1998 Mazda Protege: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 53 complaints
53
Total Complaints
82,100mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Top Issue
11
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

63,552 25th Percentile
82,100 Median Mileage
104,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
5
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
3
TIRES
2
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
2
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2

Severity Assessment

11
Crashes
0
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"AT LOW SPEEDS OF 5 MPH, WHEN GOING DOWN A SLIGHT INCLINE,LIKE A DRIVEWAY, A PIECE OF METAL HIT THE ROAD AND THE FRONT END OF VEHICLE BOTTOMED OUT. DEALER COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE. ALSO, THE ORIGINAL PIRELLI TIRES WERE RATED AT 32 LBS. NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO PREVENT FRONT END OF CAR TO BE H..."
"AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HESITATES AND JERKS WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR."
"I HAVE HAD THIS CAR BACK TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES SINCE JUNE 1998 WHEN I BOUGHT IT "NEW" FOR HESITATION IN THE TRANSMISSION. EACH TIME THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND TELL ME IT IS A NORMAL CONDITION FOR IT TO HESITATE. THE CAR DOES IT BADLY AT LOW SPEEDS BUT RUNS GREAT AT HIGHWAY ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28