NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,761 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Mazda Protege electrical problems

electrical problem

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2003 Mazda Protege Owner Comments

problem #3

Mar 012011

Protege

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2003 Mazda Protege. Consumer states electrical problems with vehicle and several other concerns the consumer stated the lights stayed on and the alarm would sound intermittently. The dealer replaced the electrical module. The consumer also stated the engine overheated due to a water pump leak and leaking radiator, the battery was replaced several times, the vehicle was out of alignment, and the consumer had to purchase three sets of tires.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #2

Oct 102010

Protege 4-cyl

  • 50,284 miles
The current issues ( which we believe are Mazda corporate issues) and inherent to this vehicle which has low, low, low miles have caused the engine to overheat and have resulted in an engine fire, twice, on the freeway: 1)faulty electrical parts: This vehicle has had the same electrical problems since the first day we brought it and has had multiple replacements of the electrical module, batteries, alarm system, and other items, which have proven faulty by Mazda. 2)shutter valve recall: Ours was inspected, but not replaced even though things were out of sorts. It was later deemed a problem. 3)faulty belts, due to engine overheating, which technicians have told us was from an overheating issue and potentially created by the inherent problems with the electrical system. 4)leaking radiator technicians have indicated this is due to the ongoing overheating problem we have been overwhelmed by the interchanges with Mazda personnel regarding a "lemon? vehicle we purchased in 2003 or 2004. Subsequently, we drive it minimally and it only had 30,000 plus miles on T within the 4 year, 50,000 warranty expired. That said, within 24 hours of purchase, the car had electrical problems. When in an ?off" position, the lights stayed on and the alarm sounded errantly and intermittently. The car ran hot, and had other issues we mentioned. The dealer replaced the electrical module and/or alarm system. The problems persisted. We brought the car in for inspection multiple times, and received multiple responses from service technicians: 1)nothing wrong 2)needed routine maintenance, oil, plugs, points, etc 3)multiple battery replacements due to dead batteries and draining issues 4)car out of alignment ( the car had 3 sets of tire replacements at 40K) 5)faulty belts ( we paid for replacement) 6)shutter valve ( recall was not replaced) 7)water pump leak 8)electrical issues not definable, but battery drains 9)engine runs hot and rough 10) fire in engine on freeway.

- Lake Oswego, OR, USA

problem #1

Jun 012004

Protege

  • miles
When driving at any speed vehicles unexpectedly died. Dealer determined that computer needed reprogramming. Two months later the engine died again. The vehicle was taken in for second time where they service dealer could not find the problem. On one occasion the powertrain control module was reprogrammed due to the vehicle stalling.

- Chicago, IL, USA

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