This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2001 Mazda Tribute. The contact heard a loud noise coming from the engine compartment when she turned on the ignition. The passenger compartment became filled with smoke. The contact exited the vehicle. When the smoke finally cleared, the contact raised the hood and discovered extensive damage. They vehicle was towed to a shop, and after two days of inspecting the damage, they believed that two of the injectors were leaking fuel and caused the engine to explode. Mazda stated that due to the age of the vehicle and the fact that it was no longer under warranty, nothing could be done. The current and failure mileages were 82,000. Updated 05/20/08.
Problems with vehicle jerking, problem believed to be the result of a defective transmission. The transmission was flushed but the problem remained the same. The dealer later replaced the transmission. (the vehicle would jerk between the speeds of 45-50, but after the replacement, down to 35-45 mph. The vehicle stalled while approaching a traffic light with no warning. The manufacturer refused liability.
Passenger cabin continues to get fuel fumes at restart. Understand that this is a design problem and that new gaskets are in the works to correct. We expect dealership to replace old ones with new gaskets when available. Check engine light has come on twice in first 2000 miles. Both times we were told that gas cap was opened when vehicle was turned on. This has not been the case and we continue to argue over this. We refuse to pay the reset fee for the check engine light to be turned off. When we bought the vehicle, it was clear that Mazda knew of this potential problem as the saleman went out of her way to explain that the cap must be tight at all times. This we have done. Dealership currently looking at vehicle for this second check engine problem.
The vehicle emits a strong fuel vapor smell, which is easily noted rising from the engine, when it is shut off hot. The vapors get into the passenger compartment, through the air vents, when the engine is started and when the vehicle is idling or driving slowly in traffic. Turning the ventilation control to off stops the smell inside. The vehicle also is getting only 15-16 mpg in mixed Suburban/highway use.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Friendship, ME, USA