2005 Mazda Tribute

THE ENTIRE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WELL HAS RUSTED AWAY AND THE SHOCK IS COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE FRAME ON OUR TRIBUTE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AS THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 10 YEARS OLD AND IT IS ONLY HAPPENING ON THE REAR PASSENGER. IT IS GOING TO COST ME A LOT TO FIX AND WILL DEFINITELY BE THE LAST MAZDA I BUY (UNLESS BY CHANCE MAZDA SEES HOW THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH TRIBUTES/ESCAPES AND MAKES IT RIGHT). *TR

I HAD A RATTLING NOISE THAT STARTED COMING FROM THE RIGHT REAR AND SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING WAS BOUNCING AROUND IN THE BACK COMPARTMENT. IT GOT WORSE FAST. I WAS STUNNED TO FIND NOT ONLY THE RIGHT WHEEL WELL, BUT BOTH SIDES COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH AND THE SHOCKS WERE READY TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE MOUNTS. BOTH MY MECHANIC SHOP AND A REPUTABLE BODY SHOP INDEPENDENTLY TOLD ME THAT THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. THE BODY SHOP IS HESITANT TO TOUCH IT. THEY SAID THAT THEY CAN TRY TO FABRICATE AND FIX IT, BUT THE PROBLEM IS WHEN THERE IS RUST INVOLVED, WHERE DO THEY STOP? I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, SUPPOSEDLY TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF, AS I DO. I STILL OWE THOUSANDS ON IT AND I'M NOT HAPPY! MY 2002 ESCAPE DIDN'T HAVE RUST PROBLEMS ... THE MOTOR WENT OUT BEFORE IT HAD RUST! *TR

DRIVING CROSS COUNTRY AND HEARD A LOUD THUMP IN RT REAR WHEEL WELL. AFTER THAT EVERY BUMP NO MATTER HOW SMALL THE THUMP BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED. STOPPED TO CHECK THINGS OUT, RT REAR WHEEL WELL COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH EXPOSING SUSPENSION AND CORROSION ON ATTACHMENT TO FRAME. ABLE TO DRIVE HOME SAFELY, HAD DEALERSHIP CHECK IT OVER AND COST OF REPAIR TO FRAME DAMAGE OVER COST OF VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP REPORTS ONGOING ISSUE WITH RT REAR WHEEL WELL ON 2005 YEAR. WAY TO EARLY FOR THIS MUCH CORROSION. *TR

I JUST WANTED TO ADD TO THE LONG LIST OF MAZDA TRIBUTE 2005 OWNERS WITH THE RIGHT REAR WHEELHOUSE PROBLEM DUE TO RUST AND CORROSION CAUSING THE STRUT TO DISCONNECT FROM THE FRAME. MY VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 116K MILES. THE LEFT REAR AND FRONT WHEEL HOUSE AREAS ARE IN GREAT SHAPE. ITS ASTONISHING WITH THE MULTITUDE OF MAZDA OWNERS REPORTING THIS ISSUE AND THE 100'S OF INTERNET WEB SITES DOCUMENTING THIS ISSUE THAT MAZDA HASN'T TAKEN OWNERSHIP OF THIS PROBLEM AND RELEASED A FIX. I'VE READ THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY DID JUST SO WITH THE COMPARABLE 2005 ESCAPE LINE. *TR

THE SUB FRAME AND AXLES COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND EVERYTHING SUPPORTED CAME LOOSE. IT ALL NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE I HAVE BEEN READING ABOUT ON THE SAME VEHICLE YEARS 2001 - 2004 AS WELL AS MANY FORD ESCAPES. THEY HAVE BEEN RECALLED SO WHY WOULD NEWER UNITS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM NOT HAVE BEEN RECALLED. FOR A NEWER CAR TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WOULD MAKE THIS ISSUE BE EVEN WORSE THEN THE MANUFACTURER IS REPORTING. EVERY DEALER AND EVERY JUNK YARD TELLS ME THE SAME THING, THIS IS NOT ISOLATED TO THE 2001 - 2004 MODEL YEARS. I HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO FIX THE MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND HOPE THAT THEY ADMIT MORE VEHICLES NEED TO BE RECALLED. THEY SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM AND PAY FOR THE PARTS AND LABOR TO REPAIR THEIR PROBLEM WHICH THEY KNOWINGLY PASSED ONTO THE CONSUMER. I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO INFORM AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO NEVER BUY A MAZDA OR FORD VEHICLE UNTIL THEY PROVE THAT THEY ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THE CONSUMER, RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND PAY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. THEY ARE PUTTING PEOPLE IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND THEY KNOW IT! ANOTHER PROBLEM HAS BEEN THE ENGINE. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH FAULTY IGNITION COILS AND SENSORS AND THE RUSTING OF THE REAR WHEEL WELLS, WHICH WERE RUSTED THRU AND HAD TO BE WELDED BACK TOGETHER SINCE THEY SEPARATED FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR AND I HAD A LOUD RATTLE AND SHAKE. THANK GOODNESS THIS WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE REPAIR SHOP AS THEY FOUND IT BEFORE IT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. WHAT IS A OWNER TO DO? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE A RATTLING SOUND. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 177,000.

RIGHT REAR WHEELHOUSE HAS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT AT 146,000 MILES, AND THE STRUT IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRAME. MAZDA HAS DENIED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS VERY ISSUE ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE, AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE 2001-2004 TRIBUTES WERE RECALLED AND REPAIRED FOR CORROSION ISSUES. THE MECHANIC AND COLLISION REPAIR CENTER SAID THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN RUST THIS BAD IN THE SAME AREA OF MAKES OF VEHICLES. THE COLLISION REPAIR CENTER ALSO STATED THAT THIS IS A $4,000-$6,000 REPAIR THAT THE OWNER SHOULD NOT BE STUCK WITH AS IT IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. THEY MANUFACTURED THE 2005 FORD ESCAPE FRAME IN THE SAME PLANT AND THEY SHARE THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH AND THE SHOCK BROKE FREE RIGHT BEHIND MY SONS CARSEAT, THE SHOCK WAS TOUCHING THE INNER PLASTIC . LUCKILY I PULLED OVER TO FIND OUT WHAT THE NOISE WAS. MAZDA SEEMS TO HAVE NO CONCERN FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS SAFETY. CUSTOMER BEWARE.... AND IF YOU HAVE A CHILD AT LEAST PUT THEM ON THE DRIVERS SIDE FOR SOME SAFETY. LETS ALL HOPE MAZDA WILL STAND UP FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCT........ *TR

THE VEHICLE WAS INITIALLY IN THE SHOP TO REPAIR SHOCK TOWER ON THE RIGHT REAR WHICH WAS COMPLETED RUSTED OUT, THAT EXPENSE COST $1200, WITHIN THE WEEK, WHILE DRIVING 40MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THEN THE ABS LIGHT, THEN THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW TO A STOP. THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL, THERE WAS NO CONTROL OF THE CAR. I PLACED THE CAR INTO PARK, I WAS ALONG THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR WAS TOWED BACK TO THE SHOP AND NEEDED REPAIR OF FUEL INJECTION, ENGINE COMPUTER, SPARK PLUGS AND IGNITION COILS. THE TOTAL COST OF REPAIRS CAME TO $1500 DOLLARS. IT WAS UPSETTING TO DEAL WITH TWO MAJOR INCIDENTS IN 1 WEEK, ESPECIALLY EXPENSIVE ONES. THE WAY THE CAR CAME TO A SLOW STOP ON A HIGHWAY COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AS WELL. *TR