2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE Complaints

I WAS ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I HEARD A LOUD THUD THE WHEEL WELL ROTTED OUT SO BAD THAT BROKE THE SHOCK ON THE REAR BACK PASSENGER SIDE. THIS CAUSED ME TO SWERVE AND ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT.. YOU RECALL THE 2001 AND 2004 MODELS FOR THE SAME ISSUE WHY NOT ADD THE 2005 BECAUSE THERE IS BEEN HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS.

2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE, REAR WHEEL WELL COMPLETELY RUSTED. WHILE DRIVING MY WIFE HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD, SHE THEN TELLS ME THERE IS A RATTLE. SO I DRIVE IT THE NEXT DAY. THE RATTLE WAS VERY EASY TO HEAR. UPON INSPECTION THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WELL HAD DISINTEGRATED AND WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE, AND THE RATTLE WAS THE STRUT THAT HAD COME UNDONE HITTING THE CARGO COMPARTMENT. JUST HAD TIRES AND BRAKES REPLACED AND THEY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AS WELL ONLY 2 MONTHS PRIOR WITH NO MENTION OF ANY OTHER PROBLEMS. NOW IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. NO HELP FROM MAZDA, INSURANCE, OR THE SUPER WARRANTY THAT COVERS EVERYTHING BUMPER TO BUMPER(OR SUPPOSE TO). COME TO FIND OUT WHILE DOING SOME RESEARCH, THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM FOR MAZDA. THE 01-04 TRIBUTE HAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME THING EXCEPT CALLING FOR THE FRONT DRIVER WHEEL WELL. WHEN YOU TAKE IT IN THEY REPLACE ALL FOUR. IT ALSO SEEMS THAT THE 05 MODEL YEAR HAS JUST AS MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS AS WELL. BOTH OF US WORK AND HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET THERE AS WELL AS GETTING THE CHILDREN TO MULTIPLE PLACES. WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE THINKING THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD AND SAFE WAY TO GET WHERE WE NEED TO GO. TURNS OUT IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME WITH THIS ISSUE. WE ARE LUCKY THAT IT WAS THE BACK I GUESS AND NOT THE FRONT AS SHE HAD THE KIDS WITH HER WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY AND IF THE FRONT WOULD HAVE COME LOOSE AT HWAY SPEED IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT OUTCOME. I HOPE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. 2 ESTIMATES TO REPAIR BOTH ARE $5-7000. CAN'T PAY TO FIX, AND CAN'T TRADE IT IN AS IT IS WORTHLESS RIGHT NOW. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT THE NHTSA AND MAZDA NEEDS TO ADDRESS. IT IS NOT ONLY MONETARY BUT A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL. WE WORK HARD FOR WHAT WE HAVE AND FEEL LIKE WE JUST GOT ROBBED OF OUR MONEY. THE DEALERS AND MAZDA GOT THEIRS THOUGH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO A CURB. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SUB FRAME WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO A DEALER, WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V174000 (STRUCTURE) AND COULD NOT BE REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL A SECOND TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

THE REAR RIGHT WHEEL WELL HAS BEEN COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT TO THE POINT THAT THE SUSPENSION BROKE THROUGH INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR. THE LEFT REAR AND BOTH FRONT WHEEL WELLS LOOK TO BE IN PERFECT CONDITION WHICH SEEMS ABNORMAL FOR JUST ONE WHEEL WELL TO BE AFFECTED BY EXTREME RUST AND CORROSION. WE BOUGHT THIS MAZDA TRIBUTE LESS THEN A YEAR AGO FROM THE DAN WOLF CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN NAPERVILLE ILLINOIS, WITH IT "PASSING INSPECTION". SINCE THEN MY FAMILY AND I HAVE TREATED THIS CAR WITH EXTRAORDINARY CARE BY REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND OVERALL CLEANLINESS. THE MY FAMILY OF FIVE (THREE CHILDREN) HAVE USED THIS VEHICLE EVERYDAY TO DRIVE TO WORK AND SCHOOL NOT KNOWING THE DANGER IT APPOSED ON US AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. WHEN RESEARCHING THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM WE NOTICED THAT THIS VERY DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED TO OWNERS OF THE 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE ACROSS THE U.S. (HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/MAZDA/TRIBUTE/2005/BODY_PAINT/WHEEL_WELL_COMPLETELY_RUSTED_OUT.SHTML) THE DEALERSHIP NOR MAZDA HAVE BEEN ANY HELP TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THAT A RECALL FOR THIS CAR SHOULD BE MADE TO AVOID ANY HARM OR THREAT TO FAMILIES AND DRIVERS ON THE ROAD.

