2004 Mazda Tribute Brakes Problems

WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE BRAKE PEDDLE PULSATE, THE BRAKES GRIND AND VIBRATE THE CAR, AND THE CAR PULLS TO THE LEFT. NO INDICATORS LIGHTS LIGHT UP. THE PULSATING IN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS THE SAME AS ONE WOULD FEEL WHEN THE ABS ENGAGES, BUT THE GRINDING AND PULLING TO THE LEFT ARE NOT NORMAL. THE VEHICLE'S BRAKES WERE INSPECTED AND THE TECHNICIAN SAID THEY DID NOT NEED REPLACEMENT AS THEY WERE NOT WORN. I EXPLAINED THE PULSATING AND THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THEM. THEY REPLACED THE PADS AND ROTORS. THEY DID NOT TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. UPON LEAVING THE GARAGE AND BRAKING, I HEARD AND FELT THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS I DESCRIBED ABOVE, ALTHOUGH NOT AS SEVERE. DUE TO THE LATE HOUR, I CONTINUED HOME. A COUPLE WEEKS LATER MY HUSBAND TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE GARAGE. THIS TIME THE TECHNICIAN DROVE IT TO SEE FOR HIMSELF. UPON HIS INSPECTION, HE FOUND SOME RUST, BUT INDICATED THE BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE IN WORKING ORDER. THE PULSATING OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE GRINDING NOISE, AND THE PULLING TO THE LEFT HAVE BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED WHENEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. IT DOES NOT MATTER THAT THE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED GENTLY, THE SYMPTOMS STILL OCCUR. I REVIEWED MY RECALL INSPECTION PAPERWORK FROM 06/14.07 PERFORMED BY A MAZDA DEALERSHIP. MY PAPERWORK NOTES THE TECHNICIAN SHOULD "PERFORM 4507C RECALL. PERFORMED RECALL TO MAZDA GUIDELINES." THE PAPERWORK DOES NOT INDICATE WHETHER ANYTHING WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AT THE TIME. I CALLED THE MAZDA CORPORATE OFFICE AT 800-222-5500 THIS AFTERNOON AND SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE. HE INDICATED THAT IF A DEALERSHIP PERFORMED THE RECALL INSPECTION AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AT THE TIME, THAT THE RECALL WAS COMPLETED. I ASKED IF THE RECALL ISSUES WERE NOW OCCURRING ON MY CAR, EVEN THOUGH NOTHING WAS FOUND IN 2007, WOULD MAZDA REPAIR THE EQUIPMENT. *TR

2004 MAZDA TRIBUTE FROST BUILDS UP ON THE BRAKE PADS WHEN IT IS COLD-CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO STOP PROPERLY. THIS HAS HAPPENED 2 TIMES AND WE HAD THE BRAKES CHECKED OUT AT 2 SEPARATE PLACES PLUS CALLED THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND WERE TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM IS FROST ON THE BRAKE PADS. VERY DANGEROUS! OUR COLLAGE AGE SON WAS COMING HOME FROM WORK, COMING OFF THE INTERSTATE, AND COULD NOT STOP AT THE STOP SIGN ON THE RAMP! (22 YEAR OLD 4.0 PHARMACY STUDENT). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA TRIBUTE. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECREASED SPEED AND FELT AS THOUGH IT WAS LOSING POWER. THE SPEED WOULD NOT INCREASE ABOVE 5 MPH AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE PROPERLY. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND IT WOULD TAKE 1-3 MONTHS TO RECEIVE THE PART. AFTER 4 WEEKS, THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, WHEN THE SHIFTING GEARS FROM PARK, REVERSE, AND DRIVE SHE HEARD A GRINDING NOISE. THERE WAS ALSO LITTLE OR NO RESISTANCE IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE MAKING RIGHT AND LEFT TURNS. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07E023000 IS RELATED TO THE SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V583000 IS RELATED TO THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES. THE CONTACT IS AWARE OF THE SAFETY RISK IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 53,000.

SECOND TIME REPLACING ROTORS ON 2004 FWD MAZDA TRIBUTE. ONLY 61K ON VEHICLE. FIRST ROTORS REPLACED AT 25K. *TR

AT 47,968 MILES AND WHEN MY MAZDA TRIBUTE WAS FOUR MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY, I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED NEW FRONT BRAKE PADS AND TO HAVE THE ROTORS RESURFACED COSTING $340. AFTER THEY HAD THE CAR UP, I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH MATERIAL ON THE ROTOR TO RESURFACE AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO HAVE THE ROTORS REPLACED, COSTING $485 BEFORE A COUPON. I REQUESTED AND STILL HAVE THE PARTS THEY REPLACED AND FEEL THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG AFTER READING OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS PROBLEM ON A CAR WITH SO LITTLE MILEAGE (AND MOSTLY HIGHWAY MILES). ALSO, THE CD PLAYER BROKE ONCE UNDER WARRANTY (IT FAILED TO EJECT OR PLAY CDS) AND WAS REPLACED, BUT HAS BROKEN AGAIN AFTER 18 MONTHS - SAME PROBLEM. THE CD REPAIR IS VERY EXPENSIVE - ABOUT $500 TO EXCHANGE FOR A REBUILT UNIT AND OVER $300 TO REPAIR MINIMUM AND THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN OF THE UNIT. THE DEALER AND MAZDA COULD NOT TELL ME THE PART NUMBER OR MAKER OF THE UNIT AND A COUPLE OF DEALERS DID NOT EVEN OFFER A REPAIR OPTION, SAYING THE UNIT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. *TR

