Two problems related to engine have been reported for the 2003 Mazda Protege. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Mazda Protege based on all problems reported for the 2003 Protege.
Vehicle went backwards even after consumer put the gear into park. When the consumer got back in the car after leaving it running she noticed the engine oil pressure light was on, but thought nothing of it. The consumer was unable to stop the vehicle until it came to rest on its own after rolling in a ditch. The dealer was unable to duplicate the problem.
Engine has a very bad hesitation during exceleration, both from a standing and roilling start. Hesitation is bad enough to cause vehicle control problems durring the winter when driving on snow or during rainy conditions. Engine has already had the pcm module reprogramed as per outstanding service bulletin this fixed the engine missing under same circumstance but does not correct the hesitation. Dealer has looked at the vehicle 2 times and cannot find or fix the problem.