NHTSA Complaint #10253666 — 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE

ON SUNDAY 12/21/08, WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE ON LOCAL FREEWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, IN CLOSE TO 0 DEGREE FAHRENHEIT WEATHER, I EXPERIENCED STUCK THROTTLE. GAS PEDAL AND THE PORTION OF ASSOCIATED LINKAGE VISIBLE FROM PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WERE NOT OBSTRUCTED IN ANY WAY. ALL EFFORTS TO RETURN ENGINE TO IDLE SPEED, INCLUDING RAPIDLY DEPRESSING GAS PEDAL TO NEAR THE FLOOR AND THEN RAPIDLY RELEASING IT, WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THROTTLE WAS STUCK AT 4000 RPM. HAD TO PUT TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN COAST TO A STOP ON AN OFFRAMP. ONCE STOPPED, I TURNED OFF AND THEN RESTARTED ENGINE SEVERAL TIMES. AT RESTART, ENGINE WOULD IMMEDIATELY RACE UP TO AND STAY AT 4000 RPM, EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT EVEN TOUCH THE GAS PEDAL. WOUND UP HAVING TO GET VEHICLE TOWED TO A MAZDA DEALER REPAIR FACILITY, WHICH WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME DUE TO IT BEING SUNDAY. THE DEALERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT, UPON RESTARTING THE VEHICLE THE NEXT DAY, THE THROTTLE WAS NO LONGER STUCK. SAID THE LINKAGE "PROBABLY FROZE UP" DUE TO THE PREVIOUS DAY'S COLD WEATHER BUT HAD "THAWED OUT". HE RECOMMENDED LUBRICATING IT, WHICH I AUTHORIZED. ON 1/1/09, I DROPPED THE VEHICLE AT A DIFFERENT MAZDA REPAIR FACILITY BECAUSE OF AN UNRELATED PROBLEM. THE DEALER REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT, WHEN HE DROVE THE VEHICLE INTO THE GARAGE FROM OUTSIDE (WHERE IT HAD SAT OVERNIGHT IN NEAR ZERO WEATHER), THE THROTTLE STUCK. THE THROTTLE STUCK A FEW TIMES LAST WINTER IN 10 DEGREE OR BELOW WEATHER BUT ONLY MOMENTARILY. I NOTED TODAY, ACCORDING TO YOUR WEBSITE, THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON 2001MAZDA TRIBUTES EQUIPPED WITH "SPEED CONTROL" BECAUSE OF A DEFECT THAT CAUSED THROTTLES TO STICK. I AM NOT SURE WHAT "SPEED CONTROL" IS. MY TRIBUTE, WHICH I PURCHASED USED, DOES NOT HAVE "CRUISE CONTROL." WHETHER IT ORIGINALLY HAD "CRUISE CONTROL", WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN REMOVED BY SOMEONE PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE, I DO NOT KNOW. *TR