10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,428 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.

2005 Mazda Tribute engine problems

engine problem

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2005 Mazda Tribute Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #75

Jul 302020

Tribute

  • 138,000 miles

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

Cruise, blake pedal hard to press when cruise is on. Air bag lite on 99 percent of the time

- Medford, OR, USA

problem #74

Jun 042020

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 123,000 miles
Vehicle was traveling on a four-lane highway with cruise control on. The vehicle suddenly began to accelerate uncontrollably; tried applying the brake, turning off the cruise control, pressing the decelerate button, nothing worked. I had to apply a great deal of force to the brakes in order to slow the vehicle enough to get it off the road. I shifted the transmission into neutral and the engine began to rev uncontrollably. I turned the ignition switch off and opened the hood to investigate. The throttle cable on the cruise control servo had rotated up to about a 30-degree angle and had the throttle held open. I rotated the cable back down to its normal position and the throttle snapped free. I will not use the cruise control again until the issue is resolved. I was traveling at 65 mph when the incident occurred, the vehicle accelerated to over 80 mph while I was trying to get it under control.

- Mountain Grove, MO, USA

problem #73

Dec 042019

Tribute

  • 149,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. While driving, the liftgate flew open and several grocery items fell onto the street. The contact pulled over and closed the liftgate. The contact drove home without any further issues. In addition, the vehicle surged forward when the contact attempted to slow down. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 149,000.

- Metuchen, NJ, USA

problem #72

Dec 162014

Tribute

  • 122,940 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle hesitated, accelerated at a rapid pace, and then decelerated. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 122,940.

- Agusta, GA, USA

problem #71

Aug 012017

Tribute

  • miles
My rear seatbelts do not work. Vehicle turns off while on highway. The vehicle airbag buttle says no airbags in car. The car jumps when reaching 50 mph

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #70

Sep 012017

Tribute

  • 100,621 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. After the accelerator pedal was depressed, the throttle became stuck at any speed. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road and adjust the speed cable in order to operate the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 12V357000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that due to the engine size, the vehicle would not be included in the recall. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 100,621.

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

problem #69

Apr 242017

Tribute

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that she never received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 12V357000 (engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control). While in the market for a new vehicle, a dealer provided the contact with the NHTSA website. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that she moved to another state since purchasing the vehicle. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- For Stewart, GA, USA

problem #68

Apr 232016

Tribute

  • 174,848 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond without warning. In addition, the contact discovered that the accelerator pedal was stuck to the floorboard and the emergency brake had to be engaged to avoid a crash. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but the failure was unable to be determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 174,848.

- Newark, OH, USA

problem #67

Jun 022015

Tribute

  • 90,100 miles
The 2005 Mazda Tribute initially started to be sporadically sluggish/hesitation when stepping on the gas. It seemed like there was a delay from when I pressed on the gas pedal to when the vehicle actually accelerated. On 6/4/15, a couple days after first experiencing the sluggishness/hesitant acceleration, the vehicle stalled/lost power while driving 55 miles per hour on a busy road. Fortunately, I was able to coast over to the side of the road. Within a few minutes I was able to restart the vehicle and continue on my way. The vehicle continued to be sluggish at acceleration and would randomly stall while driving and/or idling. At this point with the vehicle's mechanical issues, the check engine light was not on- even though there was something major wrong with the vehicle. Over the next couple weeks I had the vehicle in the shop three times. The first time in the shop (6/6/15) the check engine light was still not on- -so they were not able to diagnose the problem. They shop suggested replacing the fuel filter and do a fuel system clean-- which I did. The vehicle continued to be sluggish/hesitant when accelerating & randomly stalled while driving and/or idling. About a week later the check engine light finally came on. I took the vehicle to the shop & they indicated the code was telling them that cylinder 2 was misfiring. No other codes were read. All the spark plugs were replaced, coils were checked (in good condition). The check engine light did not come back on; however, the vehicle continued to run sluggish and stall while driving (multiple times when I was going 55-65 mph). On 6/24/15 the car stalled again but this time it would not restart. I had the vehicle towed to the shop & they indicated the computer was dead and needed to be replaced. I contacted Mazda and they denied there were issues with the Mazda Tribute computers and said it was just my vehicle.

- St. Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #66

Apr 082015

Tribute

  • 145,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute I. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerated without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,000.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #65

Jan 082015

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 78,000 miles

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

Car stops accelerating due to gas pedal being stuck.

