Problems with 2001 Mazda Tribute ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Owned my tribute for a year before the problems began. on 3/15/02 i took it in because the low coolant light kept coming on. the dealership couldn't find a problem, but i had them do a 30k mile service and check everything from front to back. had a rental for two days. on 6/10/02 i took it in because it suddenly started stalling dead at stops and yields. i almost wrecked due to this. cause: internal failure. the dealership replaced the control unit, idle air valve, coolant fan relay. i had a rental for three days. on 8/5/02 it had to be towed because the ignition switch completely locked up and wouldn't turn. dealership put in a new ignition switch and cylinder. my keys had to be reprogrammed. i had a rental for two days. on 11/13/02 i took it in because the check engine light kept coming on and the engine did not idle smoothly. the dealership could not duplicate the problem and i used their rental for three days. on 12/24/02 the engine light came back, the engine idled rough and the entire vehicle was visibly shaking. the dealership told me that one of the six coils was bad and needs to be replaced or one wrong spark could ruin the whole engine. looks like i have the rental for at least a week. it just went over 50k miles, so my basic warranty is up, however the emisions conrol system (engine) is warranted until 80k miles. it seems a shame that mazda would put out such poor quality and problematic vehicles to their loyal customers. maybe they should add that to their "zoom, zoom" commercials.

Vehicle stalls and loses power, and check engine light stays illuminated, since first purchasing vehicle.*ak

I have just found this website and realized that an existing problem that i had been complaining about in my car. the dealer claimed the problem didn't exist ,even after the first recall. i brought in to fix. i had no knowledge of the power train recall the manufacturer never informed me of this problem at all nor the dealer. i've been an owner for 6 years. an extended warranty, i am apauled at the way mazda ford dealers handle there customers after repeatedly telling them of this problem. i'd like to know what i'm going to do at this point but to engage a petiton to my friends and family not to buy this product ford mazda. i think this is wrong on your part what can i do about this problem now that it's getting worst . you've put my life and my families life at risk knowing that if my car stalls out while driving which it has already happened on a few occasions. the last incident was coming home from peekskill ny and the car staled on me 6times. please let the dealer know this is a real problem. *nm

While driving, the engine will cut off causing the vehicle to stall out. this was a result of the main computer failing. the dealer was contacted. this part is on a national back order. mr the dealer imported a computer from canada. after it's installation, the vehicle is operating normally. *jg

The engine cut out for no reason while driving, causing sudden loss of power brakes, steering etc. luckily, no other traffic was on the road or there may have been an accident. this is the second time this problem has occurred on this vehicle. one year ago, the engine stalled while driving while driving down a hill, and a multi-car accident was narrowly avoided at the bottom of the hill. the dealer claims that mazda told them to replace the "pcu" at the time, and then called me back later to confirm this was indeed the fix to this reported nationwide problem. obviously, since the problem has now re-occurred one year later, mazda's initial fix was wrong and mazda still does not know what is causing this problem. your website reports numerous similar consumer complaints, which is disturbing. what is the government doing to protect consumers? there should be a forced recall. this is a real safety issue - a downhill stall!!! must we wait until deaths occur? i would like to hear a response from nhtsa. i plan to forward this list of complaints to my congressman. mr

Vehicle is intermittently stalling. at low speeds, under 40 mph, vehicle will stall while in motion causing loss of power steering and brakes. when vehicle was repaired by dealership resulting in problem happening more frequently than before. vehicle tends to stall on slight inclines or declines in the road. one stall nearly caused driver to rear end another vehicle due to loss of power brakes. vehicle is back at dealer for second attempt at repair of problem. dealership has provided above average customer service while handling problem however repair attempt has only made problem worse. after 1st repair attempt vehicle still stalls and has begun hesitating (nearly stalling) under acceleration. mr

Vehicle stalled without warning. no brakes, no steering. going downhill 35-40 mph. ended up going into oncoming traffic until i wrestled car back into lane. 3rd time this has happened. mazda solutions are unacceptable. nlm

1. mositure in passenger side headlight at 10kmi. 2. coolant indicator light @ 14k mi. 3. engine light @ 15k mi. 4. engine shuts down, lose brakes and steering, traveling at 55-60 mph approaching and slowing down to make a left-hand turn at a slightly downward slope in road. had to put vehicle in park and restart engine. could have turned in front of oncoming vehicles and been hit broadside due to loss of all power.ake. nlm

Vehicle would cut off intermittently while driving at normal speed. vehicle been to dealer on four occasions, and unable to duplicate the problem. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

While driving in traffic, down a slight hill, engine shut off without warning. second time this has happened. first time back in 2001, dealer had for 2 days, unable to find problem or correct. consider this a serious safety hazard. will contact dealer again.*ak

