Menu

1992 Mazda ProtegeProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 63 owner complaints about the 1992 Mazda Protege, most often about the seat belts. It is covered by 1 safety recall, and for recall 15V-674 the manufacturer reports only 1% of affected cars repaired.

55
CarFlaw IndexSolid year19% below the Protege median · #10 of 14 years by complaints
Safety recalls1Lowest repair rate 1%Owner complaints6312 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage149kSeat belts, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 19, 2016. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1992 Mazda Protege has problems

63 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Seat belts343
Service brakes, hydraulic50
Electrical system50
Vehicle speed control40
Power train40
Equipment30
Seats33
Fuel system, gasoline31
Engine and engine cooling20
6 other systems70

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

1 recall

1992 Mazda Protege recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

1%repaired · 2017 Q1

Ignition: switch

Recall 15V-674 · Oct 19, 2015 · 1,368,500 vehicles · 8,332 repaired

Risk. If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Mazda.

Best & worst years

1992 vs. every other Protege year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Protege median. How we score

'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

1992 Mazda Protege safety ratings

1992 Mazda Protege 4-DR in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1992 Mazda Protege, and the recalls they led to.

  1. AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILEA94039 · closed Nov 26, 1997
    Led to recall 97V-211
  2. AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILPE94059 · closed Nov 30, 1994
    No recall
In owners' words

What Protege owners report

Recent seat belts complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

1. AUTOMATIC/PASSIVE RESTRAINT BELT FOR DRIVERS SIDE HAD BEEN ACTING SLUGGISH E.G. BELT WOULD HESITATE WHEN OPENING/CLOSING DOOR BEFORE MOVING TO FULL OPEN/CLOSED POSITION. 2. BELT IS STUCK/FROZEN IN MIDWAY POSITION OF DOOR. DRIVER HAS NO ADEQUATE SHOULDER RESTRAINT IN EVENT OF COLLISION. 3.…
Complaint 10156549 · May 1, 2006
DRIVER'S SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT RETRACTOR BROKE. THE CABLE HAS COME COMPLETELY OFF THE TRACK. THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT IS INOPERABLE. *LA
Complaint 10047401 · Nov 23, 2003
CABLE THAT MOVES SHOULDER RESTRAINT BACK AND FORTH CAME OUT OF ITS TRACK CREATING A NOOSE ACROSS THE WINDOW SHOULDER BELT IS NOW INOPERABLE
Complaint 10020687 · May 29, 2003

Own a 1992 Protege?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.