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2009 Mazda Tribute

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Fewer warning signs than most model years

Owner complaints for the 2009 Mazda Tribute are lower than the model-year median of 143.5.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

29 reports with mileage · 6 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Steering. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

Fuel System, Other complaints

1 reports
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22 miles · Feb 12, 2010
Fuel System, OtherVehicle Speed Control

I PURCHASED A 2009 MAZDA TRIBUTE FROM JIM ELLIS MAZDA IN ATLANTA, GA. UPON DRIVING THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED THE GAS PEDAL HAD A STRANGE FEEL TO IT, BUT THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. I ASSUMED THAT IT MUST BE A FEATURE WITH NEW CARS, AS IT HAD BEEN YEARS SINCE I'D PURCHASED A NEW CAR AND EXPECTED TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES. NEVERTHELESS, AS M…

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I PURCHASED A 2009 MAZDA TRIBUTE FROM JIM ELLIS MAZDA IN ATLANTA, GA. UPON DRIVING THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED THE GAS PEDAL HAD A STRANGE FEEL TO IT, BUT THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. I ASSUMED THAT IT MUST BE A FEATURE WITH NEW CARS, AS IT HAD BEEN YEARS SINCE I'D PURCHASED A NEW CAR AND EXPECTED TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES. NEVERTHELESS, AS MONTHS HAVE PROGRESSED AND SEVERAL OF MY FRIENDS HAVE DRIVEN MY CAR HAVE SAID THAT THE GAS PEDAL ISSUE IS NOT IN ANYWAY NORMAL. TO BE MORE SPECIFIC REGARDING THE ISSUE, EACH TIME I ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, THE GAS PEDAL STICKS, OR GETS STUCK AND I HAVE TO PUSH IT HARDER SO IT WILL CONTINUE TO GO. I'VE OFTEN FOUND MYSELF ALMOST SPEEDING OUT OF CONTROL AND HAVE HAD TO RESOLVE TO DEFENSIVE DRIVING TO AVOID COLLISIONS. I CALLED MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE TODAY AND WAS INFORMED TO CONTACT THE DEALER; HOWEVER, THEY WERE NOT AVAILABLE TODAY. I WILL CONTACT THEM TO SEEK A RESOLUTION FROM THIS ISSUE AS IT APPEARS THIS HAS BEEN AN ON GOING ISSUE WITH THE TRIBUTE SINCE 2005. FURTHERMORE, ANOTHER ISSUE THAT IS EXTREMELY NOTICABLE IS SMOKE OR STEAM, I AM UNSURE, COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR DURING COLD WEATHER. I CAN BE AT A COMPLETE STOPE WITH THE ENGINE IDELING, AND CLOUDS OF SMOKE COME FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AS IF IT WERE ON FIRE. HOWEVER, UPON MY INSPECTION, I DO NOT SEE FLAMES. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AS OTHER CONERNED DRIVERS HAVE FLAGGED ME DOWN THINKING MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. ALTHOUGH AT THIS TIME I HAVE NOT SEEN THE DEALER, AND WILL GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE ISSUES, I FEEL IT NECESSARY TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT FORM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10310116

Official recalls

1

14V282000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

May 29, 2014

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Tribute vehicles manufactured October 5, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 7614E.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.