NHTSA Complaint #741491 — 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE

MY NEW CAR IS CURRENTLY IN THE GARAGE/DEALER WHILE THE SERVICE MANAGER IS TRYING TO ATTAIN ADDITIONAL HELP TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF MY VEHICLE NOT STARTING ON A CONSISTANT BASIS. ORIGINALLY THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN THE DEALER PROGRAMMED A NEWLY PURCHASED SPARE KEY IN DECEMBER. PROGRAMMING FOR THE KEY HAD TO BE DONE MORE THAN ONCE WHILE MY HUSBAND WAITED AN ADDITIONAL HOUR AND VIEWED THE SERVICE PERSONAL PUSH OUR VEHICLE BACK INTO THE SERVICE BAY. HE WAS TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM PROGRAMMING THE NEW KEY. LATER IN THE MONTH, THE CAR WOULD NOT START (2 INCIDENTS-6 TRYS). ON THE NEXT TRIP TO THE DEALER TO HAVE OTHER WARRANTY WORK DONE, I WAITED FIVE AND A HALF (5 1/2) HOURS OVERALL AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY COULD DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WITH ALL THREE (3) KEYS. LATER I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED AND I SOON RETURNED HOME. ABOUT ONE AND A HALF (1 1/2) HOURS AFTER THE FIX, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN FOR 15 HOURS (VARIOUS TRYS). THE DEALER ARRANGED A FREE RENTAL CAR AND WAS TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED THAT MONDAY MORNING. THE KEYS WERE LEFT IN THE IGNITION OVER NIGHT AND THE CAR STARTED THE NEXT MORNING. I AGREED TO TRY A TEMPORARY FIX SUGGESTED TO THE DEALER BY MAZDA TECH SUPPORT. THREE (3) WEEKS LATER, THE CAR STARTED HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AND THE TEMPORARY FIX DID NOT WORK. WHAT DID GET THE CAR TO WORK WAS THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE DRIVER DOOR OR UNLOCKING AND LOCKING WITH KEYLESS ENTRY. I RECORDED (35 WITNESSED) MALFUNCTIONS. THE CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER LAST MONDAY FOR A NEW MAZDA TECH SUGGESTED REPROGRAMMING OF THE KEYS. UPON MY RETURN THURSDAY WHILE WAITING FOR THE TWICE REQUESTED WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION ABOUT THE TEMPORARY FIX AND THE NEW REPROGRAMMING THE RUNNING CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE SERVICE ENTRANCE. WHEN TESTED IT WENT DEAD AGAIN. SERVICE MANAGER AND I BOTH WITNESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS KEPT AND TESTED FOR ELECTRICAL SHORTS-NONE FOUND. IN CONCLUSION MY CAR HAS NOT STARTED CONSISTANTLY OVER A SPAN OF THREE MONTHS.*AK