NHTSA — Suspension Problems

2004 Mazda Tribute (Page 1 of 3)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
118,991 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.

2004 Mazda Tribute suspension problems

suspension problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Mazda Tribute:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2004 Mazda Tribute Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #48

Sep 302022

Tribute

  • miles

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

rear passenger side wheel well, shock tower mount, and sub frame.shock tower mount broke fell off hit the cement, chipped my rim and crushed my break lines i took it to lafountaine mazda and they have done an estimate for repairs and damage

- Westland, MI, USA

problem #47

Sep 022020

Tribute

  • 110,000 miles
Driving one day, the car veered suddenly into the oncoming traffic lane. Fortunately no cars were there. I took it to my mechanic who told me the front suspension was cracked and the car's frame was rusted so badly the car could not be jacked up.

- Fountain Run, KY, USA

problem #46

Aug 282019

Tribute

  • 170,000 miles
Rusted off right rear strut mount, rear frame. Casues brake line to severe and brakes to go out while driving. Car is non-reparable and must be totalled. Seems like this has happened alot and they already had a recall on for rust issue in front of the car. "???"

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #45

Jul 112019

Tribute

  • 238,564 miles

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

"takata recall" my car is rusted underneath from the gas pump and under. On July 11th, 2019. I was driving my vehicle on a street when my passenger side rear strut came out from the rust. Sometimes after putting gas in my car and driving off inside of my car will start to smell like gas. Since it is rusted under and around.

- Springfield, MA, USA

problem #44

May 202019

Tribute

  • 170,000 miles
Rusted off right rear strut mount. Driving in city, started hearing banging noise from right rear.

- Franklin, OH, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #43

Nov 262018

Tribute

  • 92,600 miles
Undercarriage corrosion has caused total corrosion to right rear wheel, which as caused the right rear shock to break off. The corrosion is not normal and seems to be a manufacturing defect

- Dartmouth, MA, USA

problem #42

Jul 312018

Tribute

  • 155,000 miles

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

Top of wheel well on both sides in the back of the vehicle is almost completely rotted out - this is an on going issue and apparently has been happening for a while but it is hard to notice since it is behind the closed door that it is apparent and since I am usually driving, I would not have noticed it. I was having my flex pipe replaced and have been noticing some anging in the rear of the vehicle. At this point, I am assuming it is coming from the body rott which I believe to be a driving hazard at this point. I saw that some vehicles in 2004 and prior were recalled for this issue, but apparently not mine pr madza. Apparently it should have been!

- North Middletown, NJ, USA

problem #41

Mar 022018

Tribute

  • 170,000 miles
Subframe corroded and a piece of it fell off compromising the axle, wheel bearing, and seized the right rear roter. Upon Mazda taking the truck to repair the subframe they noted that the entire undercarriage had corroded right with the subframe beyond repair. So far I have been denied a loaner vehicle even though there is a current recall on subframe for corrosion. I am still waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. I've missed 2 days of work already due to this

- Loch Sheldrake, NY, USA

problem #40

Feb 192018

Tribute

  • miles
Engine will not turn over. Gas is not being circulated

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #39

Nov 302017

Tribute 6-cyl

  • 165,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. While driving 50 mph, the subframe fractured. The failure caused the contact to momentarily lose control of the vehicle. The contact regained control and brought the vehicle to a stop. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact sustained some minor bruising and swelling to the lower portion of the body, but did not recall how they occurred. Medical attention was not required. The vehicle was left at the scene and retrieved by an eyewitness. The contact later verified that the subframe was fractrured. The vehicle was driven home very slowly. The local dealer (oak lawn Mazda, 6750 95th St, oak lawn, il, 60453) was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was driven very slowly to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the subframe had fractured. A remedy was not provided due to the dealer awaiting a response from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would not cover the repair cost because the vehicle was remedied per NHTSA campaign number: 14V174000 (structure) on July 11, 2014, and the cross brace (bracket) was reinforced at that time. The remedy failed to rectify the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000. Consumer stated almost got into an accident due to dealer CJ wilson not replacing the sub-frame and only reinforcing it with a bracket. Updated 9/13/18

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #38

Aug 052017

Tribute

  • 155,826 miles

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

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. While driving approximately 20 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the rear passenger side wheel well. The contact observed that the passenger side shock mount had detached from the vehicle. The contact called an unknown dealer where an appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,826. The VIN was not available.

- Cleveland Heights, OH, USA

problem #37

Sep 232016

Tribute

  • 95,000 miles
My 2004 Mazda Tribute has less than 100,000 miles and this past week while leaving a local mall there seemed to be more road noise than usual coming from the rear. A visual inspection of the rear passenger side wheel well revealed that the top of the strut, along with a portion of the metal mount was broken away from the body. The mount had completely rusted away from the wheel well exposing the interior of the cargo area. Most of my driving is done either in town or highway. It is very disappointing that Mazda (and Ford) has failed to take responsibility for its poor engineering. I hope it doesn't take a fatality or injury for either the manufacturer or the government to address this issue.

