2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V357000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL); HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

ON JUNE 25, 2013 @ 11:00AM I CALLED MAZDA CORPORATION (REFERENCE CALL NUMBER: [XXX]) ABOUT RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH MY MAZDA TRIBUTE 2003 AND WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALLS WERE NOT ASSIGNED TO THE VIN NUMBER OF MY VEHICLE. THE MAZDA REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT ONLY THE SEAT BEAT ADJUSTMENT HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO MY VEHICLE AND THAT I DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL. MAZDA WILL NOT HONOR THE RECALL. I BOUGHT THE TRIBUTE IN 2010 FROM A DEALERSHIP; THUS, WAS NOT AWARE OF THE RECALLS. I HAVE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE AND HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY TRYING TO FIX IT. I HAVE A 13 AND 14 YEAR OLD GIRLS AND AM A SINGLE PARENT. ACCORDING TO THE RECALL, THE VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE. I CANNOT AFFORD RIGHT NOW TO PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE. I AM ONLY ASKING MAZDA TO HONOR THE RECALLS. PLEASE SEE...

MY 2003 TRIBUTE HAS BEEN LEAKING OIL FROM THE OIL PAN GASKET BETWEEN THE OIL PAN AND ENGINE BLOCK. OF COURSE AFTER TIME IT WOULD LEAK BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT THE TRIBUTE HAS A BAD DESIGN WITH THE OIL PAN AND GASKET. THE DEALERSHIP TRIED TO SELL ME THE NEW OIL PAN REPLACEMENT FOR THE DEFECTIVE ONE AND THE NEW GASKET REPLACEMENT FOR ALSO THAT DEFECTIVE PART. MAZDA REDESIGNED THE OIL PAN WITH AN EMBEDDED O RING IN LIEU OF A GASKET. THE DEALERS WANT TO SELL THE NEWLY DESIGNED PAN INSTALLED FOR $440 + TAX (MEDFORD, NY). I WOULD THINK THAT IT IS A DEFECT AND WOULD LIKE THIS AGENCIES OPINION. IF THE DESIGN WAS GOOD FROM THE START MAZDA WOULDN'T PUT THE TIME AND MONEY INTO REDESIGNING THE OIL PAN AND GASKET, AND RECOMMENDING THE REPLACEMENT. MAZDA WILL NOT DO THE GASKET REPLACEMENT UNLESS THE NEW DESIGNED...

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE LX(NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TRYING TO START HIS VEHICLE, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY EXPLODED BUT DID NOT IGNITE; PARTS FLEW AND PENETRATED THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE TYPE OF ENGINE, WHICH WAS CALLED AN "INTERFERENCE ENGINE" AND THE DESIGN OF IT. THE MECHANIC RECOMMENDED THAT HE REPLACE THE ENGINE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 74,000.

UPON STARTING, A SEVERE EXPLOSION OCCURRED, DENTING THE HOOD FROM PARTS OF ENGINE. SMOKE POURED OUT FROM HOOD, BUT IGNITED GASOLINE DID NOT LEAVE ENGINE. ENGINE IS AN INTERFERENCE FORD PRODUCT AND SUV HAS ALWAYS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND SERVICED. THE SEVERITY OF THE DANGER OF THIS EXPLOSION CANNOT NOR SHOULD BE OVERLOOKED OR DISMISSED. HAD THE HOOD BEEN OPEN, SOMEONE COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SEVERE INJURY OR POSSIBLY DEATH. I HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH MAZDA FOR A RESOLUTION IN THIS MATTER AND ALL ATTEMPTS HAVE FAILED. AS A PREVIOUSLY SATISFIED CUSTOMER FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS, I AM FRUSTRATED AND INFURIATED BY THEIR DENIALS TO WORK OUT A RESOLUTION, IN EITHER A NEW ENGINE OR SUBSTANTIAL TRADE ON A NEW VEHICLE. AN ENGINE WITH THIS LOW MILEAGE EXPLODING IS UNHEARD OF AND, CERTAINLY, NOT EXPECTED. MY LETTER TO MAZDA CEO AND PRESIDENT JAMES O'SULLIVAN AND MY MECHANIC'S ASSESSMENT IS...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING UPHILL OR APPROACHING A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO LOCATE A RECALL, IN WHICH SHE BELIEVED TO BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE FAILURE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V175000: POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: CONTROL MODULE TCM, PCM), HOWEVER HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 82,000. UPDATED 11/03/10 *BF THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WHILE BACKING UP, AND WHEN IT STALLED, IT COULDN'T BE RESTARTED. UPDATED 11/04/10*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V175000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)). HE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,400 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

