The contact owns a 2002 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that the front brakes pulsated when the brake pedal was depressed. The failure occurred intermittently when driving above 15 mph. In addition, the brakes made a loud clunking sound when applied. The dealer performed a diagnostic, which did not produce any error codes. The control module and all the sensors were checked, but no failures were found. The rotors were replaced and a thorough inspection was performed on the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were less than 95,000. Updated 07/28/09. The consumer traded the vehice. Updated 07/31/09.

- Fairborn, OH, USA

2002 Mazda Tribute 6 cyl. ABS brake failure and fire. Brake fluid from master cyl dripped on ABS pump wire connector. All wires for ABS and cruise burnt from connector back about 10". replaced master cyl. A lot of rewiring is yet to be done.

- Dallas, TX, USA

2002 Tribute from the first week there have been problems. 1st the driver side interior door handle stopped working. Plastic piece that allows handle to open the door had broken. Repaired $$$ paid! 2nd the driver side electric windows stopped working. Motor had to be replaced. Repaired $$$ paid! *** we are now faced with the passenger side interior door handle not working, the master cylinder leaking brake fluid, an issue with the 5 and 6 spark plugs falling out for the 3rd time in 4 months, the battery cables staying corroded and slow to start, there is some sort of knocking in the front passenger wheel. I have replaced the rotors and had other similiar issues with this vehical that seem to be very common problems. I have spent the last 4 hours doing my research and see that there are complaints of this same nature on almost every web site. I don't know how long the average person will wait on an 'issue' to become a recall. I don't have the patience to unroll the window every time I want to exit the vehicle. Not to mention having to ask my passenger to let themselves out in the same manner. I am not going to pay another penny on fixing this vehicle. I have paid for so many maintenance issues that now that I think Mazda should have fixed. When do these complaints become recall reality" what is my next option" I can't imagine how bad it would be to have my family in the car, the engine fouls out because of the spark plug issue, the brakes won't work because of the master cylinder leak, the battery cables corroded and preventing the windows being able to let down to out. I will contact my dealer tomorrow and work out the recalls I was not aware of, hopefully we can get our door locks fixed too!

- Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

The consumer said that the vehicle stalled while being driven at 25 mph. The vehicle would not start after that. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer replaced the alternator and it still would not start. A mechanic told the consumer that the problem was electrical. The dealer said that the problem was electrical. The manufacturer said that the dealer would be responsible for replacing the alternator. The consumer said that she had to pay for the replacement. The dealer had the vehicle for a week. (12/01/05) the vehicle would make a noise when being driven up to 40 mph and a loud hissing noise would become noticeable when applying the brakes.

- Annandale, VA, USA

When the brake pedal was applied, it went to the floor. The consumer pressed down on the brake pedal hard in order to stop and a squeaking nose was heard coming from the rear. The consumer was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and the mechanic determined that both front rotors needed to be replaced due to corrosion. On 02/04/03 the brakes, rotors and pads had to be replaced 11 months after purchase, 03/10/04 the rotors and pads had to be repaired a year later, 05/27/04 brake squealing 2 months after repair the front rotors were replaced and pads sanded, 06/13/04.

- Laurel, MD, USA

Within months of buying the SUV we had it back to crystal auto mall, green brook, NJ the problem...the steering wheel came loose, it would shift around as you drove down the road! this was a quick repair. Starting on Sept 18,2002 we took it in to the dealer for the oil pressure light coming on, they replaced the oil sender unit, total $69.52, which was covered by warranty. On Oct 14 back for the same problem, they kept it until Oct 17, replacing all kinds of parts, oil pump, oil gasket for a total of $924.65, again covered by warranty. My husband was driving it home from this round of repairs and the same problem lit itself up again! he was almost home appox.30 miles from the dealer, he called on his cell phone said he was coming right back, this time they had it from Oct 18 to Oct 31, 2002. What a surprise when I heard they replaced the entire motor for a total of $4,511.17, again under warranty. Strange thing was that they would not extend the warranty on the new motor beyond the original guarantee for the truck. Now you tell me is this right? that's not the end of it, on June 21, 2003, we brought it in for a noise coming from the front end they kept it over the weekend until June 23 and told us it needs breaks and rotors and wheel alignment which of course is not under warranty!!! only 24000 miles on this SUV and nothing but headaches

- Parlin, NJ, USA

I have a Mazda Tribute which I bought brand new from Mazda and I just had to put new plates on, so it is exactly 1 year old in driving time. My problem is that at 16,000 miles the service department told me that I would soon need new brakes and rotors I thought that was strange as I have owned a number of new cars and never had to replace my rotors and never needed brakes on any car this early. Now at 20,000 miles they are saying they have to be replaced and my husband looked and said the rotors are all worn but that my brakes hardly look worn at all. Mazda dealership says this is a common situation with this particular car. My husband and I would like to report this because if a person were to be driving this make and model and not be taking it in regularly for the warrenty checks the rotors could go out and cause major problems.

- Reno, NV, USA

The vehicles brake pedal went to the floor. The consumer had to pump the brake and use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle.

- Dumfries, VA, USA

My 2002 Mazda Tribute seems to have an inordinate amount of brake dust. We were told that this was normal on the Tribute by the dealer. However, we have to clean the front wheels constantly because they are black with heavy dust within one week of washing. We have noticed other new vehicles do not appear to get as much brake dust in a short time period. We are wondering if large amounts of brake dust is a normal occurrence or if there is a defect in the braking system.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

The brakes failed on 11/22/02 at 16,714 miles. The dealership changed the master cylinder as defected. On 1/03/03 at 19,632 miles the brakes failed again. Again the dealer changed the master cylinder as defective. I questioned whether this was the cause since it happened twice and didn't feel this was the root cause. On 1/10/03 at 20,634 miles the brakes failed again. In all three cases the brake pedal goes to the floor and will not stop the vehicle. The daelership now says its an ABS problem. The emergency brake does not stop the vehicle either.

- Denham Springs, LA, USA