NHTSA Complaint #11042213 — 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE

WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE I HEARD A FEW STRANGE SOUNDS. SEVERAL TIMES THE CAR SUDDENLY PULLED TO THE RIGHT. THERE WAS ALSO A SOUND OF SOMETHING RUBBING THAT GOT FASTER AND FASTER AS I ACCELERATED. THEN WHEN THE CAR PULLED SUDDENLY TO THE RIGHT MY SON AND I HEARD A LOUD SOUND. FORTUNATELY, I WAS FAIRLY CLOSE TO OUR MECHANIC SO I SLOWLY DROVE THE CAR THERE. UPON INSPECTION THE MECHANIC FOUND THE SUB FRAME OF MY 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE WAS COMPLETELY CORRODED AND IS NOW DEEMED UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE COST TO REPAIR IT WAS ESTIMATED AT $5,000.00 PLUS. THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 95,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN OTHERWISE A TROUBLE-FREE VEHICLE THAT WAS ROUTINELY MAINTAINED. I AM VERY FORTUNATE THAT MY SON AND I WERE NOT INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY THE SUDDEN VEERING OF THE CAR ' OR BY THE FRONT END FRAME COMPLETELY COLLAPSING FROM BENEATH US AS WE WERE DRIVING. MAZDA ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE (7514D) IN MAY OF 2014. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NO. IS 14V174000. I ENTERED THE VIN NO. FOR MY CAR AT SAFER CAR.GOV AND IT SHOWS 0 RECALLS. (WE WERE ISSUED A RECALL NOTICE FOR A DIFFERENT PROBLEM WHICH WE DID GET CORRECTED BY MAZDA A FEW YEARS AGO.) I WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THIS RECALL.