NHTSA Complaint #10990783 — 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE

MAZDA RECALL 7514D, CROSS BRACE KIT, FAILED CAUSING CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF STEERING. THE CROSS BRACE ATTACHMENT AT THE FRAME FAILED. CROSS BRACE INTACT, BUT THE FRAME ATTACHMENT WAS SEVERELY CORRODED CAUSING FRAME FAILURE AND CROSS BRACE SEPARATION FROM THE FRAME. THE RECALL WAS COMPLETED 8/21/14. IT IS SUSPECT THAT SEVERE CORROSION MAY HAVE EXISTED AT THE TIME THAT THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED, BUT WAS EITHER NOT DETECTED OR NOT ADDRESSED, LEADING TO THE ULTIMATE FRAME FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING ON A CITY STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MPH, HAVING JUST STARTED FROM A STOP AND IN A RIGHT HAD TURN, AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT SHE DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE EVENT AND CONTINUED DRIVING SINCE THE VEHICLE MOMENTARILY CORRECTED THE STEERING FAILURE. THE CAR REACHED 30-45 MPH WHEN SERIOUS STEERING ISSUES WERE DETECTED. THE DRIVER WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE SAFELY STOPPED THROUGH FULL CROSS STEERING AND WAS VERY SHAKEN BY THIS EVENT, SINCE 2 SMALL CHILDREN WERE PASSENGERS DURING THIS SERIOUS EVENT.