One problem related to hatchback/liftgate lock has been reported for the 2002 Mazda Protege 5. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The hydraulic arm broke and snapped off at the metal ball joint suddenly slamming the hatch door on my 2002 Mazda Protege 5 closed. Fortunately, my son and I had just stepped back from the rear of the vehicle when this happened. Had either one of us still been retrieving items from the back of the car, I believe we would have been seriously injured.