2.4

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,011 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 suspension problems

suspension problem

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2002 Mazda Tribute Owner Comments

problem #10

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 #9

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 #8

Aug 012019

Tribute

  • 100,000 miles
I brought this car front the dealer and didn't know about the recall on the control arm and no one told me it is now 17 years old and I only had it for a year

- Utica, NY, USA

problem #7

Apr 182018

Tribute

  • 126,572 miles

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

We took our Mazda in for the sub-frame recall 11-30-2015 and the dealership, morries Mazda inver grove heights, mn, signed off that it was fine. Now 29 months and 10,000 miles later there is a dime sized hole rusted through the sub-frame and both the dealership and Mazda usa are refusing to pay for any of the recall repairs which will run about $4,000. The frame is a heavy piece of metal and there is no way a dime sized hole should occur in that short a period of time. I believe due to the cost of the repair Mazda usa and morries refused to do the necessary recall repairs when we originally took the car in on 11-30-15 and are now refusing again to cover the costs (Mazda usa ticket # 1-1249669028). This was clearly a design defect and if the sub-frame fails while driving, particularly at highway speeds it carries potential life threating injury to the occupants of the vehicle and others in the area.

- Inver Grove Heights, MN, USA

problem #6

May 082015

Tribute

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

- Camden, NJ, USA

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problem #5

Jun 022014

Tribute 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 71,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Mazda Tribute. While driving 35 mph, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the entire subframe was fractured due to corrosion. The dealer repaired the vehicle according to NHTSA campaign number: 14V174000 (suspension). The technician informed the contact that the lower control arms, both frontal struts, and the tie rod ends needed to be replaced due to excessive corrosion on the subframe. The technician added that even after the repairs were performed, the vehicle would not be safe to drive. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and refused to provide additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000. Updated 11/12/14 updated 8/5/2015

- Harrison, OH, USA

problem #4

Jun 242011

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 71,540 miles

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

I was driving home and the front coil spring broke{the top portion} when it broke it blew out my tire and lodged a piece of it in between the brake rotor some how tearing the tire to bits. And then apx a month after that the other one broke luckily it di not do the same damage as the first time. So because of the cheaply made and wrongfully heat treated metal the spring broke. Which cost me a tire of $165 and to replace the spring at the cost of $273.69 this should be a recall because someone is going to die after looking in to it Ford Explorer, and the escape which is the exact same as the Mazda I found this has been a issue for alot of people. A spring of all parts of a car should never break like this. This could have and should have been prevented by not over heating the steel that the spring was made out of the is clearly neglect on Ford manufacturing and needs to be addressed before someone dies.because I was able to maneuver my car so I didn't hit anyone or anything the next person may not be so lucky....

- Cement City, MI, USA

problem #3

Sep 182011

Tribute

  • 189,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Mazda Tribute. While driving approximately 2 mph, a loud bang sounded from the front end of the vehicle and the front passenger side suddenly collapsed onto the wheel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where both of the sub frame bars were being replaced. In addition to the repair, the trans axle and front passenger side lower control arms required replacement. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 189,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Liverpool , NY, USA

problem #2

Jul 162002

Tribute

  • miles
While driving vehicle will pull to the left, unable to drive straight. If vehicle is on a highway and the road is curved not straight it will make a left turn. Contacted dealer. They sad this was normal.

- Mason, OH, USA

problem #1

Jun 242002

Tribute 4WD

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Vehicle has stalled out while consumer was driving. Steering wheel locked up, then engine shut down. Consumer has had this problem fixed twice before. Stalling of the vehicle caused brake and steering failures. The vehicle stalled several times. Dealer replaced mass air flow sensor and dpfe after third incident, also consumer stated vehicle was pulling to the right, the dealer perfomed an alignment.

- Mount Pleasent, PA, USA

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