WHEN I TOOK MY TRIBUTE IN TO GET MY ANNUAL INSPECTION STICKER THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE RUST UNDERNEATH MY VEHICLE HE SAID IT WOULD NOT SUPPORT THE SHOCKS IN RESEARCHING THIS VEHICLE I FOUND THERE WERE 332 COMPLAINTS AND 53 WAS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM I HAVE I THINK MAZDA SHOULD RECALL MY VEHICLE OR PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED OR I THINK ALL OF US SHOULD FILE A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT AGAINST MAZDA OR FORD BECAUSE THEY OWN MAZDA

THE UPPER REAR SHOCK ABSORBER MOUNT CAME APART DUE TO RUST, THE SHOCK ABSORBER CAME LOOSE AND WAS HITTING AGAINST THE WHEEL WELL OR TIRE. REPAIRS WERE MADE AT A COST OF 4600. THE OTHER REAR SHOCK ABSORBER MOUNT ON THE DRIVER SIDE DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNS OF RUST. UPDATED 09/29/15*JB... UPDATED 09/30/15*BF

RUSTED ON LEFT SIDE REAR WHEEL WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION NEW TIRES, BRAKES SPARK PLUGS AND PISTONS RIDES LIKE A DREAM BUT THE RUST WILL NOT SUPPORT THE SHOCKS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BY MAZDA AN INFERIOR FORD BODY

THE 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE INITIALLY STARTED TO BE SPORADICALLY SLUGGISH/HESITATION WHEN STEPPING ON THE GAS. IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS A DELAY FROM WHEN I PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL TO WHEN THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY ACCELERATED. ON 6/4/15, A COUPLE DAYS AFTER FIRST EXPERIENCING THE SLUGGISHNESS/HESITANT ACCELERATION, THE VEHICLE STALLED/LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING 55 MILES PER HOUR ON A BUSY ROAD. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WITHIN A FEW MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND CONTINUE ON MY WAY. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO BE SLUGGISH AT ACCELERATION AND WOULD RANDOMLY STALL WHILE DRIVING AND/OR IDLING. AT THIS POINT WITH THE VEHICLE'S MECHANICAL ISSUES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS NOT ON- EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS SOMETHING MAJOR WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. OVER THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS I HAD THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP THREE TIMES. THE FIRST TIME IN THE SHOP (6/6/15) THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL NOT ON- -SO THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THEY SHOP SUGGESTED REPLACING THE FUEL FILTER AND DO A FUEL SYSTEM CLEAN-- WHICH I DID. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO BE SLUGGISH/HESITANT WHEN ACCELERATING & RANDOMLY STALLED WHILE DRIVING AND/OR IDLING. ABOUT A WEEK LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FINALLY CAME ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOP & THEY INDICATED THE CODE WAS TELLING THEM THAT CYLINDER 2 WAS MISFIRING. NO OTHER CODES WERE READ. ALL THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED, COILS WERE CHECKED (IN GOOD CONDITION). THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT COME BACK ON; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RUN SLUGGISH AND STALL WHILE DRIVING (MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN I WAS GOING 55-65 MPH). ON 6/24/15 THE CAR STALLED AGAIN BUT THIS TIME IT WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE SHOP & THEY INDICATED THE COMPUTER WAS DEAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED MAZDA AND THEY DENIED THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THE MAZDA TRIBUTE COMPUTERS AND SAID IT WAS JUST MY VEHICLE.

THE CAR BEGAN MAKING A LOUD BANGING NOISE FROM THE RIGHT REAR. UPON INSPECTION BY OUR MECHANIC IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A COMPLETE RUSTING THROUGH OF THE RIGHT REAR WELL, CAUSING THE SHOCK TO NO LONGER BE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME. THE SHOCK WAS ACTUALLY VISIBLE FROM THE INSIDE REAR OF THE CAR. WE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE. MAZDA WAS UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE FAILURE, IN SPITE OF MY FINDING NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE SAME FAILURE ON BLOGS. A FRAME SHOP HAD TO INSTALL A NEW INNER WHEEL HOUSE PANEL. COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $2000.

NO CRASH BUT THE UNDERSIDE IS RUSTED AND UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS IT DOES NOT SUPPORT THE SHOCKS THIS CAR SHOULD BE RECALLED I UNDERSTAND MAZDA RECALLED A LOT OF THESE CARS FROM 2001-2004 WITH THE SAME PROBLEM MY CAR HAS NEW TIRES NEW BRAKES AND NEW SPARK PLUS AND PISTONS ONLY 80,000 MILES AND RUNS GOOD BUT IT IS RUSTED MY DAUGHTER HAS A HONDA WITH 123,000 MILES AND IT RUNS PERFECT WITH NO RUST THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME THAT THE MAZDA IS RUSTED. I WOULD NOT ADVISE ANYONE TO BUY A MAZDA BECAUSE THEY DO NOT LAST VERY LONG.