italianman
Member
To Whom It May Concern:
We are writing this letter to you in regards to a drivability issue that we have with the Mazdaspeed Protg.
Over the past few months, many of the owners have experienced a hesitation/stumble problem while the car is in boost in 2nd gear and up. While at partial throttle, the car will hesitate/stumble, complicating passing and merging as well as other unreliable driving issues. It has also been found by many that this problem is related to an overly rich fuel mixture which occurs before the ECU goes to open loop operation.
This is an issue that we feel Mazda needs to address immediately, as the majority of the purchasers of the Mazdaspeed Protg are enthusiasts of performance cars. We notice the little things like this issue. It is very disheartening that this vehicle was released to the public with this issue unresolved. This $20,000 vehicle should not have been released with such an obvious drivability issue, especially since the targeted purchaser was the sport-driving enthusiast. This chracteristic has also been noted and remarked upon in several automotive magazine comparison tests, including a test in Car and Driver where the MS Protege was compared to the Ford SVT Focus, Nissan Sentra SE-R and Dodge SRT-4.
The majority of the owners who have experienced this issue have made it aware to their respective service departments. Some departments have been helpful -- they noticed the problem and made Mazda N.A. aware, while others have not been at all helpful. Some common service department responses have included: Are you using 87 octane gas?, Its a characteristic of the Mazdaspeed and Its called turbo lag. The latter suggestion is certianly not the cause, as the problem is present AFTER full boost has been reached.
As the owners of the affected cars, we are asking you to please address this issue and work to fix it in a timely fashion. As Mazda owners and fans, we hope that by making you aware of this problem a solution can be discovered. Further, we do not want to see Mazdas reputation tarnished by the delivery and subsequent refusal to fix what some are calling a "substandard product". We fear that, if unresolved, this issue may damage the success of future Mazdaspeed products.
Thanks you for your time,
Anthony Michael Celia-Waldorf, MD- Koons Mazda
We are writing this letter to you in regards to a drivability issue that we have with the Mazdaspeed Protg.
Over the past few months, many of the owners have experienced a hesitation/stumble problem while the car is in boost in 2nd gear and up. While at partial throttle, the car will hesitate/stumble, complicating passing and merging as well as other unreliable driving issues. It has also been found by many that this problem is related to an overly rich fuel mixture which occurs before the ECU goes to open loop operation.
This is an issue that we feel Mazda needs to address immediately, as the majority of the purchasers of the Mazdaspeed Protg are enthusiasts of performance cars. We notice the little things like this issue. It is very disheartening that this vehicle was released to the public with this issue unresolved. This $20,000 vehicle should not have been released with such an obvious drivability issue, especially since the targeted purchaser was the sport-driving enthusiast. This chracteristic has also been noted and remarked upon in several automotive magazine comparison tests, including a test in Car and Driver where the MS Protege was compared to the Ford SVT Focus, Nissan Sentra SE-R and Dodge SRT-4.
The majority of the owners who have experienced this issue have made it aware to their respective service departments. Some departments have been helpful -- they noticed the problem and made Mazda N.A. aware, while others have not been at all helpful. Some common service department responses have included: Are you using 87 octane gas?, Its a characteristic of the Mazdaspeed and Its called turbo lag. The latter suggestion is certianly not the cause, as the problem is present AFTER full boost has been reached.
As the owners of the affected cars, we are asking you to please address this issue and work to fix it in a timely fashion. As Mazda owners and fans, we hope that by making you aware of this problem a solution can be discovered. Further, we do not want to see Mazdas reputation tarnished by the delivery and subsequent refusal to fix what some are calling a "substandard product". We fear that, if unresolved, this issue may damage the success of future Mazdaspeed products.
Thanks you for your time,
Anthony Michael Celia-Waldorf, MD- Koons Mazda