2005 Mazda Tribute

MY 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE AWD S IS RUSTED OUT IN THE RIGHT REAR WHEELHOUSE ALONG WITH THE SHOCK TOWER. NOT DRIVABLE AND SITTING STATIONARY. WHY RECALLS ONLY UP TO 2004 MODELS? VERY DISAPPOINTED. DOESN'T MAKE SENSE AS THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE. I HAVE A CAR NOT DRIVABLE AND NO MONEY FOR A NEW ONE. RETIRED WITH A FIXED INCOME. HELP!!??

A NOISE IN THE LEFT REAR DEVELOPED AND THE REAR SHOCK BROKE OFF. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON THE ENTIRE FRAME FROM BEHIND THE FRONT SEAT AREA BACK RENDERED THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I CONTACTED MAZDA CORP AND WAS TLD THAT YES THERE WERE KNOWN CASES OF EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON THAT ER AS WELL AS FORD ESCAPES DUE TO DEFECTIVE METAL USED IN MANUFACTURING. I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT MY FAULT AS I COULD NOT HAVE PREVENTED IT. THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AS THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTEE. THE MAZDA DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE STATED IT WAS NE OF THE WORST CASES THEY HAD SEEN AND NOT TO DRIVE IT. I WAS FORCED TO TRADE IT IN AT A GREAT LOSS BECAUSE I NEED A VEHICLE.

AS OTHERS HAVE STATED THE 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE HAS A SERIOUS FACTORY/MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT MAZDA HAS BLATANTLY IGNORING. WHILE DRIVING IN THE CITY LIMITS THE VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING A LOUD THUMPING NOISE COMING FROM THE PASSENGER REAR. UPON INSPECTION FOUND THAT THERE WAS BEYOND MAJOR RUST MAKING THE VEHICLE UNSAFE. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 123,817 MILES. THE REST OF THE VEHICLE IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WHEEL WELL AND SHOCK MOUNT ARE COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND MAZDA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IMMEDIATELY. MAYBE THEY PREFER TO SEE SOMEONE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED BY THE KIND OF ACCIDENT THIS FAILURE COULD CAUSE. A VEHICLE IN OTHERWISE GOOD CONDITION WITH THIS MILEAGE SHOULD NOT RELEGATE THE VEHICLE TO THE JUNK YARD OR LEAVE THE OWNER WITH A $2000- $3000 REPAIR.

START HEARING LOUD NOISE THUMBING SOUND IN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BACK END BY THE SHOCKS AS WE WERE DRIVING. IT STARTED GETTING LOUDER AND MORE CONSISTED. TOOK TO FORD DEALER THEY LOOKED AT IT SAID IT WOULD COST ABOUT $3,000+ TO FIX. THEN WE FIND OUT THAT THE 2001-04 HAD A RECALL ON THEM FOR THE SAME ISSUE, BUT THEY OVERLOOKED THE 05 THIS IS NOT RIGHT. FORD SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS BECAUSE I AM SURE THEY NEW THAT THEY SHOULD OF RECALLED THESE TRUCKS AS WELL. LOOK HOW MANY JUST ON HERE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. FORD SAID THEY JUST HAD SEVERAL IN THAT THEY JUST FIXED. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A PROBLEM. WHEN WE FIRST TOOK IT TO GET LOOK AT CAUSE WE WERE NOT SURE WHAT THE NOISE WAS THEY TOLD US WE NEED TO GET IT FIXED THE SHOCK COULD POSSIBLY COME THROUGH THE FLOOR BOARD IF NOT.

THERE IS EXCESSIVE CORROSION OF THE REAR STRUCTURE OF MY MAZDA. THE NOISE FROM THE PASSENGER REAR BECAME A THUNKING AND TODAY I FOUND THE TOP PORTION OF THE STRUT HAD RUSTED AND BROKE OFF. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION IT WAS FOUND THAT THE ENTIRE REAR HAS EXCESSIVE RUSTING TO THE STRUCTURE. I FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM RESULTED IN A RECALL OF THE SAME VEHICLE 2001-2004. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION THE MECHANIC STATED HE COULD NOT PUT THE VEHICLE ON A LIFT DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE CORROSION OF THE FRAME. I CONTACTED MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY STATED THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A RECALL FOR CORROSION IT DID NOT INCLUDE MY VIN. THE REAR STRUT BEING BROKEN AND THE BRACKET THAT HOLDS IT IN PLACE ARE NO LONGER ATTACHED.

