NHTSA Complaint #10443499 — 2004 MAZDA TRIBUTE

WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE BRAKE PEDDLE PULSATE, THE BRAKES GRIND AND VIBRATE THE CAR, AND THE CAR PULLS TO THE LEFT. NO INDICATORS LIGHTS LIGHT UP. THE PULSATING IN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS THE SAME AS ONE WOULD FEEL WHEN THE ABS ENGAGES, BUT THE GRINDING AND PULLING TO THE LEFT ARE NOT NORMAL. THE VEHICLE'S BRAKES WERE INSPECTED AND THE TECHNICIAN SAID THEY DID NOT NEED REPLACEMENT AS THEY WERE NOT WORN. I EXPLAINED THE PULSATING AND THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THEM. THEY REPLACED THE PADS AND ROTORS. THEY DID NOT TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. UPON LEAVING THE GARAGE AND BRAKING, I HEARD AND FELT THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS I DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALTHOUGH NOT AS SEVERE. DUE TO THE LATE HOUR, I CONTINUED HOME. A COUPLE WEEKS LATER MY HUSBAND TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE GARAGE. THIS TIME THE TECHNICIAN DROVE IT TO SEE FOR HIMSELF. UPON HIS INSPECTION, HE FOUND SOME RUST, BUT INDICATED THE BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE IN WORKING ORDER. THE PULSATING OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE GRINDING NOISE, AND THE PULLING TO THE LEFT HAVE BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED WHENEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. IT DOES NOT MATTER THAT THE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED GENTLY, THE SYMPTOMS STILL OCCUR. I REVIEWED MY RECALL INSPECTION PAPERWORK FROM 06/14.07 PERFORMED BY A MAZDA DEALERSHIP. MY PAPERWORK NOTES THE TECHNICIAN SHOULD "PERFORM 4507C RECALL. PERFORMED RECALL TO MAZDA GUIDELINES." THE PAPERWORK DOES NOT INDICATE WHETHER ANYTHING WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AT THE TIME. I CALLED THE MAZDA CORPORATE OFFICE AT 800-222-5500 THIS AFTERNOON AND SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE. HE INDICATED THAT IF A DEALERSHIP PERFORMED THE RECALL INSPECTION AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AT THE TIME, THAT THE RECALL WAS COMPLETED. I ASKED IF THE RECALL ISSUES WERE NOW OCCURRING ON MY CAR, EVEN THOUGH NOTHING WAS FOUND IN 2007, WOULD MAZDA REPAIR THE EQUIPMENT. *TR