1.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
92,040 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.

2008 Mazda Tribute drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2008 Mazda Tribute Owner Comments

problem #19

Dec 242022

Tribute

  • miles

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

Power steering failed all of a sudden without warning. Lost almost all control of steering. PSCM

- Torrington, CT, USA

problem #18

Jun 142020

Tribute

  • 118,100 miles
2008 Mazda Tribute, all scheduled maintenance done on time. At 118,110 miles transmission went out within a day no warning. The Tribute, just started losing power on my way home, then in my driveway would go into any of the automatic gears.

- Hesperia, CA, USA

problem #17

Dec 162019

Tribute

  • 190,000 miles
After driving around for about an hour, I stopped at a store and after that the vehicle wouldn't excel correctly. Vehicle wouldn't shift into 2nd or 4th gears. Shop said it was a 2/4 belt or something like that which had to be replaced. They had called Mazda to determine which transmission my vehicle had, thankfully it was the one that could be replaced without tearing down the whole transmission. Sounds like this was a common issue for this transmission.

- Lonsdale, MN, USA

problem #16

Feb 032020

Tribute

  • 278,000 miles

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

Got in car to drive Monday 02/03/2020 morning, car was extremely hard to turn. Able to drive vehicle but turning is extremely hard. Took it to mechanic and then to autozone to price part and was told this vehicle was part of a recall. I called Mazda and was told recall was no longer open, was closed in 2014. The recall is what is wrong with my vehicle. I have called Mazda with no resolution, is there any way to make them responsible for this issue, since there was a recall for it, mine just did not have issue in that time frame.

- Spearsville, LA, USA

problem #15

Feb 222019

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 178,000 miles
My 2008 Tribute has had 3 transmissions replaced before the 4th was a brand new transmission that was put in. Last night my Tribute was in park and keys out of the ignition and it rolled down my driveway out in to the middle of the road. My husband was able to get out of the way before it ran over him. He pulled it back in the driveway and set the parking brake. It rolled down the driveway again. This death trap of a vehicle is listed in one of the recalls on the shift linkage. My transmissions were replaced in killeen, Texas in 2012. The 3rd rebuilt transmission was installed and pulled right back out. That's how the dealership was able to replace it with a brand new one. Last night my husband pulled in forward into are driveway and put the SUV in park, turned it off, and got out of the SUV and went to get a ceiling fan box out of the back and he felt the SUV rolling back on him. He thankfully was able to move to the side as it rolled back out of our driveway to the middle of our street. He got the keys from me and drove it back into our driveway and set the parking break. We walked out front this morning and it rolled back down to the bottom of our driveway. He put chalk blocks behind the tires and set the park back brake again. My husband is an active duty soldier. We bought the SUV while we were stationed at ft. Hood and now we are stationed at ft. Carson in Colorado springs, Colorado. I'm leaving his contact information for you. I will also include my ring doorbell video from last night. Thank you, [xxx] my husband [xxx] my email ([xx] husband's email [xxx]. link from ring doorbell : [xxx] VIN # [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

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problem #14

Feb 032019

Tribute

  • 132,382 miles
Steering wheel violently jerks & vibrates while driving and in idle. Steering column / wheel makes a grinding noise when it jerks & vibrates. Accelerator pedal sticks, especially in colder weather, making it hard to control vehicle...ie accelerating to get onto a highway or even coming out of a side street onto a main road. Recall for electric power assist system was "fixed" by Mazda in 2018, but I feel a major problem still exists. This is a dangerous mix for driving safely. I am fearful of driving this vehicle due to the fact that I cannot accelerate properly or hold onto my wheel without it jerking.

- East Rutherford, NJ, USA

problem #13

Jul 312017

Tribute

  • 104,900 miles

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

I'm driving down the road and when trying to ride in 5th gear since its a manual transmission it keeps popping out of 5th gear every time I'm driving down highway no matter what I'm doing I go to put in 5th gear and it pops back out every time unless I hold the gear shift in place....I just had bought this vehicle T swartz auto sales in harrisonburg va and I brought it to their attention for which they're not wanting to help on this issue even though I have just gotten it literally last week N only have put maybe 250 miles and not only that the first day I bought it brought it up home washed it up I then realized that the tires are dry rotted which I have attached pictures it has an inspection sticker stating its good til March 18 not sure how these tires even passed inspection I took to my regular mechanic and he advised me that they shouldn't have been passed. And while taking off in 1st gear its a rattling or more like a squeeking to it" could you please let me know what I can do about these issues and also maybe the transmission is no good" it does have a recall on it which I will attach that as well thank you

- Stanley, VA, USA

problem #12

Jun 032017

Tribute

  • miles
It looses power and won't change into gear. The trottle control light comes on.

