Problems with 2008 Mazda Tribute STEERING

Steering wheel vibrated and shook when stopped and slowing down after starting car, steering froze, turned car off and on again, steering was fine steering became harder and harder as i drove- stopped using and took to auto shop no indicator lights came on mechanic found that electric power steering unit had failed- there is no power steering on my car now. *tr

Power steering became very intermittent over the period of three weeks - would work one day sometimes and not the next before quitting completely last week. when it would work it would vibrate and shake as to need two hands on the wheel to drive at all times. extremely unsafe and very difficult to make a proper right hand turn. i took it to the mechanic today and was informed that it is the steering column torque sensor and the vehicle has a history of this very same problem on the tributes. mazda needs to recall this part failure as it is very unsafe and dangerous!!!!! *tr

Steering fails. dealer reports steering torque sensor has failed. *tr

Total failure of the electronic power steering. the vehicle was parked when the failure occurred ,possibly avoiding an accident. the repair required replacement of the entire power steering unit. *tr

The front wheels felt like they were loose & the tire could come off at any moment. the power steering went out went i was making a left turn. took it to the dealer and was charged approx $2100 to replace the steering problem. mazda was contacted and they stated that there was nothing they would do about it. *tr

A couple of months ago my steering wheel began moving on its own trying to get back left - shaking uncontrobally. the pedal began getting very stiff and would not allow me to press on it for gas in order to move. when i cut the car off and cut it back on the issue goes away. sometimes it takes the car a few times to get going. meaning i have to cut it off and on several times. the wheel continues to shake although the car is not on. i initially thought it was an electrical problem so i took it to be serviced but everything was ok. recently (for the last two weeks) the car's steering has gotten worse as if there is no power steering in the car. which will not allow me to turn the vehicle at all. while it runs i cannot steer making it very dangerous to drive. i took it to the mazda dealer to get another diagnostic test and was told that the steering column was defected and needed to be replaced. i am in awe that a car so new has this many major mechanical issues. i now have no other option but to get the steering column replaced as i am told this is hte only thing that will fix the steering issue. *tr

The power steering has failed three times, twice for me and once for my wife. all three incidents occurred when the engine was first started, although i did drive it the first time with very great effort thinking it was a permanent failure and i needed to get it home. after researching this vehicles sister ford escape i find this is a common problem. it appears in my case this is a switch problem in the ignition. all the cases occurred when the steering was locked hard against the column lock on parking. turning the engine off and restarting the engine with the lock in a freer position resulted the power steering working. i have on some occasions noted the steering 'twitching' on the road like the power steering did not have a complete connection. the reason that this failure is so concerning is; i have driven vehicles without power steering and when conventional hydraulic power steering failed. those instances are merely annoying, with the design of the electric power steering the effort needed to steer the vehicle with no power steering is greatly magnified. you now must overcome the extra steering effort plus turn a worm gear driven motor backwards. i am a strong man and it took great effort and was extremely slow at turning the vehicle. many women and some weaker men would not be able to steer the vehicle in a failure and if an on the road failure may not get the vehicle safely off the road. i will continue to monitor my vehicle to trace the cause of the failure, fords cure of replacing the steering column may be overkill.

Went to get ice cream shut off the vehicle and when the vehicle was restarted the power steering was not working i checked the fuses they were all fine drove home without powersteering the next day the vehicle was started the steering is now working but the steering wheel rattles right to left unless your turning and continues to rattle when the vehicle is turned off. the steering operation is intermittent when starting the vehicle, when it doesn't work you have to start it and turn the steering wheel to the right then it will work. the steering wheel also wanders when driving similar to a worn out tie rod but only when the steering is working. mileage is 52354. *tr

We were on a two-lane highway go approx. 55 mph on our way to a volleyball tournament when without warning the power steering stopped working then the vehicle pulled hard to the left. we pulled over, shut the engine off, and restarted it to see if it would return to normal. upon restart the steering wheel would shake and vibrate at idle and while moving. then the power steering would go out again and the pattern would start over. *tr

Cpsc: i1320536a. 2008 mazda tribute. consumer stated these cars have power steering control issues. *ln the consumer stated the power steering control module, an integral part of the new electronic power assist steering system can malfunction without warning and the leave the driver without steering.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mazda tribute. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the power steering failed. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic who inspected the failure and stated that the steering column need to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,100.

