NHTSA Complaint #10163178 — 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE

ON JULY 3, THE IGNITION, STEERING WHEEL, AND WHEELS OF OUR 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE FROZE WHEN WE TRIED TO START THE CAR. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO SENATOR IMPORTS, ON FLORIN ROAD, IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. ON JULY 7, ALTHOUGH THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE CAR WAS FIXED, THEY COULDN'T GET THE CAR TO WORK WHEN WE TRIED TO PICK IT UP. ON THE EVENING OF JULY 12, WE STARTED THE CAR. THE LIGHT ILLUMINATING THE GEAR SELECTION WAS UNTIL, SO WE COULDN'T SEE WHAT GEAR WE WERE IN. ON THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 13, WE STARTED THE CAR AND THE BATTERY WAS TOTALLY DEAD. WE RE-CHARGED THE BATTERY, BUT IT WAS DEAD AGAIN IN 2 HOURS. WE TOOK THE CAR IN TO HAVE THE BATTERY PROFESSIONALLY CHARGED. THE BATTERY WAS PURCHASED IN APRIL OF 2005. ON THURSDAY, JULY 20, THE CAR WAS RUNNING AND JUST STOPPED DEAD. WE AGAIN JUMPED IT AND TOOK IT TO OUR PRIVATE MECHANIC. ON FRIDAY, JULY 21, OUR MECHANIC DID A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON THE CAR. IT CAME UP WITH A DIAGNOSTIC TEST CODE ERROR THAT SAID THAT THE KEY PROGRAM CODE WAS ENTERED IN ERROR. OUR MECHANIC REBOOTED THE COMPUTER, TO ENSURE THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RELATED TO A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THE TRIBUTE JUST SHUTTING OFF. WHEN HE TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. (LONG STORY SHORT, THE DEALER LOST OUR SPARE KEY. WE HAD TO COME BACK FOR IT ON JULY 11, AND THEY REPROGRAMMED BOTH OUR KEYS TO THE NEW IGNITION.) OUR MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT WE HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AS HE CONSIDERED IT UNSAFE TO DRIVE. TODAY, JULY 22, THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT ALL THEY COULD FIND WRONG WITH THE CAR WAS A DEAD BATTERY. WE ARE BEGINNING TO LOSE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO FIX THE VEHICLE. *NM