2005 Mazda Tribute: fire, smoke or burning smell

5 of the 377 complaints about the 2005 Mazda Tribute describe fire, smoke or burning smell.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 1%
typical mileage: 145,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 24 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year

2009
1
2005
5
2004
1
2003
8
2002
16
2001
10

What owners say

Filed Apr 23, 2018 · Engine · 161,000 miles · GA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. Upon starting the vehicle, smoke was noticed. The contact turned off the engine, but the passenger advised her to restart the engine to see from where the smoke was originating. When the vehicle was restarted, flames were seen coming from the ignition coil under the hood, passenger lift the hood and ignition went into flames. The passenger was able to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the ECM, spark plugs, and six coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer (kings colonial ford, 3565 community rd, brunswick, ga 31520), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 161,000. *tt

Filed Sep 21, 2017 · Electrical · 187,000 miles · MI · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While the vehicle was stationary, the contact's wife noticed that the vehicle caught on fire. Upon inspection, the contact observed the front driver's seat in flames. The fire department was notified of the fire; however, the contact extinguished the flames. The vehicle was not towed. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. There were no injuries reported. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000.

Filed Aug 30, 2017 · Suspension · 140,000 miles · NY

Passenger side wheel well including strut for top of shock absorber rusted causing a dangerous condition. In the 10 yrs I owned this car, no impending failure of that area was detected in all annual and other inspections.while driving in heavy truck traffic on i87 (pa) I heard a loud explosion, smelled burning rubber, and temporarily lost control of my vehicle. I maneuvered to the side of the highway, examined the rear passenger tire and was able to remove and bend pieces of metal that were rubbing on the tire. This is apparently a well-known problem with tributes and ford escapes (2001-?) and has been reported to those companies multiple times. I was able to cautiously proceed driving with vehicle to my destination. The car is unstable while making turns, especially if the road causes the right rear tire to bounce. None of the recall notices I received since buying this car in 2007 have ever mentioned right rear rust problems. If I had been notified of this impending dangerous condition I would have taken steps to prevent it. Does someone have to be seriously injured or killed before mazda and ford do the right thing to correct the obvious manufacturing defect in 2001-present (?) tributes and escapes?

Filed Aug 15, 2012 · Engine · 95,000 miles · GA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department reported to the scene and concluded that the fire began on the passenger side of the engine. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

Filed Nov 1, 2010 · Seats · 145,000 miles · LA · fire

I have a 2005 mazda tribute with 145000 miles. During the summer, I folded the rear seats down in the stowed position to utilize the cargo space to go on vacation. When I unstowed the seats to utilize them for passenger use, I discovered the right rear seat cushion had the fabric burned off the face of the seat. Also, the floor mat was severely burned and melted into the carpet. This area is just above the exhaust system of the vehicle. This is a very serious issue and the interior of the car almost caught on fire. I contacted mzda and they told me it was out of warranty and there is nothing they could do. They put my vehicle and an analyzer and found nothing wrong with my vehicle. I never had a check engine light come on. I explained that this was not a warranty issue, but a safety issue! They just blew me off and sent me on my way. I have photo's of the damage. I cannot even pull the back floor mat up due to it being melted into the carpet. It doesn't matter how old the car is, the interior is not suppose to catch fire through normal use for any reason. There is definitely a major safety issue with this design. Updated 11/16/2010 *bf