2006 Mazda Tribute

AS THE WEATHER GETS COLD, THE GAS PEDAL BECOMES HARDER TO DEPRESS, AND AT TIMES WILL NOT DEPRESS AT ALL. THIS HAS CAUSED NUMEROUS NEAR MISSES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE AROUND A TURN AS THE PEDAL WILL LOCK IN PLACE AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL. IT TAKES SIGNIFICANT FORCE TO DEPRESS THE PEDAL, TO THE POINT OF STOMPING ON IT, AND EVEN THEN IT DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, ONE THAT WILL AT SOME POINT RESULT IN A VERY SEVERE IF NOT DEADLY CRASH, AND NO ONE SEEMS THE SLIGHTEST BUT INTERESTED IN FIXING THE PROBLEM. *TR

FOR THE PAST YEAR, THE VEHICLE'S ACCELERATOR/GAS PEDAL HAS AT TIMES FELT "STUCK" SO THAT THE DRIVER MUST PRESS DOWN HARDER THAN NORMAL TO ACCELERATE. ORIGINALLY THE DRIVER WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE MAT WAS OBSTRUCTING THE GAS PEDAL'S ABILITY TO BE DEPRESSED. OVER TIME HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE HAS SHOWN AN INCREASED DIFFICULTY IN THE GAS PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. MOST RECENTLY, ON JANUARY 23, 2014, THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING WHILE IN TRAFFIC. WHEN THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO PRESS DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE GAS PEDAL DID NOT MOVE. THE DRIVER WAS FORCED TO PRESS HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR, AND WHEN DOING SO, THE ACCELERATOR BECAME "STUCK" AND QUICKLY JOLTED THE VEHICLE FORWARD. THE DRIVER HAD TO IMMEDIATELY PRESS DOWN ON THE BRAKE TO AVOID COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE SPEED AT THE TIME WAS LESS THAN 15 MILES PER HOUR AND THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO COME TO A STOP AVOIDING COLLISION. SINCE THE INCIDENT ON JANUARY 23, THE VEHICLE'S GAS PEDAL HAS INCREASINGLY SHOWN MORE "STICKING" AND HAS BECOME VERY HARD TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT APPLYING A GREAT AMOUNT OF PRESSURE DOWN ON THE PEDAL. THIS CAUSES CONCERN AS THE VEHICLE QUICKLY ACCELERATES IN A JUMP-LIKE MANNER RATHER THAN SLOWLY ACCELERATING TO A COMFORTABLE DRIVING SPEED. THE 2006 MAZDA TRIBUTE IS A 4 CYLINDER AND THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL AT THIS TIME. *TR

WHEN THE AIR TEMP IS BELOW 60 DEGREES, THE ACCELERATOR STICKS UPON ACCELERATION. ONCE THIS HAPPENS, THE GAS PEDAL CANNOT BE DEPRESSED UNLESS YOU EXERT EXTREME FORCE ON IT WITH YOUR FOOT. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF YOU NEED TO ACCELERATE TO CROSS TRAFFIC OR SIMILAR TYPE OF SITUATION. ONCE THE ENGINE WARMS UP, OR IF THE AIR TEMP WARMS UP ABOVE 60 DEGREES, THE PROBLEM WILL NOT OCCUR. *TR

TRIBUTE GAS PEDAL IS LOCKING (STICKING) AND UNABLE TO BE PRESSED. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES LATELY THE LATEST BEING THIS MORNING WHILE TAKING MY CHILD TO SCHOOL TRYING TO GO UP A HILL I WAS UNABLE TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL WHICH I HAD TO ABRUPTLY PULL OVER NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND SCARING MY CHILD AND MYSELF. THIS IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY AND THUS BECOMING MORE HAZARDOUS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM, IT GOING TO CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR FATALITY. *TR

WHILE PASSING A SLOWER VEHICLE ON A TWO LANE ROAD, THE MAZDA TRIBUTE'S ACCELERATOR STUCK. I LET OFF THE GAS AT 65MPH BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE TO OVER 4000 RPM AND 85 MPH. THE BRAKES DID LITTLE TO SLOW THE CAR(I GOT IT DOWN TO 80MPH). TRYING TO RAISE OR MOVE THE GAS PEDDLE DID NOTHING TO CHANGE THE SPEED. I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL GEAR AND AS THE CAR SLOWED DOWN, I APPLIED THE HAND (EMERGENCY) BRAKE AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD ONTO A WIDE SHOULDER. STARTING THE ENGINE AGAIN LATER, IT STARTED AT THE PREVIOUS HIGH RPM'S. I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND DID NOT DRIVE IT FURTHER .I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SUDDENLY ACCELERATING FOR AN INSTANT BEFORE RETURNING TO NORMAL SETTINGS. THIS HAS BEEN ERRATIC AND CANNOT BE REPRODUCED FOR THE SERVICE DEPARTMENTS. TWO WEEKS AGO, THE CRUISE CONTROL STARTED DROPPING OUT (TURNS OFF) WITH OUT WARNING. THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM., BUT REPLACED A SWITCH WITHOUT ANY EFFECT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA TRIBUTE. WHILE DRIVING 62 MPH, THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO HAVE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO HESITATE FOR APPROXIMATELY 40 TO 50 MORE MILES. THE CONTACT HAD TO PUMP THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL UNTIL THE VEHICLE REACHED 60 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A MAZDA DEALER AND THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC. THE RESULTS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A LOOSE GROUND ON THE FUEL PUMP DRIVER MODULE. THE LOOSE GROUND WAS CLEANED AND TIGHTENED. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS EXACT FAILURE. THE BULLETIN NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 19,136 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,900.