This is about our 2001 mazda tribute lx , 4x4, v6. our vin. # [xxx], but your system is not accepting this number. our tribute has stalled more than 5 times over the last 2 years. we have called the mazda dealer to ask if they have had this problem with other tributes. they claimed they were not aware of that type of problem three occasions between april 2001 and november 2001. something we were doing wrong. august 2002, after another stalling episode we decided it was too dangerous and took the car into the dealership. they then informed us that they had a lot of other 2001 and 2002 tributes with the same problem. they had our tribute at the dealership repair shop for 63 straight days before the mazda h.q. called us from irvine, ca to tell us that our tribute had been repaired and they were sure that it was not going to stall again because they had not had any other tributes that were repair for the stalling problem repeat the problem. about a month later our tribute again stalled exactly as it had done many times before. i was asked to come to the dealership and talk to them about buying the new 2003 model tribute at a reduced price because of our trouble. when we went to the dealer to drive the 2003 model we were told they could not let us drive the new model because it was stalling. dt information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

While driving at any speed vehicle would shut off, and in doing so brakes and/ or steering did not work. contacted dealer, and the dealer was aware of problem, but only had a temporary solution. *ak consumer smells fuel inside the vehicle and took the vehicle to the dealer four times, but the problem was not found. *yh

While driving down hill engine will suddenly stall, cause unknown. took vehicle to dealer, dealer reprogramed computer chip. problem keeps reoccurring. please provide any further information.*ak

while driving at 35mph on flat surface and with no warning vehicle will shut off, and will be hard to start back up. dealer notified. *ak

Engine stalled in 5:00 p.m. traffic. completely shut down. no brakes and no steering. can't believe i did not get hurt or killed. mazda must make a recall on tribute before someone is killed.*ak

Engine stalled while driving at 35mph on city street. was able to restart engine after stopping. dealer reprogrammed engine computer.*ak

Vehicle stalls at speeds under 30 mph, with foot off gas, or when idling. stall often occurs during a turn, disabling the power-assisted steering until engine can be restarted. (restart occurs promptly.) five visits to dealer service dept. since 7/12/02 have failed to correct problem. mazda-recommended service on power-train control module was performed, to no apparent effect. related work done on idle, throttle, solenoid. stalling continues. nlm

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

While going downhill at appximately 40 mph, engine stalled. lost power brakes and steering. able to stop car safely (barely). taking vehicle to dealer. had initally made an appointment since my engine check light came on 4 days before this stalling incident. i asked the dealer if i should still drive my tribute with the engine check light on, they said it was safe and not to worry. don't know if the two problems are related or not.*ak

Vehicle started to stall, and could have caused a crash. cause unknown. dealer notified. *ak

While going 35-40mph down long hill engine quit. steering and brakes failed. consumer doesn't remember if dashboard lights illuminated. vehicle coasted down hill while standing on the brakes to stop. this was the first time vehicle experienced the problem. dealer rplaced bypass air control vavle due to vehicle idling too low. please provide more information.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Descending an over water bridge at 35mph when engine died with no advance warning. lost power steering and power brakes. was able to get the vehicle to the road shoulder without causing an accident. put vehicle back and park and restarted immediately. no recurrence yet. due to be seen at dealer on 23 may 02. research of your data base shows this is not an isolated occurence. no fatalities yet but only a matter of time. can see no evidence in data base that mazda has identified a cause or a fix.*ak

Engine stalled while driving on a major road with heavy traffic.*ak

Engine stalls while coasting downhill. the incident has occurred 3 times since i have had the vehicle. i am able to restart it after i pull over. i get the battery and engine light on. this last two incidents have almost caused me to be hit from behind.*ak

Whenever coasting between 30 and 40 mph vehicle shuts off. cause is unknown. please provide any further information.*ak

Tribute stalled on onramp for i495 at american legion bridge in va. speed was approximately 30mph. stalling occurred as onramp turns right and car was extremely difficult to steer to keep on the road and power brakes failed. nearly caused an accident with traffic on i495 travelling 60 - 70 mph. was able to restart car after safely steering and stopping in grass. this condition is extremley dangerous because of loss of steering control and brakes.*ak

The engine failed three times without warning while the consumer was traveling on highway. cause for the first failure was the pcm problem and it was reprogrammed and updated eec relay was also installed. *yh

Vehicle cut off on two occasions while driving 45 mph. dealer contacted. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Vehicle will cut off when driving at high speeds. contacted dealer.*ak consumer stated that the dealer claims to have fixed the problem, but will not guarantee it in writing. *yh

Engine stalled going downhill between 45-50 mph. dash lights came on, no rpms, could not restart while coasting. pulled over to side of road, placed into park and was able to restart vehicle. took it to dealership immediately the next day. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

