1995 MAZDA PROTEGE — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 165 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (31 complaints · 18.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 30
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 55
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 1994 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution AIR BAGS appears in 31 of 165 owner complaints (18.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 31 complaints, 18.8% of reports AIR BAGS 31 · 18.8% · 19 crash reports 1 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 25 complaints, 15.2% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 25 · 15.2% ENGINE: 15 complaints, 9.1% of reports ENGINE 15 · 9.1% POWER TRAIN: 14 complaints, 8.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 14 · 8.5% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 7.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 7.9% · 3 fire reports SEAT BELTS: 11 complaints, 6.7% of reports SEAT BELTS 11 · 6.7% · 3 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 8 complaints, 4.8% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 8 · 4.8% · 4 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 7 complaints, 4.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 · 4.2% · 1 crash reports VISIBILITY: 7 complaints, 4.2% of reports VISIBILITY 7 · 4.2% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 145 complaints, 87.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 145 · 87.9% · 27 crash reports 4 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
AIR BAGS 31 18.8% 19 crashes · 1 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 25 15.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 15 9.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 14 8.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 7.9% 0 crashes · 3 fires
SEAT BELTS 11 6.7% 3 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 8 4.8% 4 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 4.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 7 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 145 87.9% 27 crashes · 4 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Feb 1995. 1995-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1995-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 1995-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 1995-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 1996-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 1996-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 1996-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 1996-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 1997-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1997-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1997-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 1999-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2001-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2002-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jan 1995 Oct 2015 Recall campaign 95V033000 ◆ Recall campaign 95V033000 Recall campaign 95V184000 ◆ Recall campaign 95V184000 Recall campaign 00V118000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V118000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 15V674000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V674000 Investigation PE99038 ● Investigation PE99038 Investigation EA99029 ● Investigation EA99029
  • Campaign 00V118000 was reported 1,801 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V674000 was reported 7,196 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 3
1995-Q2 Owner reports 11
1995-Q3 Owner reports 4
1995-Q4 Owner reports 4
1996-Q1 Owner reports 11
1996-Q2 Owner reports 7
1996-Q3 Owner reports 4
1996-Q4 Owner reports 4
1997-Q1 Owner reports 4
1997-Q2 Owner reports 5
1997-Q3 Owner reports 2
1997-Q4 Owner reports 2
1998-Q1 Owner reports 3
1998-Q2 Owner reports 3
1998-Q3 Owner reports 2
1998-Q4 Owner reports 5
1999-Q1 Owner reports 4
1999-Q2 Owner reports 3
1999-Q3 Owner reports 9
1999-Q4 Owner reports 5
2000-Q1 Owner reports 5
2000-Q2 Owner reports 5
2000-Q3 Owner reports 5
2000-Q4 Owner reports 4
2001-Q1 Owner reports 6
2001-Q2 Owner reports 3
2001-Q3 Owner reports 2
2001-Q4 Owner reports 4
2002-Q1 Owner reports 6
2002-Q2 Owner reports 7
2002-Q3 Owner reports 6
2003-Q1 Owner reports 3
2003-Q2 Owner reports 2
2003-Q3 Owner reports 3
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 95V033000
Recall campaign 1 95V184000
Recall campaign 1 00V118000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 15V674000
Defect investigation 1 PE99038
Defect investigation 1 EA99029
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V118000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    THE FAILURE OF THE WIRE CONNECTION CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V674000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    If the ignition switch overheats there would be an increased risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2015. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Experience Center at 1-800-222-5500, option#6. Mazda's number for this recall is 8715J.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95V033000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    THIS BREAKAGE CAN CAUSE ENGINE CHATTER, DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE PISTONS, AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE ALL SIXTEEN (16) VALVE SPRINGS IN THE ENGINE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95V184000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN CAUSE INJURY TO THE OCCUPANTS AND INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REMOVE AND REPLACE THE TIE DOWN HOOKS WITH MODIFIED TIE DOWN HOOKS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 165 complaints · page 1 of 7

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources