2005 Mazda Tribute

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THERE WAS A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENTIRE WHEEL WELL WAS RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE RE-WELDED AND RESTRUCTURED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

THE CAR BEGAN MAKING A LOUD BANGING NOISE FROM THE RIGHT REAR. UPON INSPECTION BY OUR MECHANIC IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A COMPLETE RUSTING THROUGH OF THE RIGHT REAR WELL, CAUSING THE SHOCK TO NO LONGER BE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME. THE SHOCK WAS ACTUALLY VISIBLE FROM THE INSIDE REAR OF THE CAR. WE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE. MAZDA WAS UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE FAILURE, IN SPITE OF MY FINDING NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE SAME FAILURE ON BLOGS. A FRAME SHOP HAD TO INSTALL A NEW INNER WHEEL HOUSE PANEL. COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $2000.

MY MAZDA 2005, HAS TOTALLY RUSTED OUT ON THE PASSENGER BACK WHEEL WELL. THE SUSPENSION IS AFFECTED AS WELL. THE REPAIRS ARE GOING TO BE VERY COSTLY AND I FOUND OUT THAT THE 01-04 MODELS HAVE DONE THE SAME AND THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME EXACT ISSUE. MAZDA NEEDS TO EXTEND THE RECALL TO INCLUDE THE 05 MODEL AS WELL. I AM ALSO FILING A REPORT WITH MAZDA.

I PURCHASED MY 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE BRAND NEW FROM MARTIN MAZDA, LOCATED IN NEWARK, DE. MY VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND I JUST DRIVE IT BACK AND FORTH TO WORK. IN JANUARY I STARTED HEARING A LOUD NOISE IN THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE WHICH STARTED TO GET LOUDER AND LOUDER. IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WAS BOUNCING/RATTLING AROUND. ON FEBRUARY 10, 2015 I TOOK MY CAR TO NUCAR MAZDA IN NEW CASTLE WHO HAS SERVICED MY VEHICLE SINCE 2005. [XXX] , MAZDA SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME THAT THE RIGHT REAR SUBFRAME AND WHEELWELL HAD RUSTED AWAY AND THAT IT WAS UNSAFE FOR ME TO DRIVE. THE BRAKE LINE HAD STARTED TO RUST, AS WELL. THE SHOCK ATTACHED T THE VEHICLE HAD RUSTED AWAY, AS WELL. HE EXPLAINED THAT THE REAR COULD COLLAPSE. I CONTACTED MAZDA HEADQUARTERS AND THEY SAID THAT DUE TO THE WAY THAT DELAWARE SALTS THEIR ROADS IS WHY THIS RUST OCCURRED ONLY ON THE RIGHT SIDE. A FAMILY MEMBER SUGGESTED THAT I GET AN ESTIMATE FROM A BODY SHOP. NORTHEAST BODY SHOP WAS ABLE TO REPAIR ALL OF THE PARTS THAT HAD RUSTED OUT AT A COST OF $2,710.00. [XXX] , OWNER STATED THAT THIS RUSTING OUT WAS DUE TO THE UNDERCOATING WAS NOT COVERING THE PARTS THAT RUSTED OUT. HE PROVIDED ME WITH THE ENTIRE PIECE THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED AND YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I FEEL THAT MAZDA SHOULD TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECT ON MY VEHICLE. I BELIEVED IN MAZDA AND I AM VERY UPSET THAT I WAS DRIVING AN UNSAFE VEHICLE FOR THIS PERIOD OF TIME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

AFTER HEARING RATTLING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER-SIDE WHEN GOING OVER POTHOLES, I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR SHOCK/STRUTS. I WAS TOLD THAT THE NOISE WAS NOT MY SHOCKS, BUT THAT THE WHEEL WELL WAS RUSTED OUT. THE SHOCKS WERE OK, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING TO ATTACH THEM TO. I WAS FURTHER TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN CORROSION THIS BAD ON A 10YR OLD CAR WITH 50,000 MILES. ADVICE WAS TO FIND A BODY SHOP TO FABRICATE A PART. I'VE READ THAT THIS IS OCCURRING WITH LOTS OF MAZDA TRIBUTES AND FORD ESCAPE IN DIFFERENT YEARS. SO WHY ISN'T MAZDA/FORD MAKING THESE REPAIRS. THIS IS A DEFECT. I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A HONDA: SOMETHING I TRUST. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I BEGAN TO NOTICE A LOUD BANGING COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR. AFTER INSPECTING THE REAR DOOR TO VERIFY THE SOUND WAS NOT AN OPEN DOOR, I FOUND THAT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR, SPECIFICALLY THE REAR RIGHT AXLE, WAS RUSTED AND DETERIORATING. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION I FOUND THAT THE SHOCK MOUNT HAD RUSTED, A PROBLEM THAT WILL SOON CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR THE WHEEL MOUNT. THERE ARE A MULTITUDE OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE, ALL POINTING OUT THAT THIS IS A FACTORY ISSUE, AND ALL MAZDA TRIBUTES AND FORD ESCAPES IN THIS YEAR RANGE HAVE THIS EXACT PROBLEM. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT MUST BE FIXED IN THE NEXT WEEK OR ELSE I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR- A CAR I HAVE OWNED FOR LESS THAN A YEAR. *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WHEEL WELL HAS RUSTED OUT SUCH THAT THE SUSPENSION IS NOW PROTRUDING INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THIS WAS DISCOVERED WHEN REGULAR RATTLING FROM THE AREA PROGRESSED INTO LOUD BANGS WITH EACH BUMP. THE MECHANIC WHO DISCOVERED STATED THAT THE RUST WAS ABNORMAL, EVEN FOR THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA, AND THAT NONE OF THE OTHER WHEEL WELLS EXHIBITED ANY SIGNS OF RUSTING. HE STATED IT WAS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND THAT THIS CONDITION WAS MOST LIKELY THE RESULT OF SOME SORT OF MANUFACTURING DEFECT (AS OPPOSED TO REGULAR AND EXPECTED OXIDATION). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE REAR WHEEL WELL AND SHOCKS WERE CORRODED DUE TO CORROSION, WHICH ALSO BECAME FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 121,000.