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.
Drivers side door handle broke under normal use. Cannot open door from inside vehicle. An alarming safety problem. When I took the panel off I found a small piece of plastic had broken off from the assembly. The door handle is constructed from ridiculously cheap plastic. This also affected the alarm system working properly as it would engage while inside the vehicle and go off when exiting the vehicle.
Inner door handles broken from regular use. Driver side door handles actually broke in half. Passenger front door handle broke as well internally. Neither door handle opens from inside. As for driver side door handle I replaced it with back passenger door handle as I did not feel I should have to pay for a defect like this. Front passenger door handle remains to be fixed. We all need to call Mazda and report this problem. This has been a huge problem with many of these vehicles. Mazda needs to know about it. 1800-222-5500.
Driver side door handle stopped operating. Drivers door will not open from inside....outside handle works ok. It stopped working without warning. I am not able to open this door unless I put the window down and operate the outside door handle. Nothing occurred other than normal daily use prior to breaking. Vehicle is driven only by adults.
2002 Mazda Tribute driver's side door handle will not open from inside the vehicle when the car is unlocked and it doesn't matter if the key is in or out of the ignition locking the driver inside the vehicle.
- Naples, FL, USA
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Interior door handle on driver's side is broken. Have had to open the window to get out of the car, (open by exterior handle). Repair costs over $150 due to manual labor involved. Also, steering became very noisy with screeching on turning at slow speeds. The outer tie, tye (spelling?) rods had to be replaced because the one's on there could not be re-greased. Cost: $210.
2002 Mazda Tribute inner door handle broke. Very poor plastic design and from reading the internet a very common problem with these vehicles. Dealer wants over $100 for the cheap plastic replacement. Also had plastic radio knob crack dealers wants almost $20 for spare part.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Cape Coral, FL, USA