I bought this 2004 mazda tribute in July of 2004. Other than the usual problems of brakes, links, and ignition coils its been a great suv. I have kept the body in great shape and it really shocked me when we discovered a huge rust hole in the right rear of this vehicle. My wife complained of a loud clunking in the rear which sounded like a loose shock.. After I took the panels off I noticed that the whole right rear section of the vehicle around the shock was rusted out, and the shock was loose and banging around. Even though this car is 9 years old. We really only used this vehicle for 6 years. the last 3 just for errands around town.

I feel this is definately a safety issue which should be addressed by ford and mazda