2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THERE WAS A FAILURE WITH THE CHARGING UNIT AND REPLACED THE BATTERY. AFTER THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED, THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS NOW MY STEERING HAS GRADUALLY BEEN DISPLAYING STIFF STEERING. IT HAS PROGRESSED AND WAS UNSURE WHY IT WAS DOING THIS BEING THAT IT HAS NOT GIVEN ME ANY PROBLEMS BUT THE STEERING. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AND IT HAS GOTTEN STIFF. I WILL TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART AND IT WILL DRIVE NORMAL AND THEN EVENTUALLY WILL STIFFEN UP ON ME AGAIN AND AGAIN. THIS IS VERY SCARY BEING THAT I HAVE ALSO BEEN ON THE FREEWAY AND EXITING AND HAVE TO GRAB AHOLD OF THE STEERING TO VEER OFF THE FREEWAY CAREFULLY. IT IS STRESSFUL TO BE IN A CAR THAT IS UNSAFE WHILE ON THE ROAD. GOD FORBID I HAVE TO SWERVE AWAY FROM DANGER AND I CAN'T BECAUSE I'M IN A DANGEROUS VEHICLE. I AM STILL PAYING ON MY CAR AND DON'T CARE FOR A DISPOSABLE CAR WHILE STILL MAKING PAYMENTS. I CONTACTED MAZDA IN VICTORVILLE, CA AND STATED THAT IT WOULD COST ME (YOU READY) $ 2,000.00 PLUS ANOTHER FEW HUNDRED TO PROGRAM MY KEYS. ABSURD!!! MY HUSBAND MADE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO GAVE HIM A PRICE OF $1500.00 AND A LOCAL ECOLOGY CENTER PRICED AT $300-400. NOW THAT'S ON A PART I RISK PURCHASING AND THEN THE SAME THING HAPPENING AGAIN!! THIS LOCAL JUNK YARD STATED THAT THIS IS A VERY TYPICAL PROBLEM THEY HAVE HAD WITH MAZDA'S COMING IN. I CALLED MAZDA TO FIND OUT IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. NOT!! IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND A RECALL PROBLEM! I'M STILL PAYING ON MY CAR!! THIS IS A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP. PLEASE DO SOMETHING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,100.

WHEN I WENT FROM LEAVING MY DRIVEWAY ONTO THE ST WE LIVE ON I HAD NO PWER STEERING SO I CONTINUED TO GO TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS VERY LUCKY AS WHEN I WENT TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN COULDN'T STEER IT, HARD TO AND HARDLY STEER AT ALL, ENDED UP ON THE LEFT SIDE OF A MAIN ST AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE RIGHT, THIS WAS A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE AND DON'T KNOW WHY MAZDA HASN'T PUT A RECALL ON THE TRIBUTE THEY KNOW THERE IS THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MAZDA 3 & 5 MODELS, AS I KNOW OF ANOTHER PERSON WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR TRIBUTE 2008! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRYING TO COMPLETE A TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AS IT BEGAN TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND WAS LATER TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,000. UPDATED 01/09/13*LJ UPDATED 1/11/2013 *JS

THE LOWER STEERING UNIVERSAL JOINT AND 2 INNER TIE RODS 1 OUTER WERE ALL FOUND TO CONTRIBUTE TO POOR ALIGNMENT-THE STEERING U-JOINT WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED[MAZDA] WHEN NEW --AS THE JOINT WAS SUPPOSED TO MOVE FREELY IN 4 DIRECTIONS FLUIDLY--BUT, WHEN REMOVED IT WAS FROZEN;----AND U- JOINT MOVEMENT WASN'T POSSIBLE IN TWO POINTS OR DIRECTION ; I.E. FOUND LOOSE -NOT GREASED--LEADING TO SLACK AND FAILURE OF THE OTHER NAMED PARTS--WHICH CAUSED EXCESSIVE SLACK OVERALL IN STEERING WHEEL! OVERALL THE WARRANTY --WAS WORTHLESS AND COSTS 2500.00 OF SELL PRICE-SO BETWEEN THESE FAILURES AND A PREVIOUS REPORT WE'VE SPENT OVER 2500.00 ON REPAIRS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON MAZDA--THESE ARE REPAIRS THAT WERE SUPPOSEDLY COVERED BY WARRANTY! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARTIALLY REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 12V357000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES). THE DEALER ONLY HAD CERTAIN PARTS AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIRS AND THE REMAINING PARTS WOULD NOT BECOME AVAILABLE UNTIL LATE OCTOBER 2012. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REPAIR TIME HAD EXCEEDED THE A REASONABLE TIME FRAME AND STATED THAT NOT HAVING THE SPEED CONTROL COMPONENT REPAIRED WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY FAILURES WITH THE VEHICLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE CONTACT HAD TO FULLY DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AS VEHICLE SURGED ABRUPTLY BEFORE FINALLY ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY CARBON BUILD-UP ON THE THROTTLE BODY. THE REMEDY WAS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE THROTTLE BODY HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

WE HAVE NOW HAD TO REPLACE 3 WINDOW REGULATORS. (3 DIFFERENT DOORS.) NO WARNING THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH WINDOW. 1 TIME WE WERE DRIVING WHEN WINDOW JUST DROPPED OPEN. WE LIVE IN FLORIDA AND RARELY USE THE WINDOWS AT ALL. THE 2 BACK WINDOWS FAILED WITHIN A 2 WEEK PERIOD. *TR

TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL FIRESTONE STORE FOR SERVICE TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED AND FLUSHED AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION COOLER WAS LEAKING AND THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE AND FORD ESCORT AND THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT WAS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE RADIATOR BECAUSE THEY WERE BUILT INTO THE SAME PART. THEY TOLD ME $550 MIN. TO REPLACE. I THEN DID SOME ONLINE RESEARCH AND WENT TO THE LOCAL MAZDA DEALER. THEY SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THAT MAZDA HAD A PROGRAM TO FIX THIS BUT THE DATE WAS UP AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO DO BUT PAY TO FIX IT. THE MAZDA DEALER SAID $1100 TO FIX IT. I WENT NUTS AND TOLD THEM THIS WAS A RIP-OFF. THEY SAID THEY WOULD CALL MAZDA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HELP WITH THE COST SINCE THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THERE WAS A PROGRAM TO FIX IT FOR CUSTOMERS. THEY CALL BACK LAST THURSDAY TO TELL ME THAT MAZDA WAS NOT INTERESTED IN HELPING IN ANYWAY AND REJECTED THE REQUEST. I TOLD THEM THIS WOULD MAKE THE DECISION FOR ME ON BUYING A FOURTH MAZDA. I'M A REPEAT CUSTOMER AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN ASK THAT INFORMATION PRIOR TO MAKING A DECISION. THE IS A BAD PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES AND MAZDA NEEDS TO STEP UP AND FIX IT!!! *TR