2008 Mazda Tribute

THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED THREE TIMES, TWICE FOR ME AND ONCE FOR MY WIFE. ALL THREE INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS FIRST STARTED, ALTHOUGH I DID DRIVE IT THE FIRST TIME WITH VERY GREAT EFFORT THINKING IT WAS A PERMANENT FAILURE AND I NEEDED TO GET IT HOME. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS VEHICLES SISTER FORD ESCAPE I FIND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. IT APPEARS IN MY CASE THIS IS A SWITCH PROBLEM IN THE IGNITION. ALL THE CASES OCCURRED WHEN THE STEERING WAS LOCKED HARD AGAINST THE COLUMN LOCK ON PARKING. TURNING THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE WITH THE LOCK IN A FREER POSITION RESULTED THE POWER STEERING WORKING. I HAVE ON SOME OCCASIONS NOTED THE STEERING 'TWITCHING' ON THE ROAD LIKE THE POWER STEERING DID NOT HAVE A COMPLETE CONNECTION. THE REASON THAT THIS FAILURE IS SO CONCERNING IS; I HAVE DRIVEN VEHICLES WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND WHEN CONVENTIONAL HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING FAILED. THOSE INSTANCES ARE MERELY ANNOYING, WITH THE DESIGN OF THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING THE EFFORT NEEDED TO STEER THE VEHICLE WITH NO POWER STEERING IS GREATLY MAGNIFIED. YOU NOW MUST OVERCOME THE EXTRA STEERING EFFORT PLUS TURN A WORM GEAR DRIVEN MOTOR BACKWARDS. I AM A STRONG MAN AND IT TOOK GREAT EFFORT AND WAS EXTREMELY SLOW AT TURNING THE VEHICLE. MANY WOMEN AND SOME WEAKER MEN WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE IN A FAILURE AND IF AN ON THE ROAD FAILURE MAY NOT GET THE VEHICLE SAFELY OFF THE ROAD. I WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR MY VEHICLE TO TRACE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, FORDS CURE OF REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN MAY BE OVERKILL.

WENT TO GET ICE CREAM SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING I CHECKED THE FUSES THEY WERE ALL FINE DROVE HOME WITHOUT POWERSTEERING THE NEXT DAY THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED THE STEERING IS NOW WORKING BUT THE STEERING WHEEL RATTLES RIGHT TO LEFT UNLESS YOUR TURNING AND CONTINUES TO RATTLE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. THE STEERING OPERATION IS INTERMITTENT WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, WHEN IT DOESN'T WORK YOU HAVE TO START IT AND TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT THEN IT WILL WORK. THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO WANDERS WHEN DRIVING SIMILAR TO A WORN OUT TIE ROD BUT ONLY WHEN THE STEERING IS WORKING. MILEAGE IS 52354. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THERE WAS A FAILURE WITH THE CHARGING UNIT AND REPLACED THE BATTERY. AFTER THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED, THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS NOW MY STEERING HAS GRADUALLY BEEN DISPLAYING STIFF STEERING. IT HAS PROGRESSED AND WAS UNSURE WHY IT WAS DOING THIS BEING THAT IT HAS NOT GIVEN ME ANY PROBLEMS BUT THE STEERING. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AND IT HAS GOTTEN STIFF. I WILL TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART AND IT WILL DRIVE NORMAL AND THEN EVENTUALLY WILL STIFFEN UP ON ME AGAIN AND AGAIN. THIS IS VERY SCARY BEING THAT I HAVE ALSO BEEN ON THE FREEWAY AND EXITING AND HAVE TO GRAB AHOLD OF THE STEERING TO VEER OFF THE FREEWAY CAREFULLY. IT IS STRESSFUL TO BE IN A CAR THAT IS UNSAFE WHILE ON THE ROAD. GOD FORBID I HAVE TO SWERVE AWAY FROM DANGER AND I CAN'T BECAUSE I'M IN A DANGEROUS VEHICLE. I AM STILL PAYING ON MY CAR AND DON'T CARE FOR A DISPOSABLE CAR WHILE STILL MAKING PAYMENTS. I CONTACTED MAZDA IN VICTORVILLE, CA AND STATED THAT IT WOULD COST ME (YOU READY) $ 2,000.00 PLUS ANOTHER FEW HUNDRED TO PROGRAM MY KEYS. ABSURD!!! MY HUSBAND MADE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO GAVE HIM A PRICE OF $1500.00 AND A LOCAL ECOLOGY CENTER PRICED AT $300-400. NOW THAT'S ON A PART I RISK PURCHASING AND THEN THE SAME THING HAPPENING AGAIN!! THIS LOCAL JUNK YARD STATED THAT THIS IS A VERY TYPICAL PROBLEM THEY HAVE HAD WITH MAZDA'S COMING IN. I CALLED MAZDA TO FIND OUT IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. NOT!! IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND A RECALL PROBLEM! I'M STILL PAYING ON MY CAR!! THIS IS A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP. PLEASE DO SOMETHING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,100.

WHEN I WENT FROM LEAVING MY DRIVEWAY ONTO THE ST WE LIVE ON I HAD NO PWER STEERING SO I CONTINUED TO GO TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS VERY LUCKY AS WHEN I WENT TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN COULDN'T STEER IT, HARD TO AND HARDLY STEER AT ALL, ENDED UP ON THE LEFT SIDE OF A MAIN ST AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE RIGHT, THIS WAS A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE AND DON'T KNOW WHY MAZDA HASN'T PUT A RECALL ON THE TRIBUTE THEY KNOW THERE IS THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MAZDA 3 & 5 MODELS, AS I KNOW OF ANOTHER PERSON WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR TRIBUTE 2008! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRYING TO COMPLETE A TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AS IT BEGAN TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND WAS LATER TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,000. UPDATED 01/09/13*LJ UPDATED 1/11/2013 *JS

THE LOWER STEERING UNIVERSAL JOINT AND 2 INNER TIE RODS 1 OUTER WERE ALL FOUND TO CONTRIBUTE TO POOR ALIGNMENT-THE STEERING U-JOINT WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED[MAZDA] WHEN NEW --AS THE JOINT WAS SUPPOSED TO MOVE FREELY IN 4 DIRECTIONS FLUIDLY--BUT, WHEN REMOVED IT WAS FROZEN;----AND U- JOINT MOVEMENT WASN'T POSSIBLE IN TWO POINTS OR DIRECTION ; I.E. FOUND LOOSE -NOT GREASED--LEADING TO SLACK AND FAILURE OF THE OTHER NAMED PARTS--WHICH CAUSED EXCESSIVE SLACK OVERALL IN STEERING WHEEL! OVERALL THE WARRANTY --WAS WORTHLESS AND COSTS 2500.00 OF SELL PRICE-SO BETWEEN THESE FAILURES AND A PREVIOUS REPORT WE'VE SPENT OVER 2500.00 ON REPAIRS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON MAZDA--THESE ARE REPAIRS THAT WERE SUPPOSEDLY COVERED BY WARRANTY! *TR