Mazda Protege vs. Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI Reliability Comparisons
You won't find Mazda Protege or Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI reliability information like this anywhere else. Actual repair frequencies, not just vague dots, to make it clear how much the Mazda Protege and the Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI truly differ in reliability. These stats are promptly updated four times a year, to much more closely track Mazda Protege and Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI reliability as the cars age. Others tell you how reliable the Mazda Protege and the Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI were a year ago, when the cars were a year younger and had 12,000 fewer miles on them. Only TrueDelta tells you how reliable the Mazda Protege and the Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI have been recently.
See Mazda Protege vs. Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI price comparisonSee what people are saying about Mazda Protege reliability
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Mazda Protege Reliability through December 31, 2012
An asterisk (*) marks results based on small sample sizes.
General NotesModels and statistics marked with an asterisk (*) have very low sample sizes. These results, visible only to logged-in members, provide only a rough estimate of car reliability.Any result under 20 repair trips per 100 cars is likely a result of the small sample size, and should be expected to increase to 20 or so in future updates.
New models often start out with high repair rates, and then improve as the manufacturer identifies and addresses common problems. MethodologyOnly successfully completed repairs are currently included in the analysis. Routine maintenance, most wear items, recalls, and problems fixed with just a reflash or warning light reset are not included.
What People Are Saying about Reliability and the Mazda Protege
blog comments powered by DisqusWhat Our Members Are Saying about Mazda Protege Reliability and Durability
| Reliability and Durability of the Mazda Protege: Pros | ||
| Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
no major problems, typical maintenance w/ 85k miles |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Purchased new. Replaced one wheel bearing, timing belt and one set of brake pads in 119,000 miles. No squeaks, no rattles, no loose body parts or other mechanical problems. |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Very very well screwed together. |
| 2003 | 4dr Sedan turbocharged 170hp 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
almost 5 years old and no significant issues. No rattles or squeaks, no rust, nothing falling apart/off. |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
I looked at reviews on Edmunds and Consumer Reports and the Protege5 got high marks. |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Built on the same assembly line that Mazda originally slated for their up-market line (to compete with Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, etc.) |
| 2002 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed automatic FWD |
I bought my Protege5 wish 50,000 miles and it now has just under 110,000. I have not had a single problem with the car and cannot foresee one occuring anytime soon. I am very happy with the reliability of my car. |
| 2002 | 4dr Wagon 140-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
With currently 60K miles on the odometer, my Protege5 has not had a single mechanical failure. Should last a long time given proper maintenance. |
| Reliability and Durability of the Mazda Protege: Cons | ||
| Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
This is not a horrible story, but there are some issues. The right front bearing carrier seems to wear out fairly quickly, causing the bearing to get "cocked" inside the carrier and thus wear out, too. A word of advise- if you need to replace the RF bearing, make darn sure the carrier is good, or you will be replacing the bearing again in about 20,000 miles, maybe less. Fortunately, the bearing carrier is the same as on the Protege sedan, so used one are cheap and easy to find. Oddly, too, the low-beam head lights tend to burn out too soon, too- Mr. Karesh, the admin of this site, confirmed he has had to replace the low beams more than twice, too. I can think of no reason for this, but there it is. Otherwise, the car is very reliable. |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
I bought the car from its first owner in January of 2009 and enjoyed two trouble-free years with nothing but routine maintenance and recommended repairs/replacement due to mileage. This year, however, has been a different story, with several expensive repairs happening in rapid succession. (Blown head-gasket, blown radiator, new timing belt, new motor mounts, new suspension, new cam positioning sensor, window regulator on driver's side.) We're waiting to see if these repairs do it for awhile. If so, we'll be driving this car for many more years, Lord willing. |
| 2003 | 4dr Sedan 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Random misfires at 50k miles, 5 years old. Ultimately cost $2k to repair. |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
paint is so thin, chips every where and easily, need to lubricate rear piston sliders once a year |
| 2003 | 4dr Wagon 130-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD |
Most of the car holds up very well. But where the roads are salted the rear wheel openings start to rust after about five years. |
What Our Members Are Saying about Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI Reliability and Durability
None of our members have yet commented on the reliability and durability of the Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI.
