10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,014 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2002 Mazda Tribute steering problems

steering problem

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2002 Mazda Tribute Owner Comments

problem #7

Apr 292022

Tribute

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My vehicle took off and accelerated without me depressing the gas pedal and it was very scary and hard to get stopped I was doing almost 80 mph. It had a safety recall for the throttle cable for this but you show no open recalls yet Mazda does and told me if recalls we're taken care of they would show up on the car fax which they do not my vehicle is a 2002 but this doesn't mean it was ever fixed has several other issues also the front lower control arm which is also on a recall and does not show on the car fax the entire front end on the passenger side sounds like it's really loose and could break and my tire come loose as others have reported when filing same complaint. This has happened more than once to me. I call it now a death trap I need help to get this safe to drive thank you.

- Corvallis, OR, USA

problem #6

Mar 012020

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 82,000 miles
Driving the vehicle down a city street the steering became extremely loose. Upon inspection we found that the front subframe had rusted/broken and the lower control arm had separated from it. After a search we discovered that this issue is covered under the 7514D recall. A VIN search confirmed that this was an open recall on this vehicle. We towed the vehicle to the nearest Mazda dealer to have the recall completed. After about 1 week, the service advisor called and told me that Mazda was refusing to repair the vehicle. I called Mazda customer service to get an explanation and was told that the recall only involves installing a "reinforcement" bracket, not replacing the subframe. I informed them that I have copies of both the owner letter and the entire recall procedure which both clearly state that if the lower control arm has become separated due to corrosion the subframe must be replaced at no cost to the owner. They tried to tell me that "corrosion" does not mean "rust" and there is nothing more they could do for me. The vehicle is still at the dealership, Mazda of wooster in wooster, Ohio.

- Mansfield, OH, USA

problem #5

May 082015

Tribute

  • miles
Hard to turn in sounds like my lower control arm is about to come off.

- Camden, NJ, USA

problem #4

Sep 262014

Tribute 4WD 6-cyl

  • 77,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Was parking car, and something snapped. Front wheels are now pointing in different directions, and the car is not drivable. Luckily this happened at low speed, and the only damage is to the car.

- Bethlehem, PA, USA

problem #3

Jan 222005

Tribute 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 27,095 miles
NHTSA recall 04V583000 on the accelerator cable. Approximately two years after having the accelerator cable replaced the problem recurred. While driving 2 mph, the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. The driver applied the brake pedal and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The driver was not able to maintain control of the vehicle and collided into a light pole. This caused the driver to sustain minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection. The battery was inoperative due to a broken cable and a frayed main belt had come off and the steering was impaired.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #2

Jun 152003

Tribute

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,000 miles
Within months of buying the SUV we had it back to crystal auto mall, green brook, NJ the problem...the steering wheel came loose, it would shift around as you drove down the road! this was a quick repair. Starting on Sept 18,2002 we took it in to the dealer for the oil pressure light coming on, they replaced the oil sender unit, total $69.52, which was covered by warranty. On Oct 14 back for the same problem, they kept it until Oct 17, replacing all kinds of parts, oil pump, oil gasket for a total of $924.65, again covered by warranty. My husband was driving it home from this round of repairs and the same problem lit itself up again! he was almost home appox.30 miles from the dealer, he called on his cell phone said he was coming right back, this time they had it from Oct 18 to Oct 31, 2002. What a surprise when I heard they replaced the entire motor for a total of $4,511.17, again under warranty. Strange thing was that they would not extend the warranty on the new motor beyond the original guarantee for the truck. Now you tell me is this right? that's not the end of it, on June 21, 2003, we brought it in for a noise coming from the front end they kept it over the weekend until June 23 and told us it needs breaks and rotors and wheel alignment which of course is not under warranty!!! only 24000 miles on this SUV and nothing but headaches

- Parlin, NJ, USA

problem #1

Oct 012001

Tribute 4WD

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
With 500 miles on odometer, the owner found a red fluid on garage floor. The dealership replaced the entire steering system from the column all the way to the front tires.

- Pataskala, OH, USA

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