40 of the
1,377 complaints filed about the Mazda Protege
are about the glass, mirrors and wipers —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 1995.
40
Complaints
3%
Share of all complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers complaints by model year
DRIVING CAR IN POURING TROPICAL RAINSTORM AT ABOUT 40MPH IN HEAVY SOUTHBOUND THREE LANE TRAFFIC. WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE RUNNING ON LOW. TURNED WIPERS TO HIGH, THEY RAN FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE, THEN STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. HAD TO IMMEDIATELY PULL INTO CENTER LANE U-TURN TURNAROUND AND SIT THERE WITH FLASHERS ON UNTIL RAIN SUBSIDED (THIS IN ITSELF IS DANGEROUS). WIPERS WOULD NOT RUN AT ALL AFTER THAT. THERE WERE 1 ADULT AND 3 CHILDREN IN THE CAR. RETURNED HOME. CHECKED FUSE AND IT WAS OK. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD MOTOR REVEALED THAT THE GROUND WIRE HAD BROKEN OFF AT THE LOOP WHERE IT HELD IN PLACE BY THE WIPER MOTOR MOUNTING BOLT (WITH WASHERS). I SUSPECT THAT THE SHARP EDGES OF THE STEEL WASHERS HAD CUT THE BRASS GROUND WIRE LOOP OVER TIME. I ALSO SUSPECT THAT THIS LOOP HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND THAT WHEN THE WIPERS ARE TURNED ON HIGH, THAT THE MOTOR VIBRATES IN THE RUBBER MOUNT BUSHING, AND THE BRASS GROUND LOOP SHANK JITTERS OFF OF THE LOOP (WHERE IT IS NORMALLY JUST LYING UPON DUE TO GRAVITY), THUS CAUSING THE MOTOR'S GOUND CIRCUIT TO OPEN, AND THE WIPERS TO FAIL. THE CAR HAS ABOUT 69,000 MILES ON IT. THE IS A 5 CENT PART THAT HAS PUT OUT FAMILY IN HARMS WAY TWICE NOW. IF THIS IS NOT JUST AN ISOLATED INCIDENT ON MY VEHICLE, I PREDICT THAT THERE WILL BE DEATHS AND INJURIES CAUSED WHEN DRIVERS CANNOT SEE WHERE THEY ARE DRIVING.
NHTSA complaint #10234651 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DRIVING ON FL TURNPIKE AT NIGHT IN HEAVY RAIN, BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC, WIPERS WERE ON HIGH, SWITCHED THEM TO LOW (NOT INTERMITTENT) AND THE WIPERS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. TRYING TO MAKE IT TO THE RIGHT HAND LANE WITH MY HEAD OUT THE WINDOW SO I CAN SEE, AND THEY JUST CAME BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY. MADE IT HOME, KEEPING THEM ON LOW. THAT WAS 7/17/07. YESTERDAY (8/1/07) IN MEDIUM RAIN IN DAYLIGHT, WENT TO LOCAL STORE. AS A TEST, I PUT WIPERS ON LOW A MINUTE OR SO, THEN HIGH, THEN BACK TO LOW, THEN THEY STOPPED MID WINDOW AGAIN (ALL THIS IN ABOUT 4 MINUTES). TURNING THEM OFF/ON WOULD NOT MAKE THEM COME ON AGAIN. I PUT THEM BACK ON LOW HOPING THEY WOULD COME BACK ON. TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGED AND I HAD TO DRIVE ACROSS FOUR LANES TO STORE WITH NO WIPERS. WIPERS CAME BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY WHEN I PULLED UP TO THE STORE (MAYBE 3 MINUTES AFTER THE WIPERS POWERED OFF). THE CAR HAS ABOUT 60,050 MILES, ORIGINAL OWNER, NO ACCIDENTS OR OTHER MISHAPS. IT APPEARS THAT I CAN REPRODUCE THIS BEHAVIOR.
NHTSA complaint #10198323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AT 5000 MILES THE REAR DEFROST DID NOT WORK. IN THE WINTER IT IS DIFFICULT TO SEE OUT THE BACK WINDOW. IT WAS NOT FIXED BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND MAZDA WOULD NOT REPAIR.
NHTSA complaint #10143714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2003 MAZDA THAT WAS PURCHASED WITH A DAMAGED WINDSHIELD.*MR THE WINDSHIELD APPEARED SMEARED ALTHOUGH THE CONSUMER CLEANED IT. THE CONSUMER SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTO GLASS SHOP WHERE THEY DETERMINED THERE WAS A FLAW IN THE LAMINATE.
NHTSA complaint #10080030 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I BOUGHT A NEW 2002 PROTG LX IN JUNE 2002 AND HAD NO PROBLEMS FOR 6 MONTHS. EARLY JANUARY 2003, BLOWER MOTOR WOULD NOT WORK ON SPEEDS 1, 2, AND 3. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER AND THEIR REPORT WAS THAT BLOWER MOTOR AND RESISTOR WERE DEFECTIVE. IT HAPPENED AGAIN LESS THAN A WEEK LATER AND DEALER STATED AGAIN THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A DEFECTIVE BLOWER MOTOR AND RESISTOR. THE PROBLEM HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS ALL WITH THE DEALER STATING THAT THE BLOWER MOTOR AND RESISTOR WERE DEFECTIVE. THE PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR AGAIN UNTIL OCTOBER 2003. SOMETIMES NONE OF THE SPEEDS WOULD WORK, AND SOMETIMES JUST THE 4TH SPEED. SOMETIMES THE PROBLEM WOULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING OR OVER NIGHT, AND SOMETIMES THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY. THE BLOWER MOTOR AND RESISTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 5 TIMES BY DEALER AND TO NO AVAIL. THIS CAR IS CLEARLY A LEMON AND A HAZARD TO DRIVE WHEN NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD BECAUSE OF NO HEAT TO DEFROST OR DEFOGGER THE WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING.
