2004 Mazda Tribute problems
Owners have filed 232 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Mazda Tribute. Suspension is the most reported problem area, at 21% of complaints. Next are body & structure (19%) and cruise control (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 232 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 19 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 23 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 110,000 miles 191 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 14 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 11 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 17 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 30 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 28 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 13 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 31 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 20 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 8 |
| 200k+ miles | 8 |
What the data shows
Of the 191 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 110,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 141,000 miles (43 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 19 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 23 injuries reported; 3 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 9 model years of the Mazda Tribute with enough data (71 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I am submitting this formal complaint regarding a potential recall failure involving a 2005 Mazda Tribute driven by my fiancé, [XXX], who died following a crash on [XXX]. Mazda has opened Case #[XXX] in response to my inquiry, and I am requesting federal oversight of this investigation. Joey’s vehicle may have been affected by NHTSA Recall 12V357000, which addresses throttle body malfunction and unintended acceleration.
Side impact on the drivers side, and the side airbag did not deploy. The steering wheel cracked, you can see the air bag but it did not deploy either....updated 05-27-15 the driver of the vehicle was killed. Updated 07/07/15
I noticed a rattle in the rear end of my vehicle. I took to my work harvard ford and had the technicians check it out. They discovered that the panels holding the shocks/struts up has rusted through. I would like to know if there is a recall on this problem.. The tech's say they have had three other vehicles( ford escapes) with this problem in the last six months.
While on highway, loud thump. Upon inspection, passenger side wheel well is rusted through. Damage is very significant. Shock absorber mount is separated from the frame. Driver side does not show damage, at least from outside inspection. The car is not safe to drive. Have not called the dealer yet, but messages about this problem indicate that mazda is not honoring the design flaw as a manufacturing defect. No word yet upon what it will cost to fix. Sounds like a recall needs set up.