Rust inside the rear right wheel well has corroded the frame and metal. Now it has started to rattle and I'm afraid my car will detach from that area. I've heard of many complaints about this problem. The manufacturer built it very poorly and easy for water and salt to get in that area and rust it out. There should be a recall on this. The ford escape and the mazda tribute are know for these problems. I see that for did a recall on their escape. Mazda should do the same.
2005 Mazda Tribute body complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 126, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was driving on an icy road, heard a loud bang, followed by a loud thumping noise from rear of vehicle. It caused me to lose control and slide into a snow bank. The right rear shock had broken loose and broke through the inside of cargo floor. I needed the SUV for going to work and had to get it repaired at the cost of over $1000. I feel mazda should reimburse me for the repair bill. The whole shock tower was rusted through.I still have a hole in the inside cargo floor.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the contact heard a banging noise underneath the front passenger seat. The contact pulled the vehicle over, looked underneath, and found that the shock of the rear passenger tire was detachted. The shock would lean against the tire while the vehicle was being turned. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the shock was detached and the area were the shock was located was completely rusted. The inside finder panel and the shock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact the vehicle was not covered by a recall. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.
I own a 2005 tribute that has been kept in meticulous condition. Always garaged and taken to the dealership for maintenance. The vehicle runs like new with no signs of wear and tear, and has been a great car. That all changed when a few weeks ago I was driving about 40 MPH down a residential street, and hit a small patch of bumps in the road (not potholes, just normal uneven pavement spots) and all of a sudden heard a jackhammer noise from the back of the car. The passenger side rear wheel well had completely disintegrated, leaving the wheel/suspension detached from the vehicle body/frame. Nothing was holding the suspension tower to the car. Had I been going faster or didn't stop right away this could have killed me. I have three small kids and I am so upset that such a dangerous condition is well-known. The way I found out was that I immediately went to the ford/mazda dealership when the noise happened. They took in the car and called me the next morning to say they wanted nothing to do with it because their corporate ford/mazda policy instructed them not to accept or work on vehicles with this defect. I'm shocked that ford/mazda would conceal such a dangerous known condition in their vehicles, putting thousands and thousands of people at risk without any warning. If I had received some kind of notification that the problem existed I would have gone to get it fixed right away at my own expense if needed, but instead I drove thousands of miles on the highway with my kids in the car ignorant to the fact that the car could have broken apart and caused us to crash without any warning.
2005 mazda tribute rear right wheel well rusted through shock protruding into the interior of the vehicle. Clear factory defect. Mazda will not fix this issue.
Completely rusted out right side rear wheel well and suspension support. Seems to be a common and dangerous problem. Visual inspection of the rear passenger side wheel well revealed that the suspension arm was broken away from the body of the vehicle, making it unsafe to drive based on a mechanic's opinion. The suspension mount rusted completely away from the wheel well and has now exposed the interior portion of the rear cargo area. There was a recall on the front side for this issue for up to model year '04, but not including '05 which has the same body??
I went to get my oil changed and the mechanic showed me my rear wheel well. The shock mount is completely rusted out and unsafe to drive. He said he has never seen anything that bad. I have to go to a body shop and get a whole new wheel well and shock system. It is going to cost around $1100.
I am also a victim of the rear passenger wheel well rotting out so bad that it can not be repaired. Vehicle only has 90,000 miles on it . Mazda should take responsibility for this since it is not an isolated case
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving 65 MPH, there was a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. It was diagnosed that the rear tail pipe had fallen off and the passenger side wheel well was rusted out. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
We heard a loud drubbing sound, like the back seat had come undone. In fact, the underneath of the seat, under the car had become so rusted that the shock was detached from the rest of the car, which was making that sound. I was driving with my kids in the car for 100's of miles like this! Mazda had a recall on 2002-2004 mazda tributes but did not include my mazda 2005, though made in 2004 and has the same issues as the recall, rust in the wheel well. Mazda will not fix it and will not pay for it since I had to fix it. I paid $1,086 to fix this, being without a car for a month. I was lucky that it was this cheap, only because they gave me a break. It was estimated to be over $2k. Even the clerk at mazda said these vehicles "are all known to rust", so I can obviously sue mazda on just that testimony, but otherwise, I have no recourse except to pay for this and wait and hope that a recall will pay me back some day.
