2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE Complaints

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. VEHICLE COMPLETELY STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH. DEALER WAS CONTACTED, AND STATED THAT VEHICLE WAS TESTED AND SOME WIRING HAD TO BE REPLACED. ALSO STATED THAT SHE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKE ROTORS. WHILE DRIVING SHE HEARD A REAL LOUD NOISE METAL TO METAL NOISE, AND WHEN SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOP THE ROTORS WERE COMPLETELY WOREN OUT. DEALER HAD NO EXPLANATION AS WHY IT HAPPENED.*AK *CB

SINCE I PURCHASED THE AUTO IN APRIL 2002, THERE HAS BEEN A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE ENGINE. EVERY TIME I TOOK THE AUTO IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE (EVERY 3000 MILES) I ASKED THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ENGINE BECAUSE OF THE SMELL AND EVERY TIME THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING EXCEPT EXCESS OIL ON THE ENGINE. IF IT IS A BRAND NEW AUTO WHY IS THERE OIL ON THE ENGINE?? NO ANSWER FROM THE SERVICE DEPT. FINALLY AFTER A YEAR OF COMPLAINING THEY ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE ENGINE AND FOUND A CRACKED BLOCK. THE SERVICE DEPT SAID IT MUST OF HAPPENED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS FACTORY INSTALLED. I WAS TOLD IT WAS STILL OK TO DRIVE. THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME WHEN THE "PART" WAS IN. ALSO THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE ME THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. ONCE AGAIN EVERYTIME I TOOK IT IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE I TOLD THEM THE BRAKES DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT. I WOULD HAVE TO PUMP THE BRAKES TO STOP SOMETIMES AND OTHER TIMES SITTING A LIGHT THEY WOULD DEPRESS TO THE FLOOR. SURPRISING NOTHING WAS FOUND UNTIL THE SERVICE DEPT ACTUALLY DRIVE THE AUTO AROUND (FOR THE ABOVE PROBLEM) DID THEY DISCOVER THAT I NEEDED A NEW MASTER CYLINDER!!! THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE, I HAVE HAD BOTH PROBLEMS SINCE THE AUTO WAS PURCHASED. LUCKILY IT NEVER STALLED ON ME. WHAT THE HECK IT UP WITH THIS MODEL YEAR??? *AK

WE RECENTLY HAD A SECOND HARROWING EXPERIENCE IN OUR 2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE ES-V6. WE WERE SO TAKEN ABACK BY THE AUDACITY OF MAZDA HAVING KNOWLEDGE OF THE STALLING ISSUE IN THE TRIBUTE AND NOT TAKING INTO THEIR BEST INTEREST TO RECALL THE VEHICLE THAT WE TRADED THE VEHICLE IN FOR A DIFFERENT MAKE. IN FORWARD MOTION, AT APPROXIMATELY 35MPH+, THE VEHICLE STALLED. IN THE PROCESS OF STALLING, ALL POWER TO THE POWER ASSISTED STEERING AND BRAKES WERE LOST. MY WIFE HAD EXTREME DIFFICULTY IN STOPPING THE VEHICLE. IT HAPPENS AT SUCH A RANGE OF SPEED (~40MPH) THAT RESTARTING THE CAR IS NOT AN IMMEDIATE OPTION. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, YES, AND MAZDA CLAIMS TO HAVE ADJUSTED THEIR FLASH BIOS TO ADJUST FOR THE FAULT. THEY ALSO STATE THAT THE 2003 DOES NOT HAVE THIS REPORTED STALLING WHILE IN FORWARD MOTION ISSUE. THATS FINE, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE 1000'S OF PEOPLE OUT ON THE ROAD THAT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE OF ANY SORT FOR THIS VEHICLES PROBLEM WITH STALLING. I EVEN TALKED TO THE DEALER I BOUGHT MY MPV FROM, AND HE STATED THAT A TRIBUTE 2002 HAD STALLED FOR HIM WHILE IN FORWARD MOTION WHILE SHOWING IT TO A PROSPECTIVE NEW OWNER! I FIND IT APPALLING THAT A COMPANY KNOWS ABOUT A FAULT OF THIS NATURE AND HAS NOT FOR THE BEST INTEREST OF THOSE THAT HAVE BOUGHT THEIR VEHICLE, AND THOSE THAT DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAYS ALONGSIDE SAID VEHICLE HAVE NOT RECALLED AND FIXED THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE EQUIPMENT INVOLVED : NOT JUST A FLASH BIOS UPDATE, THAT IN READING MANY MANY CASES ONLINE IN TRIBUTE/ESCPAE MESSAGE BOARDS DID NOT FULLY FIX THE FAULT.SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR VEHICLE BEFORE PEOPLE START SUBMITTING THESE COMPLAINTS WITH INJURY LISTINGS.*AK

