2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE Complaints

INTERMITTENT ABS LIGHT, SOMETIMES WITH BRAKE LIGHT. NOTICED A LOW HUM FROM ENGINE ONE NIGHT, CHECKED FOR ANYTHING LEFT ON, DECIDED IT WAS PROBABLY NORMAL NOISE I HADN'T NOTICED BEFORE. THE NEXT MORNING,I WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK DOORS, THEN TRIED TO START ENGINE. ENGINE TURNED OVER THEN ALL LIGHTS WENT OFF. TRYING TO START ENGINE FAILED AND I HAD TO LOCK DOOR MANUALLY. GOT A JUMP START AND WAS FINE RUNNING LOCAL ERRANDS, BUT THAT HUM WAS ALWAYS THERE WITH ENGINE OFF. THE NEXT DAY, SAME SCENARIO. GOT JUMP AND WENT TO MAZDA DEALER. TOLD NO RECALLS FOR THAT YEAR EXCEPT SEATBELTS, WAS NEVER ASKED FOR VIN. A TECH OFFERED TO LOOK AND I EXPLAINED WHERE THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM AND THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS THE ABS. HE DISAGREED AND LOOKED AROUND THE ENGINE. EVENTUALLY HE SAID HE HAD TO "EAT HIS WORDS", THAT IT WAS THE ABS PUMP STAYING ON. I ASKED IF I COULD PULL THE ABS FUSE AND NOT AFFECT ANY OTHER SYSTEMS SINCE IT WASN'T WORKING ANYWAY. HE SAID IT WAS FINE, AND TOOK IT OUT FOR ME. I NEVER HAD ANY OTHER BRAKE-RELATED PROBLEMS. WHEN MY CAR STARTED IDLING LOW AND LOSING POWER AT LOW SPEED, I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL SHOP FOR REPAIR. THE COMPUTER REPORTED A SLIGHTLY OFF FUEL MIX AND CYLINDER 5 MISFIRING. THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO REPLACE THE IGNITION COIL, BUT I WASN'T CONFIDENT THEY FELT CERTAIN THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I GAVE MYSELF A CRASH COURSE IN ENGINES AND REALIZED THE NUMBER OF THINGS IT COULD BE WAS HUGE. I AUTHORIZED THE REPAIR, BUT WENT ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE WAS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL. THAT WAS WHEN I REALIZED MY CARFAX REPORT, AND THE DEALER HAD CONCEALED RECALLS. I WASN'T CERTAIN MY VIN WAS INCLUDED UNTIL I PICKED UP MY CAR AND THE TECH HELPED ME LOOK AROUND THE ENGINE. RIGHT THERE, IN BRIGHT BLUE, WAS A STICKER FOR THE ABS RECALL CAMPAIGN. AT THE VERY LEAST, I SHOULD HAVE HAD THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE WHEN I BOUGHT IT. THE MAZDA TECH COULD NOT HAVE MISSED THE STICKER, NOR THE 5 OR SO RECALLS, ASSUMING HE LOOKED THEM UP. HOPING THAT NO FUSE MEANS NO FIRE RISK. *TR

2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE LX AWD AXLE SHAFTS WITH ABS SESOR RINGS ARE DAMAGED AND NEED REPLACING. *TR

AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON CONSTANTLY.. FOUND OUT ON THIS FORUM THAT MY AIRBAG(S) MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. NOT GOOD. CLEARLY MAZDA/FORD SHOULD "MAN UP" AND ACKNOWLEDGE THIS SAFETY PROBLEM WITH A RECALL! *TR

DRIVERS SIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE UNDER NORMAL USE. CANNOT OPEN DOOR FROM INSIDE VEHICLE. AN ALARMING SAFETY PROBLEM. WHEN I TOOK THE PANEL OFF I FOUND A SMALL PIECE OF PLASTIC HAD BROKEN OFF FROM THE ASSEMBLY. THE DOOR HANDLE IS CONSTRUCTED FROM RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP PLASTIC. THIS ALSO AFFECTED THE ALARM SYSTEM WORKING PROPERLY AS IT WOULD ENGAGE WHILE INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND GO OFF WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT WIRING WAS FAULTY, CAUSING THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH THAT THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALER WAS UNAWARE OF THE ISSUE AND DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND THAT SINCE HER VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. A LOCAL MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT A NEW RESTRAINING KIT WOULD NEED TO BE INSTALLED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

FIRE INITIATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, TOTAL DAMAGE TO VEHICLE, 2 OTHER VEHICLES RESULTED DAMAGED. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE WITH A FLASHING AIR BAG LIGHT. IT HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS A DEFECTIVE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER. I CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER AND THEY WILL CHARGE ME FOR THE REPAIR. I CALLED MAZDA USA ( CASE # [XXX])AND THEY WILL NOT HELP. THIS SEEMS AS THOUGH IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES. THERE ARE 2 SAFETY ISSUES 1) THE SEATBELT IS DEFECTIVE AND 2)THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION. IS NHTSA GOING TO ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE AND CAN YOU HELP ME GET THIS RESOLVED. THANK YOU INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

INNER DOOR HANDLES BROKEN FROM REGULAR USE. DRIVER SIDE DOOR HANDLES ACTUALLY BROKE IN HALF. PASSENGER FRONT DOOR HANDLE BROKE AS WELL INTERNALLY. NEITHER DOOR HANDLE OPENS FROM INSIDE. AS FOR DRIVER SIDE DOOR HANDLE I REPLACED IT WITH BACK PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE AS I DID NOT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR A DEFECT LIKE THIS. FRONT PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE REMAINS TO BE FIXED. WE ALL NEED TO CALL MAZDA AND REPORT THIS PROBLEM. THIS HAS BEEN A HUGE PROBLEM WITH MANY OF THESE VEHICLES. MAZDA NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT IT. 1800-222-5500. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ENGINE COMPLETELY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND CONTINUED TRAVELING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE POWER CONTROL MODULE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE SERVICE WARRANTY. THE SAME FAILURE REOCCURRED FOUR TO FIVE YEARS AFTER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE POWER CONTROL MODULE. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V175000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE TCM, PCM). THE CONTACT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DEFECT. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT.THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECREASE IN SPEED, THERE WAS AN EXCESSIVE INCREASE IN ENGINE RPMS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY BUT THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO LOCATE A RECALL FOR THE FAILURE YET WHEN CONTACTING THE DEALER, HE WAS ADVISED HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V583000, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: CABLES). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 133,000.