"How reliable is the 2002 Mazda Protege?"

"Based on 133 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Mazda Protege has a median complaint mileage of 65000 miles. The most common issue is SEAT BELTS."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Mazda Protege?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Mazda Protege is SEAT BELTS, accounting for a significant portion of the 133 total complaints filed."

2002 Mazda Protege: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 133 complaints

133

Total Complaints

65,000mi

Median Mileage

SEAT BELTS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

20,500 25th Percentile

65,000 Median Mileage

108,312 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEAT BELTS

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TIRES

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MECHANICAL ENGINE RATTLES AT 2800 RPMS WHEN COLD. DEALER CONFIRMS PROBLEM, BUT CANNOT FIX. MAZDA CONFIRMS PROBLEM BUT CLAIMS TO NOT HAVE A SOLUTION. PROBLEM IS EVIDENT ON A LEAST 50% OF PROTEGE SEDANS AND WAGONS PRODUCED FOR 2002.*AK"

"I WAS PROCEEDING SOUTHBOUND ON A MAJOR STREET AT ABOUT 35MPH. A PICKUP TRUCK CAME OUT OF A SMALL SIDE STREET AND CROSSED MY PATH GOING EASTBOUND WITH THE INTENT OF TURNING LEFT. MY CAR BROADSIDED THE TRUCK AT THE BACK OF THE DRIVERS DOOR AND AT THE FRONT OF THE TRUCKBED. AS I DID NOT SEE THE TRUC..."

"DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AT 60 MPH. VEHICLE RAN OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A LOW CONCRETE STRUCTURE. NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED, CONSUMER SUFFERED A BROKEN NOSE. DAMAGE TO VEHICLE WAS $ 5000.00*AK"

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