OIL PAN GASKET IS LEAKING. I CALLED MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE, RECEIVED A FILE #115785220. MY 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE (5 YEARS OLD WITH 35,000 MILES) IS LEAKING OIL FROM THE OIL PAN GASKET. MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. SINCE I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE, MAZDA HAS REDESIGNED THE OIL PAN WITH AN EMBEDDED O RING IN LIEU OF A GASKET. THE LOCAL MAZDA SERVICE CENTER (MAZDA 112) DOES NOT REPLACE THE GASKET; THEY FIX THE VEHICLE BY SELLING AND INSTALLING THE REDESIGNED OIL PAN FOR $440 + TAX (MEDFORD, NY). YOU CAN BUY A GASKET FOR THE ORIGINAL PAN AND DO IT YOURSELF OR MAYBE HAVE A LOCAL MECHANIC DO IT (I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WORTH IT). MAZDA 112 TOLD ME THEY CALLED THE REGIONAL MAZDA REPRESENTATIVE AND THEY WOULD SAVE ME THE PRICE OF THE PARTS BUT THE COST OF REPAIR WILL STILL BE OVER $300. I BELIEVE...

WIFE DROVE 2003 MAZDA TRIBUTE TO ARBY'S (I WAS MEETING HER THERE), GOT OUT OF CAR AND WALKED UP TO THE ENTRANCE. AS SHE GOT TO ARBY'S DOOR, SOMEONE OUTSIDE MENTIONED TO HER THAT HER CAR WAS SMOKING. SHE CAME INSIDE TO GET ME AND AS I CAME OUT A LOT OF SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I UNLOCKED THE CAR CRACKED THE HOOD SLIGHTLY WHERE I SAW FLAMES CLOSE TO THE FIREWALL. USED FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO PUT OUT FLAMES. FIRE SEEMED TO ORIGINATE TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE ENGINE CLOSE TO BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. I HAVE MANY PICTURES OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IF NEEDED. SEEMS SIMILAR TO NHTSA ACTION # PE06048. *JB

VEHICLE IS SOMETIMES HARD TO START AND IT STALLS FREQUENTLY IN TRAFFIC. A TUNE-UP WAS DONE, FUEL SYSTEM PARTS REPLACED. DEALER RECENTLY REPROGRAMMED THE PCM WITH NO CHANGE IN PERFORMANCE. NEAR ACCIDENT THIS MORNING WITH A SCHOOL BUS. VEHICLE JUST CUT OFF AS I SLOWED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. *JB

ENGINE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY STALL WHILE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS, AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.*AK

INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE HESITATES BEFORE STARTING WHEN THE KEYS ARE TURNED IN THE IGNITION. ALSO, THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND PERFORMED THE REPAIRS INDICATED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND THE FAILURE DIDN'T OCCUR IN THEIR PRESENCE SO THEY ARE REFUSING TO SERVICE THE VEHICLE. *LA *SC

WHEN ACCELERATING THE VEHICLE FIRST HESITATED AND THEN ACCELERATED. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK *NM

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 100 MPH THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO BUCK. *NLM

WHILE DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE CONSUMER HAS HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. *NLM