NHTSA complaint #10041267 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
REAR DEFROST SWITCH FAILED FOR THE SECOND TIME. PER MY KNOWLEDGE, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 1995 MAZDA PROTEGE AND IS A PART OF TSB. THIS CAUSES POOR VISIBILITY AND MIGHT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY.
NHTSA complaint #10030932 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH , VEHICLE STARTED OVERHEATING. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE SERVICED BY A MECHANIC WHO INDICATED THAT THE HEATING CORE HAD RUSTED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #10001451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
CONSUMER STATES THAT FRONT WINDSHIELD IS TOO THIN, OR DEFECTIVE BECAUSE A SMALL PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND CAUSED MAJOR DAMAGE.*JBSOMETHING SMALL HIT THE VEHICLES WINDSHIELD WHEN CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING 55 MPH. IT RESULTED IN A STAR SHAPED MARK, THEN TURNING INTO AN 8 INCH CRACK OPVERNIGHT. CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS TO BE A SUB-STANDARD OR DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD.
NHTSA complaint #8008931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
REAR VIEW WINDOW TAKES AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF TIME TO DEFROST. OTHER WIDOWS AND MIRRORS DEFROST IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #8001001 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE DRIVING WINDSHIELD BECOMES EXTREMELY FOGGED, CAUSING POOR VISBILITY DUE A MALFUNCTION WITHIN HEATER CORE WHICH HAS BEEN REPLACED, BUT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
NHTSA complaint #899230 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WINDOWS-DRIVER SIDE POWER ASSISTED WINDOW FAILURE TO GO UP/DOWN, CONTROL WOULD NOT FUNCTION, HAD TO REASSEMBLE WINDOW AND REPLACE MASTER POWER WINDOW CONTROL UNIT. COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE @ 155,000MI. ALL COMPONENTS HAD TO BE REPLACED. WAS NOT ACTIVLY DRIVING WHEN FAILURE NOTICES. NO ACCIDENT OR INJURY. THROTTLE COMPONENT- TEMPERATURE CENSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. THROTTLE WOULD SPARATICALLY GIVE OUT, CAUSING A TRAFFIC HAZARD. (I.E. COULD BE ON HIGHWAY DOING 55MPH, CENSOR WOULD MISDETECT ENGINE STATUS CAUSING THROTTLE TO GO DOWN AND SPEED TO INVOLUNTARILY AND DRASTICALLY DECREASE) DRASTIC AND EXTENSIVE DIAGNOSTICS AND TESTING REQUIRED TO EVALUATE AND SOLVE PROBLEM. SEATBELTS-POWER-SEATBELT WARNING LIGHT GOES OFF WHEN SEATBELT PROPERLY ENGAGED. CONTACTED DEALER AND WAS TOLD SENSOR MAY BE "STICKY/DIRTY" AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE ABOUT IT. WAS TOLD TO TRY TO DISASSEMBLE AND CLEAN OUT. DID NOT USE RECOMMENDATION DUE TO THE FACT THAT THIS COULD MAKE THE PROBLEM MUCH WORSE, SO WARNING CONTINUES TO RANDOMLY COMES ON WHEN DRIVING. EXHAUST SYSTEM- COMPLEATLY REPLACED. DEEMED INADEQUATE. CAUSED CARBON MINOXIDE LEAK IN VEHICLE.
NHTSA complaint #753813 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE FAILED, CAUSING INOPERATIVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER IT WAS NOT COVER UNDER A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL. *AK THE CONSUMER PURCHASED REPLACEMENT PARTS AND THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED.
NHTSA complaint #888802 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
RE:MANIFOLD. A CRACK BEGINS FROM THE ENGINE SIDE.DEALER STATED THE FIRST IT HAPPENED A STONE MUST HAVE COME UP & HIT IT. THIS IS AN IMPOSIBILITY. NOW AFTER REPLACING IT IT HAS OCCURRED AGAIN.CRACK IS IN THE SAME PLACE.BEGINNING FROM THE ENGINE SIDE. EVERY TIME THIS OCCURS, EXHAUST FUMES ENTER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT.RE: WINDSHIELD.WIPERS DO NOT CLEAN THE DRIVER SIDE & HAVE NEVER DONE SO SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR.WIPERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED & DOES NOT HELP.IN A DRIVING RAIN I HAVE TO SLOW DOWN TO 50 MPH TO WIPE CLEAN.
NHTSA complaint #742468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE HAVING DEFOSTER ON, THINLY MADE WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE BOTTOM TO ABOUT 7 INCH LONG ACROSS THE PASSENGER SIDE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.
NHTSA complaint #867516 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.