed Jun 22, 2013 · Seat belts · 120,500 miles · FL

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.

Filed Dec 19, 2012 · Seat belts, Seats · 203,000 miles · UT

When engaging seat belt into locking mechanism, the mechanism broke into about seven pieces. It will no longer hold the seat belt.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Mazda Protege seat belt

Which Mazda Protege years have seat belt won't latch or retract problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2003 (14 complaints), 2002 (13 complaints) and 1994 (10 complaints).

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