2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE Complaints

I AM REPORTING WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE A NEW SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN WITH 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTES. THE ENGINE STALLED WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL, CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER BRAKES/STEERING, AND I BARELY AVOIDED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS I APPROACHED THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL. I LEARNED FROM DEALER THAT I AM THE 5TH CUSTOMER AT THEIR DEALERSHIP ALONE TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM (DOWNHILL STALL) AND THAT MAZDA HAS NO FIX YET BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND MAZDA HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DUPLICATE. I BELIEVE THE DEALERSHIP IS DOING EVERYTHING WITHIN THEIR POWER. I AM REQUESTING THAT THE GOVERNMENT GET INVOLVED AND FORCE MAZDA HEADQUARTERS TO STEP UP THEIR INVESTIGATION AND ISSUE A WARNING TO CONSUMERS BEFORE PEOPLE DIE.*AK

AFTER PARKING VEHICLE, HEARD LOUD CRASH. LOOK ON GROUND AND FOUND TENSION PULLEY AND SPRING FELL OFF VEHICLE. WHEN STARTED, VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. CONTACTED DEALER AND HAD TOWED. WAITING FOR PARTS.. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ON SURFACE STREETS & GOING SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL, THE VEHICLE STALL & STOPPED. ALL THE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON. CAR WOULD NOT ACCELARATE OR BRAKE/STOP (GOING DOWNHILL). HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP VEHICLE. CONTACTED THE IRVINE MAZDA SERVICE DEPT. & THEY DID DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON VEHICLE PER MAZDA TECH LINE. THEY COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF THIS BUT INFORMED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHER TRIBUTE OWNERS. CONCERN WAS PLACED TO BOTH MAZDA SERVICE DEPT & THEY DID NOT CARE THAT THIS PROBLEM COULD CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY - THEY DID NOT CARE. CONTACTED MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE & THEY NEVER RETURNED MY CALL. THE VEHICLE ACCELARATES W/ A STALL FEELING ALSO. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE WOULD STALL WITHOUT ANY INDICATION.*AK *SLC

THE CAR HAS STALLED 5 TIMES DURING OPERATION SINCE WE PURCHASED IT, LAST TIME ON OCTOBER 11, 2001. IT HAS STALLED ON THE ROAD AND IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERSECTIONS. THE INSTRUMENT LIGHTS COME ON, POWER STEERING AND BRAKING DISAPPEARS, AND WE HAVE TO TURN THE KEY AND ENGAGE THE STARTER. IT DOES START RIGHT BACK UP AGAIN. IT IS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE 2ND TIME, BUT THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. MAZDA HAS A CASE OPEN AND WE HAVE REPORTED CONDITIONS SURROUNDING THE INCIDENTS TWICE (TEMPERATURE, AMOUNT OF FUEL, ROAD CONDITIONS, ETC.).*AK

BRAKES HAVE FAILED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, ABS LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY ON, HAS BEEN BACK TO DEALER 4 TIMES. I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN CAR FOR 2 DAYS IN CLOSE TO 3 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. I HAVE DEMANDED A REFUND OF PURCHASE BASED ON LEMON LAW WITH NO RESPONSE FROM DEALER OR MAZDA.. I DO NOT HAVE THE MAZDA OR EVEN A LOANER AT THIS TIME. CAR HAS NOW BEEN IN SHOP FOR OVER A MONTH THIS 4TH TIME.

ON OCTOBER 12, 2001, I WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON INTERSTATE 95 THROUGH NORTH CAROLINA IN MY MAZADA TRIBUTE 2001. THIS WAS A SUNNY DAY SO THE ROAD WAS DRY AND I WAS TRAVELING 70 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL. I WAS APPROACHING THE EXITS FOR THE ROCKY MOUNT AREA WHEN MY ENTIRE CAR STARTED SHAKING FURIOUSLY. THEN THE WHOLE LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR SEEMED TO SUDDENLY DROP. I IMMEADIATELY PULLED OVER. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO TAKE A LOOK, I NOTICED THAT IT WAS NOT JUST A FLAT, BUT THAT THE ENTIRE TREAD HAD SEPERATED FROM THE SIDEWALLS. I TOOK THE TIRE INTO A FIRESTONE DEALER WHERE THEY PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT TIRES ALWAYS RESPOND THIS WAY WHEN THEY GO FLAT AND CHARGED ME FOR A NEW TIRE. THEY DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED AT ALL. AFTER THEY HAD FINISHED REPLACING THE TIRE, I ASKED FOR THE ORIGINAL TIRE WHICH THEY TOLD ME WAS ALREADY DESTROYED AND THAT I COULD NOT HAVE IT BACK. THIS WAS A WILDERNESS HT P235/70R16 BUT WHEN FIRESTONE REPLACED IT THEY USED A WILDERNESS HT II.*AK (TIRESIZE: P235/70R16)

VEHICLE STOPPED & COULD NOT ACCELERATE. DASH PANEL LIGHTS ALL CAME ON. I WAS GOING SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL & ALSO CAR WOULD NOT BRAKE, SO HAD TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHEN I MANAGED TO PULL TO THE RIGHT/SIDE IN ORDER TO STOP VEHICLE.*AK

I PURCHASED THE CAR ON 8/12/01 FROM BROWN'S MAZDA IN ALEXANDRIA, VA. THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS 3000 MILES ON IT AND HAS STALLED TWICE WHILE DRIVING. THE CAR STALLS ON A DECLINE BETWEEN 30-40 MPH. WHEN THE CAR STALLS, THE STEREO IS STILL ON, BUT THE ENGINE GOES OUT AND THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES GO OUT, WHICH MAKES THE CAR HARD TO DRIVE. TO FIX THIS, YOU HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND RESTART THE ENGINE (ALL WHILE YOU ARE MOVING). I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, THEY HAVE SAID THAT THE MAJORITY OF TRIBUTE'S AND FORD ESCAPE'S HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE CAR. ORIGINALLY, THEY DID NOT EVEN WANT ME TO BRING THE CAR IN BECAUSE THEY SAID THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNTIL MAZDA COMES UP WITH A "FIX". I CALLED THE MAZDA USA HOTLINE AND THEY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND INFORMED THEM THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT THE CAR. THE CAR IS NOW AT THE DEALERSHIP (TO BE PICKED UP TODAY), BUT WHEN DROPPING THE CAR OFF, THEY INFORMED ME AGAIN THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR IN. THE DEALERSHIP WOULD ALSO NOT COMMENT ON IF THEY THOUGHT THIS WAS A "SAFETY" ISSUE AND SAID THAT THEY ARE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEIR "REPRESENTATIVE". I HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR LESS THAN TWO MONTHS, DOES THIS QUALIFY AS A LEMON SINCE IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE? AM I ENTITLED TO MY MONEY BACK (I KNOW THE DEALER WILL NOT GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK BECAUSE THEY SAY IT IS A MAZDA ISSUE)?*AK

TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE ENGINE DIED AND ALL SYSTEMS SHUT DOWN. LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES ON ONRAMP. LOSS OF CONTROL WAS VERY SCARY ON THE RAMP. LUCKILY NOT ON THE INTERSTATE AT THE TIME. *AK *ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN DURING NORMAL OPERATION ON NOVEMBER 2, 2001 WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 35 TO 40 MPH. (ENTERED 11-DEC-2001)