2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE V6 ENGINE STALLS WHILE DRIVING, CAN'T CONTROL STEERING OR BRAKES. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES 9 MONTHS AGO, BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN CORRECTED BY "REFLASHING THE COMPUTER". NOW IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN NO INJURIES SO FAR, THIS COULD CAUSE A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

WHILE DRIVING DASH LIGHT SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED, AND VEHICLE ENGINE DIED. CONSUMER ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. *AK

SINCE I PURCHASE MY MAZDA TRIBUTE IN APRIL 2002, I HAVE COMPLAINED TO DEALER ABOUT SQEEKY BRAKES. MY BRAKE LIGHT OFTER DOES NOT GO OFF. THEY SAID IT WAS A BAD BRAKE CYLINDER CAP AND REPLACED IT. MY BRAKES STILL GRIND AND AGAIN MY BRAKE LIGHT IS STAYING ON. THEY ADDED FLUID AND IT WENT OFF. THEY ARE SAYING THAT I'M PROBABLY GETTING READY FOR NEW FRONT BRAKES. I CAME ONTO THIS SITE TODAY TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER PROBLEMS IN THIS AREA. WHAT I READ ASTOUNDED ME. MY CAR HAS NEVER STALLED. I CANNOT BELIEVE THE REPORTS ABOUTS STALLING AND LACK OF CONTROL AND THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS MAZDA IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE YOU PEOPLE SAY OOPS!!!!!!!!!*AK

WHEN SLOWING DOWN OR PROCEEDING TO A STOP, THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN IN MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE THE ENGINE IS STILL RUNNING. THE BRAKES WILL FREEZE UP AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE CAR IS TO PULL UP ON THE HAND BRAKE. THE CAR WILL RESTART. THIS HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC AND IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP THE FIRST TIME ON MAY 3, 2003. DEALER SAID THAT THEY REPLACED THE IDLE CONTROL VALVE. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE SAME PROBLEM ARISED WHERE THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED IN TRAFFIC. BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER ON JUNE 3, 2003, THEY SAID THERE WAS IMPROPER OPERATION AND REPROGRAMMED THE PCM. THE CAR DIED DOWN AGAIN A WEEK LATER WHILE DRIVING SLOWING DOWN IN TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY. AGAIN BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR THE THIRD TIME JUNE 19, 2003. LEFT THE CAR OVERNIGHT AND HAD THE TECHNICIAN DRIVE THE CAR 100+ MILES HOME, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND SENT THE CAR HOME. CAR DIED AGAIN IN TRAFFIC. BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE FOURTH TIME ON JULY 1, 2003, AND ONCE AGAIN DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE CAR. ADVISED ME TO KEEP DRIVING THE CAR UNTIL THEY PROBLEM WORSENED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THE CAR IS IN MOTION AT ALL TIMES WHEN IT HAS DIED AND IN TRAFFIC. A POTENTIONAL DANGEROUS AND FATAL SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY! THE CAR WAS PURCHASED IN JUNE 2002, AND SINCE THEN IT HAS HAD A MASTER CYLINDER LEAK, AIR BAG CIRCUIT FAILURE, AS WELL AS FUEL SYSTEM ELECTRICAL WIRING PROBLEMS. MAZDA NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL RISK FACTORS INVOLVED IN ITS TRIBUTE MODELS AND RECALL THE CARS.*AK

WIFE'S VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING ON BUSY HIGHWAY. WAS TAKEN DIRECTLY TO DEALER WHERE ANOTHER CUSTOMER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER INFORMED US THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. THIS VEHICLE IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD BE RECALLED.*AK

2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE 4X4 LOSS OF BRAKES LOSS OF STEERING HAD TO STOP BY WAY OF E-BRAKE LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT NOTIFIED FROM THE DEALER THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE EPROM ON THE MAIN COMPUTER THAT NEEDED TO BE REFLASHED. ALSO NOTIFIED BY DEALER THAT THEY KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM. I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THIS. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DEADLY ACCIDENT THAT COULD BE AVOIDED BY INFORMING CONSUMERS TO HAVE REPAIR DONE ON VEHICLE. DO WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO DIE BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE???????? *JB

ENGINE STALLS WHILE DRIVING WITH NO WARNING. WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR INTO THE DEALER TWICE BEFORE FOR THE SAME THING, EACH TIME THEY SAID IT WAS FIXED. *AK