NHTSA Complaint #10166652 — 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE

ON 8-25-2006 MY TRIBUTE WAS TOWED TO STAR MAZDA OF GLENDALE. THE PCM WAS RECALLED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED, BUT THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WHERE RUINED. ROUGHLY TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TODAY, THESE TWO ITEMS HAD BEEN REPLACED AT A COST OF $900. THESE REPAIRS WHERE MADE BY MY MECHANIC WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION, WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO VERIFY THE WARRANTY ON THE TRIBUTE. ONCE THE VEHICLE ARRIVED AT STAR MAZDA, I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO AUTHORIZE AN EIGHTY FIVE DOLLAR EXAMINATION FEE BECAUSE THE BATTERY WAS NOW DEAD. AN EXPLANATION INDICATED THAT THIS FEE WAS APPLIED BECAUSE THE BATTERY WAS NOT A MAZDA BATTERY AND HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED BY A MAZDA MECHANIC. AN EMPLOYEE THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY, I WAS GOING TO BE CHARGED $1,100 TO REPLACE BOTH THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR. ON TOP OF THAT I WAS TOLD THAT THE PCM WOULD NOT BE REPAIRED UNTIL THE NON-MAZDA PRODUCTS WERE REMOVED AND REPLACED. FOLLOWING THAT LAST BIT OF NEWS, I WAS INFORMED THAT I WAS NOT ENTITLED TO A RENTAL. I AM OUTRAGED OVER THE FACT THAT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED BY WEST COVINA MAZDA OF THESE RECALLS! THEY ARE CLEARLY SERIOUS DEFECTS AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A COLLISION. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE FAULTY PCM DESTROYED A BRAND NEW ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. *JB