1998 Mazda Protege power train problems
15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 1998 Mazda Protege — 33% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Automatic transmission problems. Vehicle downshifts for no reason. Intermittent times car will downshift to lower gear when foot removed from accelerator pedal whether on streets or freeway. Car is renderd unusable by wife.*ak”
filed Feb 28, 2004
“The over drive light malfunctioned which caused the vehicle to drop into a lower gear, an the engine acted as though it would stall and then bucked erratically. *ts *jb”
filed Apr 3, 2003
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Automatic Transmission/Transaxle Cooler and Lines Flushing Procedure: Automatic Transaxle/Transmission (A/T) oil cooler and lines must be power flushed completely before an overhauled or replacement A/T is installed…
05-002-21-3854 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 8, 2021
Power Train problems in other Protege years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Protege | 12 | 10% |
| 2002 Protege | 17 | 17% |
| 2001 Protege | 6 | 12% |
| 2000 Protege | 29 | 28% |
| 1999 Protege | 22 | 25% |
| 1997 Protege | 10 | 15% |
| 1996 Protege | 8 | 11% |
| 1995 Protege | 19 | 12% |
| 1994 Protege | 7 | 9% |
| 1993 Protege | 2 | 5% |
| 1992 Protege | 4 | 6% |
| 1991 Protege | 4 | 8% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1998 Mazda Protege
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.