Faults:

I put between $500 and $2000 a year on the car on everything from tune-ups, seasonal tire changes, and the odd repair.

Twice, I have had to repair brake parts.

Once, I have had to repair suspension parts.

Other than that, no major problems.

General Comments:

I love my car! The past couple of years have been getting a bit pricey with repairs (brakes & suspension), but other than that she works like a dream. Smooth ride, predictable performance, reliable. Hardly any rust at all, and I live in snow 5 months of the year. I want to keep this car for another 5 years if possible -- even if I could afford it, I wouldn't trade it in.

Faults:

Clutch went out at 50,000 miles.

Drivers side window would go down, but not up.

The horn constantly blares unless you pull the fuse out anytime the weather is colder than 35 degrees.

The seatbelt identifer is always beeping when the car is on.

The lock on the drivers side backseat sticks even after I fixed it.

The drivers side seat has a hole in it from the wear and tear getting in and out of the car.

The tape player went bad at about 30,000 miles replaced it with a CD player.

General Comments:

The car is sporty and it turns corners like you are in a race car. And I get good gas mileage.

However it is time for a new car. I thought that it would hold up a lot longer than it did.

Faults:

The only problems I ever had with my car was a squeaking noise at around 100,000 miles when I made a tight turn, which was fixed when it was inspected. The only other problem I had was that the emergency brake light was always on on the dash even though the brake wasn't on, but this didn't cause any real problems.

General Comments:

I loved this car! I totaled it on black ice this week and I'm looking for another Protege. I loved the way it drove from the first time I drove it. It has excellent takeoff for a 4-cylinder and the steering and braking was excellent as well. All the controls in the car were easy to use and to reach. I had no complaints at all about this car, I recommend it highly.

Faults:

Horn gets stuck on and you have to replace the switch inside the steering wheel. CV boots need to be changed every few years.

General Comments:

Despite the horn problem, this is a decent car. But if you own a protege and you haven't ever changed the horn switch inside the steering wheel pad, you probably will have to. The horn gets stuck on, particularly during weather changes, i.e. the first cold night after summer time. You can unplug your battery cables to make it stop immediately. You can also unplug the horn itself and continue to drive the car until you can have it fixed. The horn is small and is located under the hood on the passenger side near the front of the car. You can get to it from the top, no need to climb under the car. There is a cord that runs into the horn. Unplug it. If you notice a clicking noise coming from your dash, hit the steering wheel to stop it. The part you need is about 10-20 dollars and you can probably get the whole thing fixed by a mechanic for around $50. The switch that is inside the steering wheel horn pad has gone bad.

This is a horrible surprise that you get from this car. Mine went off in the middle of the night and nearly scared me and half the neighborhood to death!

Hopefully, this will help someone going through what I've already been through.