In an embodiment a thermal varistor protection device includes a casing, a varistor embedded in the casing, wherein the varistor includes a first metallization electrode, which is only partly covered by an insulating material of the casing to allow an electrically conductive connection, a first terminal wire electrically conductively connected to the first metallization electrode of the varistor and a contact element electrically conductively connected to the first metallization electrode of the varistor in a region where the varistor is not covered by the insulating material, wherein the contact element is pre-stressed to ensure a fast separation of the contact element and the first metallization electrode when the electrically conductive connection between the contact element and the first metallization electrode becomes loose.