2005 Mazda Tribute

I WAS ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I HEARD A LOUD THUD THE WHEEL WELL ROTTED OUT SO BAD THAT BROKE THE SHOCK ON THE REAR BACK PASSENGER SIDE. THIS CAUSED ME TO SWERVE AND ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT.. YOU RECALL THE 2001 AND 2004 MODELS FOR THE SAME ISSUE WHY NOT ADD THE 2005 BECAUSE THERE IS BEEN HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS.

2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE, REAR WHEEL WELL COMPLETELY RUSTED. WHILE DRIVING MY WIFE HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD, SHE THEN TELLS ME THERE IS A RATTLE. SO I DRIVE IT THE NEXT DAY. THE RATTLE WAS VERY EASY TO HEAR. UPON INSPECTION THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WELL HAD DISINTEGRATED AND WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE, AND THE RATTLE WAS THE STRUT THAT HAD COME UNDONE HITTING THE CARGO COMPARTMENT. JUST HAD TIRES AND BRAKES REPLACED AND THEY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AS WELL ONLY 2 MONTHS PRIOR WITH NO MENTION OF ANY OTHER PROBLEMS. NOW IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. NO HELP FROM MAZDA, INSURANCE, OR THE SUPER WARRANTY THAT COVERS EVERYTHING BUMPER TO BUMPER(OR SUPPOSE TO). COME TO FIND OUT WHILE DOING SOME RESEARCH, THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM FOR MAZDA. THE 01-04 TRIBUTE HAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME THING EXCEPT CALLING FOR THE FRONT DRIVER WHEEL WELL. WHEN YOU TAKE IT IN THEY REPLACE ALL FOUR. IT ALSO SEEMS THAT THE 05 MODEL YEAR HAS JUST AS MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS AS WELL. BOTH OF US WORK AND HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET THERE AS WELL AS GETTING THE CHILDREN TO MULTIPLE PLACES. WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE THINKING THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD AND SAFE WAY TO GET WHERE WE NEED TO GO. TURNS OUT IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME WITH THIS ISSUE. WE ARE LUCKY THAT IT WAS THE BACK I GUESS AND NOT THE FRONT AS SHE HAD THE KIDS WITH HER WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY AND IF THE FRONT WOULD HAVE COME LOOSE AT HWAY SPEED IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT OUTCOME. I HOPE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. 2 ESTIMATES TO REPAIR BOTH ARE $5-7000. CAN'T PAY TO FIX, AND CAN'T TRADE IT IN AS IT IS WORTHLESS RIGHT NOW. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT THE NHTSA AND MAZDA NEEDS TO ADDRESS. IT IS NOT ONLY MONETARY BUT A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL. WE WORK HARD FOR WHAT WE HAVE AND FEEL LIKE WE JUST GOT ROBBED OF OUR MONEY. THE DEALERS AND MAZDA GOT THEIRS THOUGH.

THE REAR RIGHT WHEEL WELL HAS BEEN COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT TO THE POINT THAT THE SUSPENSION BROKE THROUGH INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR. THE LEFT REAR AND BOTH FRONT WHEEL WELLS LOOK TO BE IN PERFECT CONDITION WHICH SEEMS ABNORMAL FOR JUST ONE WHEEL WELL TO BE AFFECTED BY EXTREME RUST AND CORROSION. WE BOUGHT THIS MAZDA TRIBUTE LESS THEN A YEAR AGO FROM THE DAN WOLF CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN NAPERVILLE ILLINOIS, WITH IT "PASSING INSPECTION". SINCE THEN MY FAMILY AND I HAVE TREATED THIS CAR WITH EXTRAORDINARY CARE BY REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND OVERALL CLEANLINESS. THE MY FAMILY OF FIVE (THREE CHILDREN) HAVE USED THIS VEHICLE EVERYDAY TO DRIVE TO WORK AND SCHOOL NOT KNOWING THE DANGER IT APPOSED ON US AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. WHEN RESEARCHING THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM WE NOTICED THAT THIS VERY DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED TO OWNERS OF THE 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE ACROSS THE U.S. (HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/MAZDA/TRIBUTE/2005/BODY_PAINT/WHEEL_WELL_COMPLETELY_RUSTED_OUT.SHTML) THE DEALERSHIP NOR MAZDA HAVE BEEN ANY HELP TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THAT A RECALL FOR THIS CAR SHOULD BE MADE TO AVOID ANY HARM OR THREAT TO FAMILIES AND DRIVERS ON THE ROAD.