- Jefferson, TX, USA

problem #11

Jan 062017

Tribute

  • 114,500 miles
While driving I stopped at a stop sing, when I went to take off the vehicle started rolling backwards. I stopped turned off the car. Then when I started it again and put it in reverse it went forwards. When I put it in drive it was in neutral, and natural was reverse. After turning it off again and restarting it all gear positions did not function and acted as if they were in neutral. Now every time I try to put it in a gear it may be the right gear and sometimes its not and some times it jumps to neutral out of no where. There is a recall on this exact issue, when I contacted Mazda I was informed that my car was not covered in the recall and there was nothing they would about it.

- Texarkana, TX, USA

problem #10

Nov 222015

Tribute

  • 127,800 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mazda Tribute. While at a red light, the vehicle would not respond when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was idling and moving, but there was no acceleration. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 127,800.

- Mckinny, TX, USA

problem #9

Jul 012015

Tribute

  • 124,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Mazda Tribute. While driving at unknown speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The contact noticed that there was a sudden increase of engine rpms and the throttle and power train warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #8

Sep 262013

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Vehicle suddenly lost power at highway speed (60+ mph) with red triangle warning symbol and "stop safely now" message. Event has happened on several occasions with similar safety risks associated with unexpected loss of power while driving at highway speeds. Dealer recommends replacing throttle body similar to customer service replacement under way with Ford escape (same vehicle, different badge). However, Mazda does not recognize/acknowledge any responsibility in the matter and treats the incident as just another service event. Unpredictable condition puts drivers at significant safety risk. Needs to be addressed given this is a known issue with the Ford variant. Mazda's smaller share of the market is not an excuse to ignore the safety risk.

- Canyon Country, CA, USA

problem #7

Jan 172014

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 91,200 miles
I was driving home from work and I reached a stop light. I pushed the gas and it went to the floor and revved up very high but did not move. I did this three times. The third time I did this it revved and went to floor but actually moved as normal. This cycle happened twice through stop lights before the orange wrench came on. It began feeling very weird to drive so I drove it straight to a Firestone where they told me my transmission was almost shot. This car is very well taken care of and was fine that morning prior to the incident. It was scary to drive and continued for 18 miles until I reached the Firestone.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #6

Jul 282012

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
Took the vehicle to the local Firestone store for service to have the transmission fluid changed and flushed and they told me that the transmission cooler was leaking and this was a common problem with the 2008 Mazda Tribute and Ford escort and the only way to fix it was to replace the entire radiator because they were built into the same part. They told me $550 min. To replace. I then did some online research and went to the local Mazda dealer. They said it was a common problem and that Mazda had a program to fix this but the date was up and that there was nothing to do but pay to fix it. The Mazda dealer said $1100 to fix it. I went nuts and told them this was a rip-off. They said they would call Mazda to see if they would do anything to help with the cost since this was a known problem and there was a program to fix it for customers. They call back last Thursday to tell me that Mazda was not interested in helping in anyway and rejected the request. I told them this would make the decision for me on buying a fourth Mazda. I'm a repeat customer and they didn't even ask that information prior to making a decision. The is a bad problem with these vehicles and Mazda needs to step up and fix it!!!

- Greer, SC, USA

problem #5

May 012012

Tribute 4-cyl

  • 61,000 miles
Automatic transmission oil leaking from transmission cooler.

- Amston, CT, USA

problem #4

Feb 262011

Tribute

  • 21,590 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that when driving at any speed, the vehicle would jerk abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that transmission coolant was leaking and causing the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 21,590.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #3

Feb 242010

Tribute

  • 35,982 miles
My 2008 Mazda Tribute AWD 4I gas pedal sticks in cold weather and sometimes in warm weather (exact problem compared to 2005 model year complaints). It happens usually when I get into the car on a cold morning and have not properly warmed the car up. A few times it has happened on the highway after I have fully taken my foot off the gas (say to brake) and then return my foot to the gas pedal. The pedal will refuse to push down even with my full body weight (240lb man) on the pedal. I find I have to jiggle my foot and step on the pedal multiple times to get it to go down. A few times I had to pull over and play with it. Every time I get it to the dealer, the problem goes away and they say there is nothing they can do for me. My main concern is that all the complaints from the 2005 Mazda Tribute are exactly the same as what I am experiencing and I am worried.

- Dover, NH, USA

problem #2

Aug 292009

Tribute

  • 42,300 miles
Leaking transmission cooler at 42,300 miles. Leaking fluid is being picked up by the cooling fan and air moving through the engine compartment and being spread through the engine compartment and thus a fire hazard. Also, if the leak had not been caught the transmission would have run dry and locked up potentially causing a wreck.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #1

Sep 072008

Tribute

  • 17,000 miles
We are having transmission cooler problems. Our 2008 Tribute has a major leak...or shall I say pour. The item is recalled. We live 1100 km away from dealership.....so we could potentially ruin the transmission if we drive that far...and we do not have $4000 to get it towed. So here we are with a 2008 Mazda Tribute that we can not drive because of a tranny leak. What to do.

- Yellowknife, 00, USA

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