NHTSA — Power Train Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,588 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Mazda Tribute drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2005 Mazda Tribute Owner Comments

problem #14

Dec 032016

Tribute

  • 102,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle with odometer ~102500 miles lost all power climbing a bridge at highway speed causing following traffic to stop abruptly. Engine re-started but runs rough due to misfire, accelerates poorly. Diagnosed by Mazda dealer as PCM failure. Estimated replacement cost = $2600 usd which makes this failure a total loss of this vehicle. This is a widely known and experienced issue among 2001 - 2006 Mazda Tributes for this Ford manufactured engine. Side note, class action suit filed against Ford Motor Company for same issues with 5.1L engines.

- St Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #13

Mar 052015

Tribute 4WD 6-cyl

  • 122,210 miles
The right back side by the tired the chassis is all rust it and the shock is loose I can move it with my hands and the left side is about to get like the other side.

- Erie, PA, USA

problem #12

Sep 012014

Tribute

  • 97,500 miles
While driving between 1500 and 2500 rpms, the car suddenly drops in rpms and either stalls altogether or starts making a jerking motion and thudding noise. Cannot get out of the gear unless you jam on the accelerator. Extremely dangerous and near undrivable on the highway. Had has happened twice before, ruining the engine coils the first time and the catalytic converters the second time. It seems the PCM is faulty and ruining all of the associated parts. Have read up on the topic and many other owners have the same issue with the stalling and jolting of the issue, all associated with the PCM. This very much seems like an issue that should be recalled, as the repairs are significantly costly and affect many vehicles.

- Cambridge, MA, USA

problem #11

May 302014

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 151,551 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Running rough, stalling at lights, replaced ignition coils, new ignition coils failed, further diagnosis, PCM causing failure.

- Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #10

Jun 022014

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
I am the current owner of this vehicle I. bought it through North shore bank off lease... I take good care of the car and have it maintained regularly. Recently the rear passenger area has been making a loud banging noise, I thought it may be a broken shock or something to that affect. I took it into Goodyear in racine wi. Come to find the whole wheel well is rotted out on the passenger side.. the mechanic said he could not fix it and take it to racine auto body also in racine, wi. They also said they have never seen anything like that happen to a car or SUV ever before. He said it has to be due to a bad factory process or some flaw that had been when the car was manufactured. They want $1600 to fix the area and I don't feel I should have to fix the flaw from the Mazda manufacturer. I feel it isn't safe to drive on the highway without more damage being added. I really would appreciate some sort of help or replacement of the factory flaw. The car is in fairly decent shape and at this point I can not afford a new car.. I don't know if there had been any other similar issues on any of your other vehicles.

- Racine, WI, USA

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problem #9

Aug 152013

Tribute 4WD 6-cyl

  • 151,000 miles
2006 Mazda Tribute S AWD - VIN# [xxx] vehicle stalled out while making a left turn at an intersection. There is a tsb for this issue, however, the dealerships do not honor it and only state it is to make us aware of a know problem. NHTSA: Action number: 10039105 service bulletin number: 312789 report date: May 16, 2011 component: Power train summary: Mazda: The engine is stalling when stopping or engaging into drive or reverse. It may be intermittent and usually occurs on long drives. It may be caused by internal wear of the torque converter. This appears to not be only occurring to me, but to other people too. A recall needs to be issued on this. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Warrenton, VA, USA

problem #8

Aug 082013

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 56,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving at 45 mph engine speed started to rise. As if transmission had shifted into neutral. I pulled over to the side of the road, and when moving the shift lever to drive nothing happened that is it did not shift into drive. The shift lever moved freely from park to drive but would not shift into drive. It just stayed as it was in neutral. Car at dealer and they tell me $4200 to replace the transmission.

- Bluffton, SC, USA

problem #7

Aug 062013

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 56,000 miles
While driving and coming to a stop at a light the car stalled while using the air conditioner. This happened several times, so I stopped using the air until I could bring it in for service. The next day while driving at 45 mph I noticed the RPM's increasing with no increase in speed. I also noticed the overdrive light blinking. I pulled over and the car was in neutral no matter where the shift selector was. I turned the car off and after 5 min. Restarted the car and was able to shift into drive. After about 100 yds, again the trans shifted back to neutral. Again I pulled over shut off the car and waited 5 min. I continued this procedure until I got home about 5 miles.

- Bluffton, SC, USA

problem #6

Feb 192013

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
I have had problems with my gas pedal every since I got the car. The problem is that it will not accelerate its like it has something behind the gas pedal preventing it to go down. It has got worse over the years especially when it is cold outside it seems to stick worse. You can try to push it harder or even pull up on it and it doesn't budge. I had to pullover today because I couldn't get the pedal to work so I couldn't give it gas. I got it work and was driving down the road and it froze up again. I finally made it to my destination and when I left nothing was wrong with it. Got in it tonight after work and it is very cold outside and it was stuck again. Called Mazda earlier and said they was no recall on it. Got online afterwards and found numerous people with the same problem. I got it checked out before with Mazda while under warranty and they told me nothing was wrong with.

- Garner, NC, USA

problem #5

Oct 202012

Tribute

  • 87,900 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while traveling 65 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated as the vehicle stalled. The contact managed to merge to the side of the road where the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer confirmed that the PCM failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the issue. The failure and current mileages were 87,900. The VIN was not available.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

problem #4

Sep 272012

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Throttle freeze up. Could not accelerate out of path of on coming vehicle which crashed into my left front fender. This condition has been on going for years now and when I approached the dealer about it I was told to wait for recall letter which never came. Contacted Mazda and was told that this vehicle was not one of the recalled vehicles. It has been problem after problem with this vehicle. And I need help.

- Brockton , MA, USA

problem #3

May 122009

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 48,567 miles
My Tribute is a V-6 3.0L and the vehicle was manufactured 11-04 per driver's door sticker. Problem-- after leaving my house and driving down my rural road, I had noticed the vehicle speed stayed the same (approx 40 mph) even after letting up on the gas pedal. The cruise control was off. So I had did a quick tap on the gas pedal to see if the constant speed would stop and allow the vehicle to slow down. The vehicle did respond and slowed down. This happened to me on three different occasions and all on the same road and in the same area.

- Cortland, OH, USA

problem #2

Aug 252010

Tribute 4WD 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
My 2005 Mazda Tribute ABS and 4 wheel drive light came on one day when I got on the freeway and has not gone away since I don't know what cause this.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #1

Aug 262009

Tribute

  • 45,000 miles
Oct. 2005: Car purchased January - March 2006: Gas pedal began to stick, pedal would not move until significant pressure was placed on the pedal, causing a "jumping" motion traffic (15000 miles (approx) summer 2006: Dealership acknowledged problem, throttle body was replaced at that time. May - July 2009: The problem developed again, causing the exact same type of issues. (45000 miles approx) July 2009: Dealership acknowledged problem, replaced accelerator cable. Late July - Aug 2009: Problem resurfaced only more difficult. (46000 miles approx).

- Kenilworth, NJ, USA

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