On several occasions now my steering has gradually been displaying stiff steering. it has progressed and was unsure why it was doing this being that it has not given me any problems but the steering. i have been driving and it has gotten stiff. i will turn off the car and restart and it will drive normal and then eventually will stiffen up on me again and again. this is very scary being that i have also been on the freeway and exiting and have to grab ahold of the steering to veer off the freeway carefully. it is stressful to be in a car that is unsafe while on the road. god forbid i have to swerve away from danger and i can't because i'm in a dangerous vehicle. i am still paying on my car and don't care for a disposable car while still making payments. i contacted mazda in victorville, ca and stated that it would cost me (you ready) $ 2,000.00 plus another few hundred to program my keys. absurd!!! my husband made contact with someone who gave him a price of $1500.00 and a local ecology center priced at $300-400. now that's on a part i risk purchasing and then the same thing happening again!! this local junk yard stated that this is a very typical problem they have had with mazda's coming in. i called mazda to find out if there was a recall on this problem. not!! it is a safety problem and a recall problem! i'm still paying on my car!! this is a financial hardship. please do something. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mazda tribute. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the steering wheel shook violently and became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated there was a failure with the charging unit and replaced the battery. after the battery was replaced, the failure continued. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Stopped for gas. upon turning vehicle back on there was no power steering. turned vehicle off then back on, still no power steering. it has never come back, and on most days steering is close to impossible, (steering wheel very tight, will not turn). driving this vehicle with no power steering is extremely difficult. must drive daily for work. *tr

For the past year and a half, the power steering in my 2008 mazda tribute has come and gone at various times mostly occurring in the winter months. at first i would just restart my car a few times and most of the time it would come back on. a few times it would go out when i was on the interested going 70 mph. it is very dangerous for me to be driving at such speeds without power steering. recently there has been no power steering at all. it is completely gone. i have talked about estimates to get it fixed and the cost is anywhere between $1200-$2000 to repair it. i have also researched this problem online and found that there are many other people with this problem and just read that ford has recalled their 2008 ford escape for this problem. this is pretty much the exact same vehicle. i think this needs to be addressed for 2008 mazda tributes as well before and serious injury can occur. *tr

When i went from leaving my driveway onto the st we live on i had no pwer steering so i continued to go to the mechanic and was very lucky as when i went to make a right turn couldn't steer it, hard to and hardly steer at all, ended up on the left side of a main st and should have been on the right, this was a very scary experience and don't know why mazda hasn't put a recall on the tribute they know there is the same problem with mazda 3 & 5 models, as i know of another person who had the same problem with their tribute 2008! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mazda tribute. the contact stated that while trying to complete a turn, the steering wheel seized and became difficult to turn. the contact shut off and restarted the vehicle as it began to function normally. the vehicle was driven to the contact's residence and was later taken to a private mechanic where the failure could not be duplicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the issue. the failure and current mileage was 83,000. updated 01/09/13*lj updated 1/11/2013 *js

The lower steering universal joint and 2 inner tie rods 1 outer were all found to contribute to poor alignment-the steering u-joint was improperly installed[mazda] when new --as the joint was supposed to move freely in 4 directions fluidly--but, when removed it was frozen;----and u- joint movement wasn't possible in two points or direction ; i.e. found loose -not greased--leading to slack and failure of the other named parts--which caused excessive slack overall in steering wheel! overall the warranty --was worthless and costs 2500.00 of sell price-so between these failures and a previous report we've spent over 2500.00 on repairs that should have been on mazda--these are repairs that were supposedly covered by warranty! *tr

When turning steering wheel a loud clunk noise is apparent and steering feels disconnected from vehicle while driving. *tr

While driving on the road, the power steering failed in the middle. there was no power to the steering et all. pulled over, stopped the car and restarted it went away. drove couple of more miles, again when the car went back to drive on battery power the power steering failed again.had to stop and restart again. the "wrench" symbol came on the dashboard. took it to the mechanic , he said the code shows power steering module inside the steering is "bad", checked with mazda and they said there is no recall on power steering for mazda tribute , but only to mazda 3 and 5. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mazda tribute. while driving approximately 5 mph and driving in reverse, the power steering stopped functioning. the failure occurred numerous times. the last time the failure occurred, the contact was driving on the highway and the power steering stopped working. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated the power steering motor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mazda tribute. the contact stated that transmission fluid was leaking from the front of the vehicle. the contact stated that he believe that the transmission cooler was cracked and causing the leak. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 108,000. updated 05/08/12*lj the consumer also stated the front wheel bearings were noisy, and had been since the day the vehicle was purchased and the outer tie rods needed to be replaced. updated 05/30/12