2002 Mazda Protege Steering Problems

2002 MAZDA POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURES. PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, NOW ON ITS 3RD UNIT.. CAR, A 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE5 HAS APPROX. 102,000 MILES ON IT. FIRST FAILURE WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE WITH LOSS OF STEERING WITH NO WARNING NOTICED. 2ND PUMP LEAK WAS DETERMINED BY MECHANIC CAUSING ERRATIC STEERING PROBLEMS. FIRST PUMP (ON CAR WHEN NEW) FAILED AT 87,000 MILES, 2ND OCCRRED SOME 10,000 MILES LATER. THE THIRD PUMP HAS ONLY 3K MILES AND NO WAY OF TELLING HOW LONG IT WILL LAST. MAZDA DENIES ALL RESPONSIBILITY. PUMPS HAS BEEN REPLACED 2X AND ON ITS THIRD PUMP ON THIS CAR. OLD PART NOT LIKELY AVAILABLE. MAZDA TOLD OWNER THEY HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS (EVER?) WITH POWER STEERING PUMPS, A LIE. CHECK INTERNET FOR POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURES. CURRENTLY RECALLING 500,000 POWER STEERING PUMPS ON OTHER YEARS. BELIEVE THEY HAVE NOT ADMITTED THEIR COMPLETE PROBLEMS ON THESE UNITS TO THIS DATE. *TR

ON 2/7/2007 HAD A 15 MILE HIGHWAY RIDE, THEN PROCEEDED THREE CITY BLOCKS TO PARK AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY. PLACE THE STICK SHIFT IN REVERSE TO PARALLEL PARK HOWEVER NO POWER STEERING AVAILABLE. INEVITABLY HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH STEERING WHEEL TO FORCE THE CAR INTO A PARKED POSITION. UPON RETURNING TO THE CAR WITHIN ABOUT 10 MINS THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO SELF CORRECT. HOWEVER, THE RETURN 15 MILE HIGHWAY TRIP PROVED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED WHEN A RIGHT TURN WAS MADE INTO A BUSINESS COMPLEX -- THE POWER STEERING FAILED. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, A SEAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ON A PUMP. THAT SAME DAY AS THE INCIDENT, THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE MECHANIC WHO COULD NOT REPAIR IT THE SAME DAY BECAUSE THE PART WAS ON BACKORDER AT THE DEALERSHIP UNTIL 2/19/2007. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT WHEN A PART IS ON BACKORDER, IT TYPICALLY INDICATES THAT THERE IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH THE PART. THIS IN ADDITION TO THE MECHANIC STATING THAT THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE FOUND ON A VEHICLE, ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT THE MILES ON MY VEHICLE ARE PRINCIPALLY FROM HIGHWAY TRAVEL (INDICATING LESS WEAR AND THE CAR) ARE THE KEY FACTORS THAT MADE ME CONSIDER RECOMMENDING THIS AS A POTENTIAL ISSUE. ADDITIONALLY, ALTHOUGH THERE IS HEAVY RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC IN THE WASHINGTON DC AREA, I AM NOT OFTEN AFFECTED BY THIS WHICH ALSO REDUCED THE WEAR-AND-TEAR ON THE CAR. *JB

MY 80 YEAR OLD MOTHER WAS DRIVING THE CAR EASTBOUND ON SW 104 STREET WHEN AT THE INTERSECTION OF 127 AVE. THE STEERING WHEEL STOPPED RESPONDING AND FELT UNATTACHED TO THE WHEELS. I WAS INFORMED TODAY, BY THE MAZDA SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE, THAT IT WAS IN FACT THE GEERING BOX THAT HAD FAILED. THERE WERE NO FATALITIES BUT THERE COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE GOOD SAMARITAN THAT USED HIS/HER OWN VEHICLE TO FORCIBLY BRING THE CAR TO A STOP. YESTERDAY MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING THE CAR BUT IF IT HAD BEEN ANOTHER DRIVER, A YOUNGER, FASTER DRIVER, THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC.*AK