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #64

Dec 142014

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 115,000 miles
We purchased this vehicle new and about 5 times over the history of owning this vehicle, the gas peddle stuck and on the last most recent event the car got stuck at a high rate of speed on the freeway and it could not be slowed by pulling the pedal up with foot. Thank god there were no vehicles around or slowing traffic ahead. Mazda issued a recall #94751 - vehicle speed control: Cables but when we took the car into the nearest Mazda dealership we were told that our vehicle's VIN is not covered by this recall as it supposedly does not have the "defective part(s) installed." Yet the summary of the recall description notes that it is a design/installation flaw with the vehicle I.e. "inadequate clearance between the engine cover and speed control cable connector" resulting in a stuck throttle. Mazda won't stand behind their vehicle now and want us to pay to have it serviced/diagnosed/fixed?! also I had previously taken this car to the dealership twice in the past when this happened and they could not find anything wrong with it. Mazda needs to do a more in-depth investigation of this very dangerous situation and design/parts flaw and issue a more extensive recall on their 2005 Mazda Tributes. Note our model is a 2.3L, 4 cylinder engine and their recall only covers the 3.0L V6 engine.

- San Carlos, CA, USA

problem #63

Dec 042014

Tribute

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

problem #62

Jan 152008

Tribute

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated while driving approximate 15 mph, the accelerator pedal failed to engage and the contact had to tap the accelerator pedal four times for it to operate. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The technician was unable to locate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #61

Aug 012013

Tribute

  • 100,360 miles
Gas pedal locking up at various speeds in traffic. 4 near misses of a catastrophic events !!! we have contacted Mazda in conroe Texas. We were informed that our VIN # was not included in there recall on this problem with the newer models are having....... this is the same problem as the new one !!!!!! so whats the problem ? I nearly was killed at one the events !!! had to pull over due the pedal would not move and another driver not paying attention nearly missed hitting me on the shoulder of the highway ! I was outside of my car at that point trying figure out why it wasn't working ( 09/12/2014).

- Magnolia, TX, USA

problem #60

Apr 242014

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 81,150 miles
When approaching a 4-way intersection during daylight hours, the light turned yellow then red. I tried to stop by pressing my brake pedal. My vehicle did not slow down, but continued to accelerate up hill. I pressed as hard as possible but my vehicle went through the intersection and I ran into the side of another vehicle. I was originally going about 30mph and when I hit the other vehicle, I was going about 25mph. My vehicle stopped after hitting the other vehicle but continued to rev higher. I was injured when my arms bent the steering wheel forward, the seat belt bruised me and my right foot (talus bone) was broken by the pressure on the brake pedal. I required surgery. I was out of work for 3 weeks and wore a cast for 7 weeks. The policeman who reported to the accident site discovered the gas pedal was half way down to the floor and stuck. The other driver and a witness said they heard the vehicle revving after it stopped after impact. The vehicle cut off after about 30 seconds on its own and would not restart. There are similar reports of this happening on the website but no recalls have been issued. I had owned the vehicle for 5 years and 9 months at the time of the accident. The vehicle was totaled.

- Hoover, AL, USA

problem #59

Feb 042014

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 92,000 miles
Accelerator got stuck multiple times in cold weather. At stops and signals or turns, after the vehicle is completely stopped accelerator gets stuck. Have to press very hard and some times take 5-10 minutes to move. On 2/4 got stuck one time and on 2/6 stuck 3 times on the road.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #58

Jan 012006

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 9,000 miles
While accelerating, the accelerator gets stuck and the car suddenly slows down to a crawl. Driver has to pull over and pump accelerator in order to get it unstuck. Checked with dealer initially and called Mazda today January 8, 2014 to ask if there have been a recall. Was told, no. In the past, had to take car to mechanic and left it to be test driven in order for mechanic to replicate problem. Mechanic found the problem and cleaned accelerator. Problem continuous sporadically.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #57

Aug 072013

Tribute

  • 7,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, she attempted to depress the accelerator pedal but it seized and prevented her from accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 84,397.

- West Linn, OR, USA

problem #56

Sep 142013

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 77,250 miles
I received this car from my deceased parents about 3 years ago. There has been numerous occasions that my gas pedal has stuck either while I'm stopped and try to go or if I am shifting gears. This is very dangerous if my gas pedal is sticking. It happened 3 times September 14, 2013 within a 10 min period on the drive out to my son's soccer game. I have 2 stop signs and 4 stop lights between that area and the gas pedal stuck at one light and both stop signs. On other occasions my cruise control has revved up when trying to turn it off and it has also just gotten stuck. That could be very dangerous when trying to slow down for traffic ahead.

- Connersville, IN, USA

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