- Wooster, OH, USA

problem #36

Aug 292016

Tribute

  • 140,000 miles
My 2004 Mazda Tribute (just like a Ford escape) has totally rusted out on the passenger back wheel well.my husband was doing about 20 mph and heard the loud bang! the shock mounting is completely rusted away and bangs against the car and provides no stabilizing control. I found a bunch of complaints after I googled it - all right rear! the front was recalled but why not rear" our mechanic said it was basically totaled. And good luck trying to find someone to fix it! it can not be driven at all! cant sell it or trade it in! and we cant find anyone to touch it! Mazda's response was they can hook us up with a salesman to purchase another Mazda. Really????????????"

- Hopatcong, NJ, USA

problem #35

Mar 072016

Tribute

  • 175,000 miles
The right rear shock tower broke away from the body, causing the vehicle to jerk hard right, as I was driving on the highway at about 60 miles per hour, this almost caused an accident, I crossed into the middle lane cutting off the auto in that lane. Had it not been for the driving skills off the other driver and myself there would have been an accident. The shock then tore the inside of the tire up causing a flat. When I called Mazda they said it was not a safety issue and had no plans to recall the vehicle for this most common problem.this vehicle has a recall for rust on the front frame mount but not on the rust problems in the rear of the vehicles. I feel they used inferior metal in the entire automobile and should repair this very dangerous problem.

- Massillon, OH, USA

problem #34

Jul 122016

Tribute

  • 101,000 miles
2004 Mazda Tribute, approx. 101,000 miles. Complete failure/rust-through of rear, passenger-side wheel well causing separation of shock/strut from the frame. As indicated in the hundreds of complaints I have read, experienced loud clunk and swaying of the vehicle, brought to our long-time mechanic who indicated he had never seen anything like it and based on age/condition there is no way this should have occurred. Brought vehicle in to Mazda dealership after speaking to Mazda customer care (rep indicated that recall for sub-frame corrosion should address this) only to be told that recall repair was completed but car was unsafe to drive due to the corrosion and shock separation. When I called Mazda back and asked how it is possible to issue a recall on a known issue for rust but only address one contact point on the frame as, clearly, the entire frame is made/coated with the same materials, was advised basically not their problem and it is possible a future recall could address this issue. This is absolutely unacceptable and as a current owner of a 2014 Mazda 6 (and past owners of 6 other Mazda's) I can not understand how a safety issue such as this is not being addressed. As evidenced by this website and multiple others, this issue affects 2001-2006 Mazda Tributes (& Ford escapes) and was already acknowledged to be a defect in the materials used as evidenced in recall# 14V-174. Excessive corrosion is not limited to a single attachment point on the frame, to even imply that it would be is avoidance of liability by the manufacturer(s) at best, criminal negligence is a better descriptor. It is the entire frame that is defective and this needs to be addressed as a critical safety issue before someone gets seriously injured or killed, the complaints seem to be increasing so it is only a matter of time. Please address this-the original recall needs to be expanded asap

- Clifton Park, NY, USA

problem #33

May 312016

Tribute

  • 132,000 miles
Right rear shock mount has rusted completely through. This may result in suspension failure and possible loss of control of vehicle. Photos of extensive rust condition widely available on the internet.

- Castleton, NY, USA

problem #32

Feb 192016

Tribute

  • 150,000 miles
A very load banging sound is coming from my right passenger wheel well area. It appears the shock-absorber mounting location is rusted away and breaking off. I can see inside my car through the speaker grill now. First occured when the car was in motion and driving over a road with small potholes. The rest of the underside of the car seems ok.

- Mahtomedi, MN, USA

problem #31

Dec 012015

Tribute

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The failure recurred on several occasions while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was excessive rust on the passenger rear wheel well and shock strut mount, which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

- Livonia, MI, USA

problem #30

Nov 142015

Tribute

  • 153,546 miles
The rear passenger wheel well has excessive corrosion through the frame of my vehicle. The corrosion has split my frame in half and left wholes surrounding the split. My shock tower is exposed and corroded making it unsafe to drive. The rear driver side is splitting in the same exact place.this is a serious safety hazard and obvious defect. Driving straight down a dirt road at 35 mph (approx.) a loud snap and dust rolling thing through the rear speaker mounted on the wheel well. I then pulled over and inspected the car and found that it was all rusted out.

- Muskegon, MI, USA

problem #29

Nov 032015

Tribute

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the entire passenger side wheel well was rusted and corroded. The vehicle was unable to be driven. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

- Woodgrey, MN, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?