AT 39720 MILES I BROUGHT MY 2004 MAZDA TRIBUTE IN FOR A PROBLEM THAT TURNED OUT TO BE LEAKS IN THE TRANSFER CASE AND TIMING CHAIN COVER WHICH WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. AT THAT TIME, THE MAZDA SERVICE CENTER (#1) TOLD ME THAT THE FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTORS HAD WORN BELOW MINIMUMS, COULD NOT BE RESURFACED AND SHOULD BE REPLACED. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE PADS WERE AT THEIR MINIMUM THICKNESS AND SHOULD ALSO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS AFTER HAVING TAKEN THE SAME CAR TO A DIFFERENT MAZDA DEALER'S SERVICE CENTER (#2) ONE WEEK EARLIER AND BEING TOLD THAT THE FRONT BRAKES WERE OK (5/32 ON PADS; 2/32 BEING THE LEGAL LIMIT) AND COULD PROBABLY GO FOR ANOTHER YEAR BEFORE NEEDING TO BE CHANGED. THAT TECHNICIAN (#2 DEALER) DIDN'T SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE ROTORS. I WAS TOLD BY THE #1 DEALER THAT THE ROTORS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER THE MAZDA WARRANTY - THIS WAS CONSIDERED A NORMAL WEAR ITEM. HOWEVER, MAZDA'S OWN NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AGREED WITH ME THAT ROTORS ARE TECHNICALLY NOT A "WEAR" ITEM. THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN 30 YEARS OF DRIVING CARS WITH DISC BRAKES THAT I HAVE EVER HAD TO REPLACE A ROTOR; THE LAST TIME THE CAR HAD 90,000 MILES ON IT. ROTORS GENERALLY DON'T WEAR AT ANYWHERE NEAR THE SAME RATE AS PADS. ALSO, THERE WAS NO WARNING TO ME WHILE DRIVING THAT I WAS GETTING TO A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITION. THE BRAKES APPEARED TO WORK FINE, DID NOT PULL TO ONE SIDE OR MAKE ANY KIND OF SQUEALING OR METAL-ON-METAL SOUNDS. THIS IS A SERIOUS CONDITION WORTHY OF A RECALL! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE A WHILE AGO AS I HAVE HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM FOR MORE THAN A YEAR NOW! THE FACT THAT TWO MAZDA TRAINED TECHNICIANS CAME UP WITH TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ASSESSMENTS OF MY BRAKES IS ALSO CAUSE FOR CONCERN. *NM

AT 35,000 MILES I BROUGHT MY 2004 MAZDA TRIBUTE INTO FIRESTONE FOR A BRAKE INSPECTION. AT THIS TIME, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ROTORS HAD WORN BELOW MINIMUM SPECIFICATION, COULD NOT BE RESURFACED AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. I AUTHORIZED THIS WORK TO BE COMPLETED AND PAID FOR THE REPAIRS. SUBSEQUENTLY I WENT TO SHOWCASE MAZDA DEALERSHIP TO REQUEST A REFUND FOR THE AMOUNT I PAID FOR NEW ROTORS. THEY INFORMED ME THAT ROTORS WERE A "WEAR" ITEM, EVEN THOUGH ROTORS ARE NOT LISTED IN THE WARRANTY EXCLUSIONS. I WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF THE SOFT MATERIAL THESE ROTORS ARE MADE FROM, THEY WEAR MORE EASILY. IN MY OPINION THIS IS "DEFECTIVE MATERIAL" NOT A "ROUTINE WEAR ITEM". THE WARRANTY STATES "WORN BRAKE AND CLUTCH LININGS" ARE EXCLUDED. A ROTOR IS NOT A BRAKE LINING. I BELIEVE MAZDA SHOULD PAY FOR REPLACEMENT OF ALL WORN ROTORS DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD, INCLUDING MINE. BRAKES ARE CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE AND ROTORS WEARING OUT IN 35,000 MILES AND EVEN LESS AS I'VE READ AT SOME AUTOBYTEL.COM POSTINGS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND SHOULD BE FIXED BY MAZDA AT NO CHARGE TO THE OWNER. *NM

THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP FOR A ROUTINE INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT BOTH FRONT ROTORS ARE SEVERELY OUT OF ROUND AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. *NM