WHEN I TOOK MY TRIBUTE IN TO GET MY ANNUAL INSPECTION STICKER THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE RUST UNDERNEATH MY VEHICLE HE SAID IT WOULD NOT SUPPORT THE SHOCKS IN RESEARCHING THIS VEHICLE I FOUND THERE WERE 332 COMPLAINTS AND 53 WAS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM I HAVE I THINK MAZDA SHOULD RECALL MY VEHICLE OR PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED OR I THINK ALL OF US SHOULD FILE A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT AGAINST MAZDA OR FORD BECAUSE THEY OWN MAZDA

THE CAR BEGAN MAKING A LOUD BANGING NOISE FROM THE RIGHT REAR. UPON INSPECTION BY OUR MECHANIC IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A COMPLETE RUSTING THROUGH OF THE RIGHT REAR WELL, CAUSING THE SHOCK TO NO LONGER BE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME. THE SHOCK WAS ACTUALLY VISIBLE FROM THE INSIDE REAR OF THE CAR. WE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE. MAZDA WAS UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE FAILURE, IN SPITE OF MY FINDING NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE SAME FAILURE ON BLOGS. A FRAME SHOP HAD TO INSTALL A NEW INNER WHEEL HOUSE PANEL. COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $2000.

NO CRASH BUT THE UNDERSIDE IS RUSTED AND UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS IT DOES NOT SUPPORT THE SHOCKS THIS CAR SHOULD BE RECALLED I UNDERSTAND MAZDA RECALLED A LOT OF THESE CARS FROM 2001-2004 WITH THE SAME PROBLEM MY CAR HAS NEW TIRES NEW BRAKES AND NEW SPARK PLUS AND PISTONS ONLY 80,000 MILES AND RUNS GOOD BUT IT IS RUSTED MY DAUGHTER HAS A HONDA WITH 123,000 MILES AND IT RUNS PERFECT WITH NO RUST THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME THAT THE MAZDA IS RUSTED. I WOULD NOT ADVISE ANYONE TO BUY A MAZDA BECAUSE THEY DO NOT LAST VERY LONG.

I OWN A 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE WITH 80,000 MILES, NEW TIRES, NEW BRAKES, NEW SPARK PLUGS AND PISTONS (INSTALLED IN APRIL ) COST=1200.00 TOOK MY CAR IN FOR AN INSPECTION IN MAY AND MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE RUST ON THE RIGHT WHEEL WELL AND MAY NOT SUPPORT THE STRUTS HE ADVISED ME NOT TO DRIVE IT AND I TOOK IT TO A BODY SHOP AND THEY SAID D1500.+ NOT INCLUDING LABOR AND THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE THEY COULD GT RID OF THE RUST, NOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT-MY CAR RUNS GOOD BUT I AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. 75 RETIRED AND THIS IS MY ONLY MODE OF TRANSPORTATION AND I CANNOT AFFORD ANOTHER CAR. I NOTICED ON LINE MAZDA HAS RECALLED A LOT OF CARS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM-DO THEY NOR UNDERCOAT CARS ANYMORE.

THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WHEEL WELL HAS RUSTED OUT. SUSPENSION IS NOW PROTRUDING INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE EXTENT OF THE RUST IS ABNORMAL, EVEN FOR THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA. IT IS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. CONDITION IS RESULT OF MANUFACTURING DEFECT. CONTACTED MAZDA USA TO ASK WHEN THEY WILL BE SCHEDULING RECALL BASED ON HUGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS RE: SAME ISSUE AND THEY STATED THAT THE ISSUE IS DUE TO IMPROPER WASHING OF THE CAR AND SENT PARAGRAPH ON HOW TO WASH A CAR. USELESS.

TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT ON 17 JUNE 2015, MY 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE SUDDENLY GAVE A LOUD THUMP, A TIRE SCREECH, AND STOPPED. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE UNDER ITS OWN POWER, AS THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL WAS POINTED IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION THAN THE LEFT ONE, AND IT WAS CLEAR THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD BEEN PULLED OUT OF THE TRANSAXLE, AS THE WHEEL WAS TOO FAR OUT AND ALMOST BACK AGAINST THE WHEEL WELL. UPON INSPECTION AT A REPAIR SHOP, IT WAS CLEAR THE RIGHT FRONT SUBFRAME HAD RUSTED THROUGH, CAUSING THE LOWER ARM TO DETACH FROM THE CHASSIS. RESEARCH INDICATED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL OF PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS. IT SEEMS THAT THE RUST-THROUGH PROBLEM WITH THIS ASSEMBLY IS STILL A PROBLEM. THIS IS GOING COST A LOT TO FIX. NOT HAPPY. UPDATED 09/03/15*LJ