Two problems related to rear seat belt have 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.
The rear seat belt mechanism failed. While riding in the car my daughter fell asleep. When she sat upright the seat belt had twisted around her middle. She was able to release the latch but the seat belt was feeding back in and would not release. I tried to pull the seat belt and was unable to advance the belt. It would retract causing more constriction on her. I eventually had to cut the belt to free her.