NHTSA Complaint #10013905 — 2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE

ON 7/31/02 MY TRIBUTE DIED WHILE GOING DOWN HILL TO A 4 WAY STOP. AT FIRST I WASN'T SURE WHAT TO DO, THEN I PUT MY VEHICLE IN PARK AND TRIED TO RESTART IT. THIS WAS SUCCESSFUL AND I DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALER. I WAS GIVEN A RENTAL FOR 2 DAYS AND WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN SPIDER WEBS OR SOMETHING IN THE COMPUTER SYSTEM AREA, SO THEY CLEANED OUT THE VAPOR VENT TUBES. I WAS VERY NERVOUS TO BE DRIVING A CAR THAT COULD DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, I WAS JUST GLAD THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. I THOUGHT THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED UNTIL 4/01/03 WHEN TRIBUTE DIED WHILE DRIVING AGAIN. THIS TIME I WAS GOING UPHILL TO A 4 WAY STOP AND WAS ABLE TO STEER INTO A DRIVING USING ALL MY FORCE B/C THE STEERING ONCE AGAIN WENT OUT. BOTH TIMES THERE WAS NO WARNING, THE DASH LIGHTS WERE ALL ON AFTER IT STALLED. ONCE AGAIN I RESTARTED MY VEHICLE AND DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY REFLASHED PCM TO LATEST CALIBRATIONS, REPLACED THE DPFE SENSOR, THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR AND THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE. I AM WONDERING IF SOMEONE HAS TO DIE BEFORE MAZDA OR THE GOVERNMENT WILL CALL A RECALL. IF THIS IS THE CASE, BOTH SHOULD BE VERY ASHAMED FOR THEIR LACK OF CONCERN ABOUT THE CONSUMERS.