general problems of the 2003 Mazda Protege

Within 15 months and 5,000 miles of purchase, michelin pilot primacy 195/55r15 tire showed tread separation and required replacement. Michelin only offered to refund 25% of tire cost (and only for a new michelin tired).

I have trouble with the tires on my 2003 Mazda Protege. First they told me I had to get used to the low-rise tires. I didn't drive in any snow that first winter, but the winter of 2004-2005 I was doing doughnuts on overpasses & streets. The dealer gave me the customer care phone # because "they don't handle tires". Customer care said, "I can't help if you live in extreme conditions. " all he could offer me for a solution was to buy winter tires & rims (as they aren't interchangeable) for about $2,000. A man in my office said his family was having the same problem with theirs. I tried to resolve the problem with Mazda to no avail. I thought I didn't have any recourse, but recently I was in for service twice & a service rep told me he has the same model car & it is so unsafe he won't let his wife drive it. He ended up putting on oversized tires to make it safer. Shortly thereafter a salesperson who said he was in service prior to sales said that they knew they put three-season tires on that model. He also recommended buying a set of winter tires/rims as they don't make all-season tires for that car. Both of these men said I should call the cust care line again & notify you if they wouldn't help. The dealer would not give me the cc #. I am a good driver my dad taught driving school & learned to drive from him. These tires are dangerous. I shake every time I have to drive in the snow & avoid it at all costs. I have learned to protect myself in the rain (the car slips); I watch that no cars are close when I pull out of a stop so I don't slide into them. I also have been given the run around about other defects (it's very hard to put the manual transmission into reverse; they told me to just play with it, try putting it in 1st gear, then try reverse. They said it would loosen in time, but it has only gotten harder). Please help me. I am a woman alone & need assistance in this.

Mazdas peed Protege suffers from excess torque steer and very unstable steering at speeds over 30 mile per hour. If you excellerate hard the vehicle will jump left or right depending on speed. Also when travelling at highway speed vehicle will swerve left or right without warning or for any noticable reason also at highway speed the vehicle tends to drift in its lane. Dealer service states that this is normal for a high performance vehicle and nothing is wrong. I have owned many high performance automobiles and have never seen this before. This condition has almost resulted in accidents on many occasions and only radical steering has prevented an accident so far.

While driving at low speeds, the vehicle vibrated. Consumer was not sure if the problem was with the tires or suspension.