2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE Complaints

MAZDA TRIBUTE, 2003. AIRBAG LIGHT STAY ILLUMINATED. MAZDA REPAIRED IT 5 TIMES AND STILL IT IS LIT. HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY SHOULD I BE IN AN ACCIDENT. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW, IT HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND UP TO NOW IT WAS COVERED BY WARRANTY. NOW THEY WANT ME TO PAY $400 TO FIX SOMETHING THEY CAN'T FIX ANYWAY. I FEEL A DEFECT TREND EXISTS WITH THEIR AIRBAGS FROM ALL THAT I'VE READ. IF CARS ARE MANDATED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO HAVE FUNCTIONING AIRBAGS THEN WHY IS MAZDA NOT BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECTS IN THEIR AIRBAG SYSTEM? *TR

MY 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE JUST RECENTLY BEGAN LOSING POWER. LATE LAST WEEK I NOTICED IT WASN'T GRABBING AS IT SHOULD SHIFTING (AUTOMATIC) BETWEEN THIRD AND FOURTH GEAR. TOOK IT TOOK RECOMMENDED REPAIR SHOW AND THEY ARE INDICATING TRANSMISSION REBUILD IS REQUIRED. I JUST CHECKED THE FLUID LEVEL LAST WEEK AND ABOUT TWO OR THREE WEEKS PRIOR AND ALL WAS WELL THERE. ENGINE BLEW ON SAME VEHICLE AT 70K MILES DESPITE OIL CHANGES EVERY 3000 MILES. REPAIR SHOP ESTIMATE: $3500 FOR THE FOLLOWING: FILTER, OVERDRIVE BAND, BUSHING KIT, BEARINGS, DRIVE CHAIN, TORQUE CONVERTER, SOLENOID BLOCK, MLP SWITCH, FORWARD PLANETARY GEAR, AND FLUID. I CANNOT BELIEVE A VEHICLE THIS AGE WITH LESS THAN 80,000 MILES HAS LOST AN ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION UNDER NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, WHEN PROPER MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED. CARMAX DID HONOR THE WARRANTY FOR THE ENGINE FAILURE, BUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE ONLY EXTENDS TO 75K. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING UPHILL OR APPROACHING A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO LOCATE A RECALL, IN WHICH SHE BELIEVED TO BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE FAILURE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V175000: POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: CONTROL MODULE TCM, PCM), HOWEVER HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 82,000. UPDATED 11/03/10 *BF THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WHILE BACKING UP, AND WHEN IT STALLED, IT COULDN'T BE RESTARTED. UPDATED 11/04/10*JB

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON MY 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE WENT ON. I TOOK IT TO THE MAZDA DEALER OF ORANGE CA. THEY HAD CLAIMED TO MY FACE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING ISSUE WITH THE MAZDA TRIBUTES LATELY. I WAS SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THAT THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM IS HAPPENING WITH MANY OF THE TRIBUTES NOT JUST MINE. WHY HAS MAZDA NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM IF THEY ARE AWARE OF IT? THEY CLAIMED THAT THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE ELECTRICAL WIRING OF THE SEAT BELTS THAT CONNECTED TO THAT AIR BAG. THE SEAT BELTS WOULD NOT LOCK IF WE WERE EVER IN A CRASH. IS THAT SAFE? DOES A DEATH NEED TO HAPPEN TO GET ATTENTION ABOUT THE PROBLEM? BECAUSE THE CAR WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY, I PAID 486.00 OUT OF MY POCKET TO FIX A DEFECT THAT WAS NOT CAUSED BY NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. AFTER THE REPAIR THE TECHNICIANS COULD NOT GET THE AIR BAG LIGHT TO TURN OFF. I ASKED IF THERE MAY BE A BIGGER PROBLEM THAT WAS OVERLOOKED. THEY SAID NO THE AIR BAG LIGHT STILL PERIODICALLY TURNS ON AND OFF. IF I OR ANY OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS GETS INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS SAFETY NEGLIGENCE ISSUE, I WILL SUE MAZDA. THIS SERIOUSLY NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM INJURY.

