Mazda Protege Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 156 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Mazda Protege across 9 model years. The 1995 model year has the most (41). The words owners use most often: “air bag” (26% of reports).
- 156air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 121mention a crash
- 92mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 30%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 40 of 156 complaints (26%)
- Bags deploy: mentioned in 24 of 156 complaints (15%)
- Upon impact: mentioned in 22 of 156 complaints (14%)
- Frontal collision: mentioned in 17 of 156 complaints (11%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 37 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 156 complaints, 121 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 92 an injury.
Mazda Protege air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Protege | 10 | 8% | 17,750 |
| 2002 Protege | 9 | 9% | 42,000 |
| 2001 Protege | 11 | 22% | 48,000 |
| 2000 Protege | 25 | 25% | 41,500 |
| 1999 Protege | 21 | 24% | 75,834 |
| 1998 Protege | 3 | 7% | — |
| 1997 Protege | 12 | 18% | — |
| 1996 Protege | 24 | 34% | 84,000 |
| 1995 Protege | 41 | 25% | 49,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Air bags
Model years: 1995
Problem: The tie down hooks can cause undercarriage impacts that can result in unnecessary air bag deployments.
Risk: Inadvertent air bag deployment can cause injury to the occupants and increase the potential for a vehicle accident.
Fix: Dealers will remove and replace the tie down hooks with modified tie down hooks.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Straight-on, front-end collision occurred, that destroyed radiator and folded hood. Air bag did not deploy.
Today we got into an accident and the passenger airbag didn't come out until after my grandaughter's face hit the windsheild.
2003 mazda protege would not pass 2019 virginia safety inspection due to defective passenger side airbag. Dealer cannot replace because mazda has discontinued that part. Under virginia law, car cannot be operated without valid inspection certificate. Inspection disclosed no other disqualifying…
2003 mazda protege 5 was traveling approximately 45mph and struck a moving vehicle in the rear quarter panel. No air bag was deployed in the mazda protege 5. The other vehicle's airbags deployed.
Got into an accident at intersection , airbags did not work , as a result i have serious chest pains . Vehicle was in motion going straight while a vehicle at intersection was turning left across my road.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Mazda Proteges have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 156 owner complaints about air bags for the Mazda Protege. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Mazda Protege air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Mazda Protege?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 40 of 156 complaints, followed by “bags deploy” (24).
Other Mazda Protege problems
See all Mazda Protege problems.