AS RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THE 2001 - 2004 TRIBUTES HAVE RECALLS ON THE SUBFRAME OF THE VEHICLE, MY 2005 HAS THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE SUBFRAME AND IS SO RUSTED OUT THAT IT IS READY TO BREAK APART. I BELIEVE THIS IS THE SAME PART AS THE EARLIER MODELS AND MY VIN HAS BEEN LEFT OUT OF THE RECALL, I WOULD REALLY BE GREAT FULL IF WE CAN HAVE THIS MATTER RESOLVED BEFORE IT BECOMES A TRAGIC MATTER WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. I REMAIN. MY VEHICLE WILL BE GOING INTO THE DEALER TOMORROW MORNING FOR A DIFFERENT RECALL MATTER AT BAY SHORE MAZDA IN LONG ISLAND N.Y. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WITH NO PREVIOUS VISIBLE INDICATION, RUST ATE AWAY AT THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WELL AROUND THE SHOCK MOUNT. WE NOTICED A LOUD SQUEAKING ONE DAY FROM THE BACK AND, UPON INSPECTION, NOTICED TEH SEVER RUST DAMAGE. THE METAL HAD CORRODED BEHIND THE UNDERCOATING. THE SHOCK MOUNT IS NO LONGER ATTACHED AND THE VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. INSPECTION DOES NOT SHOW EXCESSIVE RUST ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE BODY.

THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THIS VEHICLE IS RUSTED AS PER THE COMPLAINTS, ONLY YEAR NOT RECALLED AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN. BUT UNRELATED TO THAT. DRIVING DAUGHTERS 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE AND BRAKES WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR NOT ALLOWING ME TO STOP THE CAR. I HAD TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR. IT WAS A TORN BRAKE HOSE THAT WAS SPEWING OUT FLUID THAT IMMEDIATELY DRAINED AND LEFT THE VEHICLE UNDRIVABLE. HAD TOWED TO SHOP TO REPAIR BRAKES, LEAK RUINED CALIPERS, REPLACE FRONT LINES TO ACCEPT NEW HOSES, ETC. $877 TO FIX. IF 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAD TAKEN CAR BACK TO COLLEGE, 6 HOURS ON INTERSTATE, COULD'VE BEEN CATASTROPHIC!

THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR STRUT UPPER MOUNT RUSTED AND BROKE AWAY FROM THE BODY AFTER 11 YEARS AND 126, 500 MILES. THE MAZDA WAS PURCHASED NEW IN JUNE 2005; AND ROUTINE AND AS NEEDED MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR WAS PERFORMED BY THE SAME MAZDA DEALER. I NOTICED RUST IN THE PASSENGER REAR SIDE WHEEL WELL IN 2014 AND BEGAN ASKING THE MAZDA DEALER ABOUT IT. DURING ALL MAZDA FULL CIRCLE SUSPENSION CHECKS PERFORMED BY THE MAZDA DEALER, THE SUSPENSION WAS MARKED OR CHECKED "OK" "GREEN", AND THEN IN JAN 2016- THE STRUT MOUNT RUSTED OUT OF THE BODY AND THE DEALER SAID THE CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I BELIEVE THIS WAS WAY TOO EARLY FOR THE CAR TO RUST OUT. I ALSO QUESTION THE INTEGRITY OF MAZDA'S FULL CIRCLE INSPECTION AND THE MAZDA DEALER. HAD THE MAZDA DEALER BEEN CANDID AND TOLD ME ABOUT THE RUST PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND YEAR RATHER THAN YEAR AFTER YEAR CONTINUING TO SUGGEST OTHER MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SERVICE, MOST LIKELY I WOULD HAVE TRADED OR SOLD THIS MAZDA BEFORE IT RUSTED OUT. BASED ON THIS EXPERIENCE, I WILL NOT PURCHASE ANOTHER MAZDA.