NHTSA Complaint #10505065 — 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE

THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED THREE TIMES, TWICE FOR ME AND ONCE FOR MY WIFE. ALL THREE INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS FIRST STARTED, ALTHOUGH I DID DRIVE IT THE FIRST TIME WITH VERY GREAT EFFORT THINKING IT WAS A PERMANENT FAILURE AND I NEEDED TO GET IT HOME. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS VEHICLES SISTER FORD ESCAPE I FIND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. IT APPEARS IN MY CASE THIS IS A SWITCH PROBLEM IN THE IGNITION. ALL THE CASES OCCURRED WHEN THE STEERING WAS LOCKED HARD AGAINST THE COLUMN LOCK ON PARKING. TURNING THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE WITH THE LOCK IN A FREER POSITION RESULTED THE POWER STEERING WORKING. I HAVE ON SOME OCCASIONS NOTED THE STEERING 'TWITCHING' ON THE ROAD LIKE THE POWER STEERING DID NOT HAVE A COMPLETE CONNECTION. THE REASON THAT THIS FAILURE IS SO CONCERNING IS; I HAVE DRIVEN VEHICLES WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND WHEN CONVENTIONAL HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING FAILED. THOSE INSTANCES ARE MERELY ANNOYING, WITH THE DESIGN OF THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING THE EFFORT NEEDED TO STEER THE VEHICLE WITH NO POWER STEERING IS GREATLY MAGNIFIED. YOU NOW MUST OVERCOME THE EXTRA STEERING EFFORT PLUS TURN A WORM GEAR DRIVEN MOTOR BACKWARDS. I AM A STRONG MAN AND IT TOOK GREAT EFFORT AND WAS EXTREMELY SLOW AT TURNING THE VEHICLE. MANY WOMEN AND SOME WEAKER MEN WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE IN A FAILURE AND IF AN ON THE ROAD FAILURE MAY NOT GET THE VEHICLE SAFELY OFF THE ROAD. I WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR MY VEHICLE TO TRACE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, FORDS CURE OF REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN MAY BE OVERKILL.