15th Jun 2003, 11:58

The engine light thing. I've had it on for many months and it still drives fine. I was hoping there was a bulb I couldremove, but no such luck.

26th Jun 2003, 22:51

I have a '99 Mazda Protege with 89000 miles done on it.

And yesterday the Engine Light has come on.

I just do not know what to do. I do not even know if Mazda will cover the thing or not. It is really very very scary.

I feel like escalating this problem after seeing so many of Mazda owners posting the same problem.

6th Aug 2003, 12:31

Check engine lights are a scam!

I have a 99 Protege DX with 66K miles. I bought it about a year and 1/2 ago (at 30K miles). The check engine light came on about a month after I got it. I've tried to have it fixed a couple of times. One time it came back with 2 codes, "running too lean" and "running too rich", which I believe are exact opposites! I've ignored the light since, and it runs OK. I recommend black duct tape.

The battery just went dead, too, which is a problem posted as a service bulletin: http://www.alldatadiy.com/TSB/33/99333078.html

You know, you get what you pay for, and I still think this car's a decent bargain. Doesn't hold value like Hondas though.

9th Oct 2003, 12:05

I agree, I think the check engine light deal's a scam... just another way for dealerships to muck around and charge ridiculous amounts of money to, essentially, send you away for a day - they have to know you'll be back, considering how prevalent the problem seems to be. If you can negotiate the price when buying a car, you should also be able to negotiate repair costs - if you take it in for a check engine light problem, and they advise of a fix (based on what the computer read-out), then you should be able to say, 'fine, I'll pay for it, but if it comes on again within X # of days, I want you to service it for free until it's resolved.' Yeah, that's not likely to happen, but how else can we protect ourselves from unscrupulous dealerships? Take the power back... or take the bus.

13th Jan 2004, 21:47

I have a 99 Protege LX and have had many of the same problems described. The Check Engine Light being the most recent. Engine was running fine on the freeway and then the light just came one. Code reads something about EGR excessive back pressure, I think.

Last year I tuned up the car. Put in some new plugs by Autolite. I had problems all year keeping those things tight. I could hear clicking with every firing of the cylinder that the loose plug was on. Finally replaced plugs with OEM and problem went away.

21st Jan 2004, 17:23

As to the previous comment about the grinding and rattling in and out of gear, we just had our wheel bearing replaced and it took care of the sound, what a relief!

We own a 1994 Mazda Protege which still runs and has over 220,000 miles on it. It is beyond a doubt the best car we have ever owned.

We bought our 1999 Mazda Protege "as is" from a dealer almost two years ago. Almost from the beginning it has dropped the idling and almost stalled out when we stop, hesitates when we put on the gas, sometimes refuses to go at all, then will take off suddenly. We finally took it to another dealership in June 2004 who said it was the idle control valve, charged us around $600 to fix it, and we are still having the same problem. We live several miles from any Mazda dealerships and started having the "rattling, grinding" sound (mentioned above) so were afraid to drive the car any distance and we didn't take it back to them right away. Now the sound is fixed, but we feel we have been "burned". Any suggestions on the next step - take it to the mechanic who fixed the "sound"?

26th Feb 2004, 23:15

I am having the same problem with my "check engine" light coming on, over and over. The light came on about a month ago. I immediately took it to a local respected mechanic. The diagnostic code indicated a problem with the emission system. They found that some of my hoses were loose and re-attached them, hoping that this was a simple/cheap solution to my dilemma. This took care of the engine light problem... for 3 days. I took the car back in, and they then felt that that the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. That fixed the problem for another 3 days. After that, the light came back on. The mechanic replaced the sensor that he had installed (for free). Once again, the problem was fixed for 3 days. Today the light is back on!! I am very frustrated and the mechanic is frustrated. I don't know where to go from here. My car is also not getting as efficient gas mileage, and I hate to be wasting gas.

20th Apr 2004, 16:08

I own a 99 Protege and found this site by doing a search on Mazda and PO171 (the OBDII diagnostic code). Sorry to hear about so many others having similar problems, but happy to hear I'm not alone. This is my fourth Mazda, but, sadly, probably my last. While nothing major has failed, the amount of annoying small things (door locks, electric windows, engine light, failed sensors) make me question Mazda's commitment to quality. I sold my 90 Protege to a teenager with 225,000 miles and the original clutch. Last I heard, it has over 300,000 and going strong. I wish I'd given it a new paint job and kept it! If anyone has more information about the mass air flow recall, I would appreciate knowing more about it.

20th Jul 2004, 22:31

I had the problem with my '99 Protege engine light, however it would go out after a drive or two. Then it came back on, and I got worried. I checked the owners manual, which said check the room fuse, which causes the light to apparently come on. This "solved" the problem for a day or two, and then what do you know? Back on again. After saving money up for repairs, I took my car in TO THE DEALERSHIP (this is key-) and later got a call about it. Apparently it was the MASS AIRFLOW INTAKE. They explained that it was a recall- which I later found filed away- and that it was under warranty, and would be fixed for free. :) This is under Service Bulletin # SSP056 and started in Feb. of '02. My car has run fine ever since! Check this problem out, it's not anything bad, but does change the performance of your engine. Good Luck All!