Problems with 2001 Mazda Tribute VISIBILITY

Drivers side front door handle stopped working, window needs to be down in order to open door. if in an accident or fire driver will need assistance in exiting car. this is proven by all other complaints to be common with this vehicle and in hazardous situations potentially fatal unless government steps in and demands recall. dealer wants $300.00+ to fix, have already spent $3000.00+ at dealer on computer failures and left side driver door window assembly failure. *tr

Passenger side interior door handle will not open door. window must be run down & outside handle used to open. this has been reported to dealer who will repair @ my cost approx. a year ago the door could not be opened at all manually or electronically from the outside only from inside it was repaired by dealer my cost $149.00. part number ectt-58-412c. *nm

Vehicle sunroof failed after approximately 5-6 operations. vehicle had approximately 68000 miles on 11/30/04 when taken to dealership for repair. due to the minimal usage prior to failure, it was expected and requested that mazda pick up the repair expense. they diagnosed failure of the motor assembly requiring complete replacement of the system for $1678.00. mazda has refused to pay for this.*ak

Mazda tirbute esv6 has lost all power under normal driving conditions; no power steering or brakes and all indicator lights came on. which is very difficult to steer out of oncoming traffic to get out to safety. the mechanic from jim ellis mazda at marietta, ga told that this case already happened twice (one from a different car). in addition, it was reported that the valve gets "carbed up." this occurs when a driver is coasting between accelerating and braking. also, the transmission and electrical systems are already going haywire on this vehicle with no wipers, airbag light constantly on or blinking, transmission slipping and grinding. *la

Outside mirror on driver side will vibrate at speeds over 50 on the highways. in bad weather or at night it is hard to tell who and what is coming up the side of the car. this is dangerous condition as it is. mazda replaced the mirror once and it is still just as bad.

The exterior driver side mirror vibrates to the point that the reflection is blurry and distorted at speeds of 50 mph or higher. the mirror has been replaced by the dealership but i still have the same problem. this condition is dangerious in bad weather and needs to be fixed. the dealership has offered no help in fixing this problem nor has support in california.

Windshield wiper assembly - nominally repaired in 2001 recall - failed completely & without warning. small plastic connector came apart. wipers were operating, but load was only water - no ice or snow. as close to a serious accident as i would care to come based on a mechanical failure. talked to mazda, but they would not address failure history of item. they have replaced assembly (again), but no indication this one will work any better! *ak

When driving at any speed engine cuts off, causing steering and brakes to lock up. driver has to let vehicle sit a few moments and then restart the ignition. dealer has seen vehicle several times and cant fix it. *ak consumer stated that automatic windows malfunctioned. coolant light cames on and dealer determined that there was leak in coolant bottle. the engine light cames on due to exhaust gas recirculation valve failure. *yh

Windshield wipers stopped working during heavy rain while driving on a 70 mph highway. the failure happened long after the windshield wiper linkage recall was performed.*ak

The driver side mirror shakes so badly that the image in the mirror is so blurred you can not see anything. i took it back to the dealer, they replaced the mirror and it still did the samething. i complained a second time and they said there was nothing they could do since they already replaced it once. the second problem is that there is a lot of wind noise and a howling noise when driving on the freeway at 50 + mph. it gets so loud that it give me a headache. i told the dealer 3 times about this already. they changed out the window seals out 2 times and this has not solved the problem. what can be done to resolve these 2 defects? thanks.*ak

Consumer states while driving without warning the engine light came on and the vehicle stalled resulting in loss of power steering and brakes manufacturer has been notified about problem however found no solution. nlm dealer replaced pcm and relay. however problem still exist. dealer will contact service manager to advise consumer of a recall for the windshield wipers that disengages when in use. *tt

When driving at highway speeds speedometer goes up and down. when driving and letting up on accelerator pedal, vehicle shifts into lower gear. feels like brakes were applied very hard. vehicle taken to dealer 3 times, cannot find cause of problem. *ak consumer states the cluster gauges are erratic, then the transmission shifts long or slow, on three different occasions, the transmission shifted from over drive to first, when letting up on the gas pedal it felt like the brakes were applied very hard, dealer stated the transmission was replaced. vehicle has been worked on for water intrusion, carpet had to be replaced, dealer removed and resealed the windshield and repaired the rust in the windshield frame, rust also formed on the mounting brackets under the dash due to water leak, dealer removed and refit the left front fender to gain access to water leakage through the missed body seam and wiring harness. dealer replaced the fuse box to repair the radio and cluster gauges. turn signals are inoperable. consumer states the only repair completed was the replacement of the carpet. *slc

Windshield wipers were on during a rain shower, and passenger's wiper started to wipe out of sync, and it broke driver's side wiper.*ak consumer pulled vehicle over to the side of the road, the wipers were then turned off and then turned back on, the driver side wiper moved, but had torn rubber and a bent tip, passenger side did not wipe, vehicle was driven slowly to dealership and wipers were replaced in 2 days. *jb

The driver's side mirror vibrates at speeds of 30 mph and above. the vibration is excessive enough on the freeway that images reflected are completely distorted and blurry which disallows proper visualization of traffic and other vehicles. the vibration is also so bothersome that i refrain from looking in the mirror anymore which i view to be a serious safety issue. according to the dealership and car manufacturer, the problem is a characteristic of the vehicle, including all models of mazda tributes, that cannot be corrected. i find that to be unacceaptable!*ak

Stale fuel odor coming into passenger complartment through ac/heating vents after a warm engine restart. also noticed when stopped with engine running. air temperature selector must also be in the "blue area" where more outside air is circulated vs. heated air. *ak

Recall 00 v 387 001/windshield wiper: vehicle wipers stopped operating during bad weather. vehicle was towed to dealer, and learned of above recall, and was not notified. recall repairs were made. *ak

Manufacturer's recall 0200l for windshield wiper becoming disengaged. vehicle inspected on 26 dec 2000, component found in working order. on 27 jan 2001, while driving 40 mph in rain, windshield wiper stopped working. dealer found windshield wiper linkage had broken. *ak the manufacture blamed the dealer for failing to inspect the vehicle properly during the recall repair. *yh

The transmission failed while driving on a one lane highway. nlm

Power windows/sunroof quit working after 1-1 1/2 hrs. of driving. dealer has replaced a switch and the general module with no success. returning to dealer for more "digging" into the problem.*ak

Front wipers became inoperative in miduse during rain/snow. apparent linkage between wiper motor and wipers broke. this is the second tribute my dealer has had to repair for this problem.*ak

Windshield wiper linkage failed while consumer was trying to clean windshield, causing poor visibility. parts are on national back order. apparently manufacturer is redesigning windshield wiper linkage. *ak

Consumer states that vehicle's windshield wipers on driver side has a blind spot. dealer notified. please provide additional information. *nlm

Except for the initial ignition each day, every time the vehicle is started a waft of gasoline fumes comes through the air vents, then dissipates after 5-10 seconds. an odor of gasoline can be detected sometimes when the vehicle is idling, and a distinct gasoline odor is evident on the outside of the vehicle also, mostly on the passenger side front.can be detected