Right front brake hose ruptured when pulling into a parking spot (parking lot), resulting in full loss of brakes. Inspection revealed excessive wear of both front brake hoses (from line to caliper), particularly in the region around the crimped metal fittings.
2003 Mazda Tribute: brake failure
8 of the 199 complaints about the 2003 Mazda Tribute describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 47,500
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 6 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mazda tribute. While driving at approximately 55 MPH, the brakes failed and the air bag light illuminated. The vehicle was merged over to side of the road. The contact was aware that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 07v157000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 202,654.
Bought mazda tribute 2003 from carmax on 06/26/08. Mother was driving truck w/my daughter (6), when the brakes failed and collided w/van in front of her. Two hrs after the accident, took the truck to the local carmax. Explained to them what happened and asked were there any recalls on the truck. The lady in the service department said she did not know and gave me the toll free number to mazda. I called from their facility and found out that there was an open recall for the ABS module. I explained that to the service person. The manager came out to speak with me and said that I would have to take it to my insurance company. Because I had geico insurance, the manager said that there was an adjuster across the street from their bldg. By this time it was 17:45. I rented a vehicle to get my family home and called the carmax that I purchased the car from. I spoke with laurie doolittle, the manager of carmax in charlottesville, virginia, she advised me there was nothing that she could do but she would check with someone higher than her. She called me back around 1805 and said that it is unfortunate what happened, however "the ABS module has nothing to do with the being drivable". I was in shock. Me and my family could have been killed! We only had the truck 5 days! I called that morning before accident to get a 2004 mazda tribute with lower miles and lower price transferred in to the carmax in charlottesville! After several calls to carmax's customer svc (headqrtr) repeatedly hearing that I was at fault for the accident because I did not register the vehicle with mazda. Went to chville carmax to speak w/laurie doolittle in person. I asked her to rebuy the car. Laurie said no. I had an application from consumer affairs and started to fill in the blanks and noted the time and date of the request to rebuy the car due to the recalls that were on my VIN. (07/07/08 time 17:05) today 07/08/08, geico still working on it!
I purchased a 2003 mazda tribute on june 26, 2008. The car was wrecked today 7/1/08. The brakes failed to operate and ran into the back of a van in front of us. I took the vehicle back to the auto dealer, explained what happened ( I had a 5 day return policy) I was told the vehicle is no longer able to return because it was wrecked. The dealer also said that they were not liable for any factory recalls. The dealer gave me the toll free number to call mazda. It turns out that there was a recall on ABS brakes for my vehicle and it was never brought in to be serviced. I'm thankful no one was hurt. I had driven 500 miles prior to the accident at speeds from 5-70mph. We could have been killed!!!!!!!
Mazda tribute 2003 only 30,300. Miles took in for general service to be informed my brakes & rotors need to be replaced at once could be a safety issue. Rotors had unusual wear pattern & pads were worn smooth. I understand the two materials are not working together and pads are harder than rotor material. This is a safety issue which could result in brake failure or fire.
Catastrophic front disc brake failure on 2003 mazda tribute after only 56,651 miles, requiring complete replacement of both front disc pads and both front rotors. Dealer indicated that they were seeing excessive wear, and frequent replacement on front disc brakes, which indicated that they were under designed by mazda or that mazda was using inferior quality brake pads.
Parking brake failure, passenger seat heater turns itself on, cd player failure, radio failure.
While driving about 45 MPH on the highway and without warning the vehicle shut down. Steering locked/ brakes failed, and headlights were flickering on and off. Driver lost control of the vehicle, and went into a fence, causing a collision. Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy. The driver's side air bag did not deploy. Driver suffered injuries, and was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems
- Mazda North American Operations has approved an additional on-car brake lathe as an option for MNAO...
- Mazda North American Operations has approved an additional on-car brake lathe as an option for...
- Wheel speed sensor removal tip
- Excessive front brake rotor wear and/or brake dust accumulation on the front wheels
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
- What is wrong
- On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with antilock brakes (ABS), the ABS module connector may have missing or dislodged wire seals. This condition could allow contamination to enter the module connector, creating a potential for an electrical short.
- Risk
- An electrical short might cause an ABS malfunction that would illuminate the ABS warning light, and in some cases, the module may overheat resulting in burning odor, smoke, and/or fire. This condition could occur either when the vehicle ignition switch is in the off position or while the vehicle is being operated.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the wire harness connector to the ABS module for missing or dislodged wire seals, and repair or replace the harness connector as appropriate. The dealer will also inspect the connector on the ABS module and replace it if it is found to be corroded or damaged. The recall began on may 9, 2007. Owners may contact mazda at 1‑800‑222‑5500.
Recall number 07V157000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Mazda Tribute brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 2003 Mazda Tribute?
8 of 199 owner complaints about the 2003 Mazda Tribute (4%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Mazda Tribute?
There is 1 recall and 6 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Mazda Tribute
Stalling 24Airbag light 22ABS 16Adaptive cruise 8Fire or smoke 8Ball joint 7Jerking 7Check engine light 6Hesitation 5Sudden acceleration 5Transmission failure 5
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