In the rear passenerger side wheel well,rusted out so bad rear shock has pulled away from body,causing jole all wsy thru car. Saw online this is a commom problem with this model and sister ford escape heard recalls for 02 thru 04 models.
While driving the vehicle at a speed of about 35 MPH I felt what appeared to be a flat tire. After checking the tire, there was nothing obvious showing. At speeds about 55 MPH the sensation of a flat tire ceased, however, as soon as I would slow down, it would return, along with a loud noise. I took the car in to firestone tire. They discovered that the passenger side rear wheel well is completely rusted out. The strut housing is exposed and the wheel is at risk for literally separating from the vehicle. We were told that any small rear impact could cause the rear end of the vehicle to completely separate from the rest of the car. After having the vehicle checked by several different mechanics and body shops we were told that the vehicle is unsafe to drive and requires over $5800 in repairs. After contacting mazda, they refuse to acknowledge this as a recall and the only off they made was for $1,500-$3,000 off the purchase of a brand new mazda. We have cared for our vehicle impeccably. It only has 135,000 miles on it and has always had all maintenance performed. All other areas of the vehicle are in good condition. This is obviously an issue with the parts that were used on the assembly line during production. I find it very hard to believe that only one side in one area of the vehicle would rust out like this. Mazda should take responsibility for this before someone is seriously hurt or killed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving at various speeds, a popping sound emitted from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and discovered that the rear passneger side wheel well was rusted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,720.
The underside and even the fuel entry area is rusted and is beginning to affect the exterior paint job around the truck and doors.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The contact stated that there was a grinding sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the subframe and shock mounts fractured from excessive corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal sound emitted from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger side wheel well and frame was rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 168,000.
Rear shock mount rusted, right side. Can not drive my car and no one will buy it in this condition. The body shop cannot repair and he said it is too dangerous to drive. It can cause an accident.
Extreme rust/corrosion in the wheel well area - frame degraded and fell away from the body -- shock coming loose - occurred while driving on city street - going straight.
The passenger side rear wheel well is rusted out and the shock absorber is exposed and barely supported. The driver side is fine. There was a recall for this problem for the prior 4 years to this. It will be un-driveable soon.
My right rear wheel well is completely rotted out. My body shop told me this should not ever happen. Also told me it was a bad piece of steel used in the manufacture and I could have been killed if it had not been detected and I kept driving it. The rest of my SUV is immaculate. I have seen other complaints on this. It is costing me $1500.00 to repair. I was driving and started hearing a rattling sound and stopped at a mechanic. My mechanic told me thank god you stopped before you got hurt.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving 30 MPH, the contact heard a banging noise. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger wheel well was corroded and the shock was exposed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 178,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal bouncing motion from the rear passenger side tire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the undercarriage was corroded through and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000.
2005 mazda while driving on a city street I heard a loud clunk coming from the right rear of the vehicle. I discovered that the right rear wheelhouse had rusted out and the shock tower had completely broken off. The left wheelhouse is close behind. This is the same problem addressed by a mazda recall for 2001-2004 models. Why hasn't mazda been forced to address the problem with the 2005 model?
Similar to others, started hearing a knocking/rattling in the right rear. Upon inspection the right rear wheel well is rusted out, and the knocking continues to get worse. Similar to the recall by mazda for 2001 - 2004 models. Car will be unsafe to drive and should be addressed by mazda.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving 35 MPH, a rattling noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to observe the vehicle and noticed that the strut mount for the rear passenger side was severely rusted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the entire rear quarter panel assembling and wheel well were severely rusted and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
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).
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