The engine light came on and the engine stalled, losing control of the steering and the brakes. i had to coast to a stop in the center turning lane. after the vehicle came to a stop, i put the vehicle in park and restarted the car without any problems. if there had not been a turning lane, i would have crashed into the car in front of me. if i had been passing a car at the time, i could have been hit by oncoming traffic. this is the first time this has happened to me, but from researching this problem, it is apparent this is happening to many people. i took the tribute to the dealer and they said this problem was not occuring with my vehicle, but with the 2.0 liter engine tributes. he implied that i might have hit the keys in some way and turn the engine off. i got no satisfaction from the service department, so i had no option but to voice my concern about this safety issue.*ak

While driving down a deep hill, engine cuts off.*ak vehicle also failed once on flat surface. *jg

Vehicle has stalled 3 times at different speeds. dealer has replaced sensor.*ak

When traveling at 30-35 mph vehicle , with out any notice, will shut off completely. consumer will not be able to turn or do anything. contacted dealer, and dealer replaced a part in vehicle, but vehicle was still stalling.*ak

Vehicle would stall only when driving down hills. vehicle been to dealer and problem reoccurring. *ak the vehicle stalled three times before consumer took to have the vehicle repaired. the technician informed consumer that once the computer was reinstalled or reprogrammed it stuck. no one needing this repair has been back with the same issue. the vehicle stalled, this time on a flat road. consumer took vehicle back and was informed mazda and the dealership would be working on a resolution. the problem could not be duplicated. the problem is still reoccurring. *jg

Stalling issue while going downhill. *ak

Engine lost power while driving at about 45 mph. lost power steering and power brakes. was able to get vehicle stopped and engine restarted. this has happened twice.*ak

Engine failed while traveling approximately 35 miles per hour down a curved incline. was able to get vehicle to come to a stop along side of road. turned ignition to off and tried to restart vehicle. would not start. turned ignition to off again and waited a few seconds. vehicle restarted on second attempt.*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

Engine completely shuts off with no warning while driving. you do not realize it has occurred until you notice your power steering has become stiff or you go to accelerate. the problem has occurred three times first time 10/2001, second 11/2001 third 5/2002. each time it occurred within first 30-45 minutes of driving and when the accelerator was not in use.*ak

Car stalled with no warning, leaving driver with no brakes or steering. two times was while slowing down,once while accelerating. dealership has notified mazda, but insists i continue to drive the car until problem is found.*ak

While slowing to proceed through yield-sign intersection, vehicle stalled while traveling at approx. 5 mph (right-hand turn). power steering, etc. was lost...placed vehicle in neutral and restarted...as though one might stall/restart a manual trans. vehicle (this vehicle is auto trans). on one other similar occasion, vehicle 'almost' stalled in the same fashion while maneuvering through service station islands (3-5 mph)...this time during a left-hand turn. vehicle seemed to lose power streering and 'almost' stall before returning to normal idle speed. *ak

After parking vehicle, heard loud crash. look on ground and found tension pulley and spring fell off vehicle. when started, vehicle could not be driven. contacted dealer and had towed. waiting for parts.. *ak

My mazda tribute lost power while driving down the road at approximately 35 mph. road was flat and weather was clear. this happened out of the blue and no fix could be found as mazda was not able to replicate the problem. my infant daughter was with me and i am scared of this vehicle now. i feel that owners of these vehicles need to be warned and i wish i could get my money back and get out of this unsafe and potentially life-threatening vehicle.*ak

While driving vehicle will stalll and lose all power.took vehicle to dealer, and dealer replaced a delay chip in fuel pump, but problem still exists.*ak

Vehicle stalls at slow speeds, usually below 40 mph. dealer replaced egr sensor. *ak consumer stated that replacing the egr sensor did not correct the problem.*jb

I am reporting what i believe to be a new serious safety concern with 2001 mazda tributes. the engine stalled while driving downhill, causing sudden loss of power brakes/steering, and i barely avoided a serious accident as i approached the bottom of the hill. i learned from dealer that i am the 5th customer at their dealership alone to report this problem (downhill stall) and that mazda has no fix yet because the problem is intermittent and mazda has been unable to duplicate. i believe the dealership is doing everything within their power. i am requesting that the government get involved and force mazda headquarters to step up their investigation and issue a warning to consumers before people die.*ak

The car has stalled 5 times during operation since we purchased it, last time on october 11, 2001. it has stalled on the road and in the middle of intersections. the instrument lights come on, power steering and braking disappears, and we have to turn the key and engage the starter. it does start right back up again. it is at the dealership for the 2nd time, but they cannot find anything wrong with it. mazda has a case open and we have reported conditions surrounding the incidents twice (temperature, amount of fuel, road conditions, etc.).*ak