2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE Complaints

SRS INDICATOR HAS MALFUNCTIONED TWICE. DEALER REPLACED SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. ON THE THIRD INCIDENT, DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE, ALTHOUGH THE LIGHT WAS ON WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH THE DEALER.

COMPLETE FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION. NO WARNING SYMPTOMS OF ANY PROBLEM. MILEAGE AT FAILURE WAS 71,000. MILEAGE AT LAST TRANSMISSION FLUSH WAS 48,000. AFTER FAILURE WAS INSPECTED BY SERVICE TECHS AT THE DEALERSHIP, THEY NOTED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS VERY CLEAN, WHICH WAS DESCRIBED AS NON-TYPICAL OF SUCH A FAILURE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS PENDING TO DETERMINE WHETHER MAZDA WILL PARTICIPATE OR CONTRIBUTE TO A REMEDY.*AK

ALL FOUR RIMS CRACKED, CAUSING AIR TO SEPARATE FROM THE WHEELS. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR ANALYSIS, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE RIM WERE A DEFECTIVELY MANUFACTURED. CONSUMER HAD TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE RIMS. *AK

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON SIX DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR ON THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE FOUR TIMES. THE LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

HOOD LATCH OPENS WHEN THERE IS A TEMPERATURE CHANGE PLUS OR MINUS 20 OR MORE DEGREES OR RANDOMLY. *LA

I HAVE A 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE. RECENTLY I STARTED HAVING TROUBLE STARTING THE VEHICLE. IT STARTED BUT IMMEDIATELY STOPPED. I HAD TO LEAVE MY FOOT ON THE GAS FOR AWHILE BEFORE IT WOULD RESPOND NORMALLY. THIS PROBLEM WAS COMPLETELY RANDOM, NOT OCCURRING EVERYDAY. THE CONDITION INCREASED IN FREQUENCY AND FINALLY MY CAR STARTED TO DIE WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT (IF I RELEASED THE GAS FOR A TURN, IT WOULD OCCASIONALLY DIE). THIS ALMOST CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS I HAD NO STEERING OR BRAKING WHEN THE CAR DIED. I RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY SAID THERE WERE NO RECALL NOTICES. THEIR DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT COULD FIND NO PROBLEMS, BUT THE MANAGER SAID THIS WAS HAPPENING TO SEVERAL EARLY TRIBUTES AND I SHOULD REPLACE THE IDLE AIR VALVE. REPLACING THIS HAS FIXED THE PROBLEM BUT THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED.

MY TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED TWICE. BOTH TIMES THANK GOD UNDER WARRANTY. AFTER HAVING THE THIRD TRANSMISSION PUT IN LAST WEEK - IT LIT UP YESTERDAY WITH AN COOLANT PROBLEM (THEY HAD JUST COMPLETED NOT ONLY THE TRANSMISSION BUT A MAINTENCE TWO DAYS BEFORE). IT IS NOW BACK IN THE HANDS OF THE DEALER. FROM MY READING THIS IS AN ON GOING PROBLEM WITH THE TRIBUTE. I AM CONCERNED, NOT ONLY BECAUSE I WANT A SAFE AND GOOD CAR BUT IF IT HAS ALREADY FAILED TWICE - WHAT NEXT? AND WILL IT STILL BE UNDER WARRANTY. WHY ARE THESE TRANSMISSIONS FAILING? WHAT IS MAZDA GOING TO DO ABOUT IT. I DRIVE A WINDY MOUNTAIN ROAD EVERY DAY - AM I RISKING MY LIFE AND THAT OF MY CHILDREN'S IN THIS THING?

1.THE FIRST PROBLEM I HAD WITH MY TRIBUTE WAS ALL THE POWER STEERING FLUID HAD LEAKED OUT, SO THEY REPLACED THE RACK AND PINION. 2.THE SECOND, WHEN GOING FOR MY FIRST BRAKE JOB I'M INFORMED THAT THE FRONT ROTORS ARE TOO THIN AND UNDER SPECS. AND NEED TO BE REPLACED (A $700 JOB) SO, I WENT TO MAZDA AND THEY SAID THE BRAKE PADS ARE TOO HARD FOR THE ROTORS ARE ARE UNUSUALLY WEARING SO, THEY REPLACED MY ROTORS. 3.THE THIRD, A WEEK LATER I'M STRAINED, BECAUSE THE STARTER STUCK AND BURNED ITSELF OUT, THEY TOWED THE CAR AND REPLACED THE STARTER. 4.THE FOURTH, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER HAD LEAKAGE SO, I HAD TO HAVE THEM FIX THAT. 5.THE FIFTH, NOW I AM CURRENTLY DEALING WITH A SPUTTERING OR CLUNCKING NOISE THAT OCCURS UPON SLOW ACCELERATION OF 40 MPH WITH PEDAL VIBRATION AND ALSO OCCURS SOMETIMES AT 60 MPH NOW. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT AND FIX THIS PROBLEM YET. BUT, THOUGHT THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY FOUND A BUSHING NEAR THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT THAT WAS COMPLETELY CRACKED SO, THEY REPLACED THAT. UNTIL NEXT TIME.....

AT 15,860 (8/31/2001) THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED ON MY 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE TRANSMISSION IS STILL UNSTABLE AND HESITATES AND MAKES NOISE. I'M AT 58,000 MILES AND OUT OF WARRANTY. THE CAR WAS RETURNED ONCE TO THE DEALER AND WAS NOT FIXED. IF I TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY WILL CHARGE TO LOOK AT. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS - INCLUDING A DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDER, HEADLAMP AND OTHER ISSUES AND RECALLS. THIS IS THE WORST AUTOMOBILE I HAVE EVER PURCHASED AND I THINK MAZDA AND IT'S DEALERSHIPS NO THIS. I'M VERY PERSISTANT INDIVIDUAL AND I FEEL THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR SOME OF THE REPAIRS I HAD DONE TO MY MAZDA TRIBUTE.

FIRST TRANSMISSION SHIFTED POORLY AND WHEN IN OVERDRIVE WOULD SHUTTER AT LOW HIGHWAY SPEEDS. SECOND TRANSMISSION GAVE NO SIGN OF PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING ON LONG HIGHWAY TRIP THE OVERDRIVE OFF LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH AT WHICH TIME I CALLED MY DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT THIS WAS AN INDICATION OF IMPENDING FAILURE AND SHOULD BRING THE TRIBUTE BACK IN FOR SERVICE. I WAS THEN INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. NOTE: I DRIVE MOSTLY HIGHWAY AND DO NOT TOW ANYTHING. THE TRANSMISSIONS ALL SEEM TO SHIFT IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE ALOT.