Faults:

Check engine light keeps coming on. I took it to the shop and was told it was an IAC motor and idle conrtol valve. After replacement (for $800) the car ran no differently. The light stayed off for just over a year. It's on again. This time I went after it myself. Simply checking the ROOM fuse and replacing it caused the light to go off... so far, so good.

Belts squeal despite multiple replacements. Seems to be temperature dependent- just when starting on cold mornings. I've had the alternator belt and power steering belts replaced twice by two different shops. At this point I'm going to drive it until something falls off!

General Comments:

My 1994 Protege was a dream- no problems in 9 years. Unfortunately, I had to leave it overeas. The 2000 was bought used, but is not as well built or solid as my '94 model.

Faults:

Only one problem, an O2 sensor at 4000 miles that was replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

Always been reliable.

Handles pretty good except on downhill’s curves.

Has aged well over 6 years and 70,000 miles.

Very noisy at highway speeds.

Faults:

After 5 years of ownership I have had very few problems with my vehicle.

I recently replaced the tires which I consider to be normal wear and tear for a car with 100000+ km.

The muffler is starting to rattle a little bit while the car is warming up, I think it is a loose internal exhaust baffle.

I have noticed a rattle sound coming from the front suspension.

General Comments:

This has been an excellent vehicle. Originally purchased for a second family car it quickly became the vehicle of choice for both my wife and I.

It's handling around town and in city traffic is nimble and it has reasonably good acceleration for a compact car.

After 5 years of driving (and teaching a teenage son and my wife how to drive standard) the clutch and 5 speed manual transmission still shift perfectly.

The upholstery and carpet have been very durable and the interior fit and finish are certainly on par with anything from Honda and Toyota.

The CD player, AC and power options continue to work faultlessly.

I would highly recommend this awesome little car to anyone looking for a reliable daily commuter.

Faults:

At 80,000 miles the Rear door weather stripping came off. Some adhesive took care of that.

Not sure what the mileage was when the heat shield on the exhaust pipe started to vibrate.

At 90,000 miles the "radius rods" (that's what the mechanic called them) broke, but that was caused by hitting a pot hole.

At 100,000 miles the engine started running rough. You can't buy Items needed for a basic tune up at the local parts dealer. So a tune up is rather pricey. And the check engine light comes on.

AT 110,000 miles I put a new clutch in it. While removing a bolt the bell housing broke. The steel bolt seized to the aluminum bell housing. I always thought putting two different metals together was a bad idea.

At 120,000 miles the transmission started to leak destroying the clutch. The cause was a bearing that went bad. I had the transmission resealed. A month later the transmission has gone completely out of it. The driver's (American) side drive shaft popped out of the transmission.

All of this happened after the warranty expired.

General Comments:

This car has been a good car in general terms. We have put some money into it over five years of ownership, and 120,000 miles of HARD driving. With all things considered the car has held up well.

It has started to use a little oil, but I'm not very religious with the oil changes because the car is always on the go.

I consider myself a shade tree mechanic. I think the Protege is easy enough to work on, but all the electronics make it a little more challenging.

The interior is still in great shape even with three small children. No tears or holes. Everything still works as it did when we left the dealer with it.

The exterior has held up to two very minor accidents. (so minor the air bags didn't deploy) One in the rear and one in the front. The body seams are still good and the car still tracked well.

The car handles well even after five years of rough driving.

The engine could use a little more horse power, but it is a economy car.

Gas mileage is still upper 20's even after all the abuse.