MAZDA 2003 TRIBUTE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAS BEEN STICKING OFF AND ON SINCE MARCH 2009. WHEN THE CAR IS GOING ON HIGH SPEEDS, IT WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN. HAVE TO PUT IN NEUTRAL AND TURN OFF. TOOK TO MECHANIC, UNHOOKED CRUISE AND NEW ACCELERATOR CABLE IN 2009. NO CHANGES. TRADED CAR IN FOR A HONDA IN JANUARY, 2010. MAZDA WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING. *TR

STICKY ACCELERATOR STICKS WHEN GAS PEDAL IS PRESSED (FROM A FULL STOP). STICKINESS INCREASES WITH COLDER WEATHER. CAUSES A LURCHING ACTION EVEN WHEN ADDING MINIMAL PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I'M WORRIED THAT IF THE PROBLEM PERSISTS OR GETS WORSE WITH THE COLDER WEATHER, IT MAY CAUSE WHIPLASH TO ANY CHILDREN RIDING IN MY CAR. OR WORSE - LURCHING INTO THE GARAGE AND CAUSING DAMAGE TO MY HOME. OR LURCHING IN A PARKING LOT AND HITTING A PEDESTRIAN/CHILD. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS IN SEVERAL AUTO FORUMS AND THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH FAR MORE CONSUMERS THAN MAZDA IS WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE. IT IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. IF TOYOTA CAN ADDRESS A STICKY ACCELERATOR PROBLEM, WHY CAN'T MAZDA DO THE SAME? OUR LIVES, AS WELL AS INNOCENT BYSTANDERS, ARE IN DANGER! *TR

VEHICLE IS A 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE, WHICH HAD A RECALL 04V583000 FOR VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL CABLES. WAS TOLD THIS RECALL WAS FIXED ON 8/11/2005. THIS VEHICLE HAS HORRIBLE ISSUES WITH SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, IT WILL NOT SLOW DOWN, THE ACCELERATOR IS STUCK WIDE OPEN AND BRAKING WILL NOT SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. THESE INCIDENTS HAPPEN AT LEAST THREE TIMES A WEEK, AND AT VARIOUS SPEEDS (25 MPH-55MPH), IT CAN SUDDENLY BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD UP TO 85 AND 90 MPH. HAPPENS BOTH IN RURAL AND CITY DRIVING. WAS TOLD BY MAZDA DEALER RECALL IS CLOSED AND WILL NOT CONSIDER THIS AS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE RECALL. THERE WERE TWO RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS ISSUE, AND I FEEL THIS ISSUE IS STILL RELATED TO THE SAME PROBLEM. THE INCIDENT IS ONGOING AND HAS BEEN SINCE FEBRUARY, 2009. *TR

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON MY 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE WENT ON. I ASKED THE LOCAL MECHANIC SEE WHY DURING A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE. HE SAYS MAZDA HAS A "TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN" OUT FOR WIRING REPAIRS UNDER THE SEAT. HE SAYS THEY KNOW THEY HAVE THIS WIRING PROBLEM. SINCE MY CAR HAS 100,000 MILES MAZDA SAYS IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WON'T COVER IT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS THEIR WIRING ISSUE. THE DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE ME $700 TO FIX THEIR WIRING PROBLEM WHICH IS VERY WRONG. *TR

RETAINING CLIP CAME OFF OF THE PIN THAT HOLDS THE FRONT DRIVER DOOR IN THE HINGE, CAUSING THE DOOR TO FALL. THE PIN IS INSERTED FROM THE BOTTOM UP RATHER THAN FROM THE TOP DOWN SO WHEN THE CLIP CAME OFF, THE PIN FELL OUT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V157000 AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR OVER FOUR DAYS. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS FOR THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE AND WOULD ARRIVE THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE A RENTAL VEHICLE BECAUSE HER WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. THE DEALER REMOVED THE ABS WIRING HARNESS, BUT COULD NOT INSTALL IT BACK INTO PLACE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 86,000.