One problem related to front seat belt has been reported for the 2002 Mazda Protege. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Mazda Protege based on all problems reported for the 2002 Protege.
2002 Mazda Protege', in 2006 (under 60,000 miles) the driver side safety belt malfunctioned and began to stick. After a short time, it was no longer working at all. Mazda dealership replaced the safety latch at no cost. Just last week the same thing started happening to the rear driver's side safety belt. As this is where a 2-year old is buckled, I immediately went to the dealership. They found that is indeed beginning to malfunction. The car has just over 80,000 miles on it and it is "no longer under safety warranty". However, the seatbelt has only been used consistently on that side for just under a year. A new part has been ordered by the dealership and replacement cost will be approximately $100 including the labor. Updated 01/11/08. The dealership stated they would replace the part at no charge. Updated.