2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE Complaints

DUE TO A COMPUTER FAILURE, THE VEHICLE SHUTS ITSELF OFF WHILE DRIVING. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT QUIRK MAZDA IN QUINCY, MA THAT THEY HAVE SEEN "AT LEAST A HALF DOZEN" OF THIS PROBLEM, MAZDA KNOWS ABOUT IT, HOWEVER THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL. I WAS DRIVING ALONG I-93 IN BOSTON AT RUSH HOUR AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WHEN THE CAR DIED. AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS IT STARTED BACK UP BUT DID NOT REGISTER A 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD. THE COMPUTER DID NOT DETECT THAT THERE WAS EVER A PROBLEM. QUIRK MAZDA'S SOLUTION WAS TO "REPROGRAM PCM" AND INSTALL UPDATED SOFTWARE. LUCKILY I WAS NOT ONLY GOING 45 MPH, OR I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. PLEASE DEMAND THAT MAZDA ISSUES A RECALL FOR THIS SAFETY HAZARD.*AK

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE WILL STALL, AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE WILL STALL, AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

ENGINE SHUTS OFF WITHOUT NOTICES WHILE DRIVING. VERY DANGEROUS. HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES, EACH TIME WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AND ALMOST HAD ACCIDENTS. *NLM

CONSUMER DEPRESSED ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND VEHICLE HESITATED, AND THEN SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD, ALMOST CAUSING A COLLISION. RELATED INVESTIGATION EA 02-027.*AK

THE STEERING WHEEL WANDERED WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CHANGE LANES AT HIGH AND LOW SPEEDS. *AK PH. THE EMISSION LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED TWICE. THE STEERING PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED 6 TIMES. *JB

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE WILL SHUT DOWN AND RESTART. *AK

AT 36000 MILES AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED, AT 4500 MILES AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED. AT 45K000 MILES ALTENATOR FAILED.*AK

I HAVE A 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE. I COULDN'T TURN MY KEY TO START THE CAR. AFTER CALLING THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THSI CAR. THEY SAID THERE WOULD BE NO RECALL BECAUSE IT WASN'T A SAFETY ISSUE. THEY ALSO SAID THE FORD MODEL (THE ESCAPE) ALSO WAS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT YET I HAD TO PAY TO GET THIS FIXED. IT IS A KNOWN DEFECT BY FORD/MAZDA. *AK

VEHICLE HAD A NO-START CONDITION 4 TIMES, AND A NEAR-STALLING CONDITION ONE TIME WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON AND THE CAR BACKFIRING AND MISFIRING. ALL FIVE OCCURRENCES WERE RELATED TO A FAULTY WIRE/PIN IN THE STEERING COLUMN WHICH KEPT BECOMING LOOSE OR DISCONNECTED. THE FIRST THREE TIME THE VEHICLE LEFT ME STRANDED, THE 4TH TIME IT DIED IN THE DEALERS OWN PARKING LOT AFTER AN ALLEGED REPAIR. VEHICLE OFFICIALLY BECAME A LEMON AFTER THE 5TH BREAKDOWN. ALL INCIDENTS OCCURRED BETWEEN 6-16 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. AFTER 25 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP AND MUCH HASSLE AND LEGAL INVOLVEMENT, I RECEIVED A SETTLEMENT AND A BUY-BACK FROM MAZDA. *JB