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2005 Mazda Tribute suspension complaints

Page 2 of 6: complaints 11 to 40 of 137, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2005 Mazda Tribute suspension problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Jun 20, 2019 · Suspension · 180,000 miles · IN

Takata recall the rear passenger shock mount has rusted to the point to where it makes a horrible clunk severe metal to metal rattle while driving. I refuse to allow my wife to drive it due to safety concerns of the shock coming loose and causing an accident. This noise can be heard driving as slowly as 5mph while driving straight and turning on a flat smooth road. Please make a recall for this year of mazda tribute as this is a major safety issue

Filed May 16, 2019 · Body, Driver assistance · 159,000 miles · MN

Many complaints of the rear frame of vehicle completely rusting out. The mechanics said it is unsafe to drive and costs thousands to fix. Most people will not notice this until it's too late.

Filed Mar 14, 2019 · Suspension · 98,000 miles · IN

Rear passenger side wheel well is rusted out so the shock that is mounted to said wheel well is freely swinging around. Mazda recalled tributes up to the year 2004 but the 2005 which has essentially the exact same design was not recalled. This is a known problem and a common problem for the 2005 mazda tribute. The wheel well is designed with thin sheet metal and neither the grade nor thickness prevent rusting. While the wheel well is designed to withstand the forces generated by the shock it does not seem to be designed to withstand those forces under conditions in which the wheel well has rusted. This is extremely unsafe and very easy to over look or not notice on a day to day basis which could lead to a failure at medium to low speeds.

Filed Feb 18, 2019 · Suspension · 168,000 miles · IN

Truck started making a loud noise coming from the rear passenger side. Upon inspection it was discovered that the inner wheel had rusted badly and left shock mount hanging on by a small metal band. Took it to a body shop they said because of the way the vehicle was constructed that it was impossible to fix. I have noticed there was a recall for this vehicle for 2001-2004 models and it appears for the number of complaints about this model on this registry that 2005 should be next.

Filed Jan 18, 2019 · Body, Suspension · 136,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. The contact stated that the rear passenger subframe and shock mount were extremely corroded. Halbinsel volkswagen mazda (located at 200 n 30th st, escanaba, mi 49829, (906) 789-9650) was notified, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.

Filed Dec 10, 2018 · Body, Suspension · 175,000 miles · MN

The entire passenger side wheel well is completely rusted out. When compared to the other wheel wells you can see the white foam that is supposed to be on the inside of my car. There is also a plastic piece missing due to the screws loosing their hold. The car makes a noise that sounds like there is something bouncing around in the back when in reality it is the suspension.

Filed Nov 5, 2018 · Suspension · 121,000 miles · MN

The rear passenger wheel well has rusted out. All of the other wheel wells look fine. I have owned this vehicle since it was new. 2000-2004 is covered in a recall. Why is 2005 not covered? Looking online it looks like this is a common problem with the 2005 and for some reason an unsafe 2005 tributes seems to have made it past being covered

Filed Nov 4, 2018 · Suspension · 200,000 miles · KY

Right rear starting making a loud knocking sound, investigated and found shock tower mount was rusted out, and banging into the inner body of the vehicle causing damage. Banging happens when driving.

Filed Oct 24, 2018 · Suspension · 110,000 miles · WI

Passenger side rear wheel well severely rusted, shock/strut detached from vehicle while driving. Loud thumping/banging noise coming from rear wheel. Took to mechanic to have inspected, deemed unsafe to operate on any roadway.

Filed Aug 6, 2018 · Body, Suspension · 99,997 miles · KS

The rear wheel well rusted out causing the shock to poke a hole thru the back of my cargo area. This created a very dangerous situation for driving. My son was driving the vehicle and almost lost complete control over the car due to this. Mazda has recalled 2004 and older for this exact problem but they have not recalled 2005.

Filed Jul 17, 2018 · Body, Suspension · 146,100 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving at an unknown speed, there was a loud sound coming from the rear passenger wheel of the vehicle. The contact coasted to the side of the road and noticed that the rear passenger side frame was corroded. The vehicle was taken to pugi mazda (1850 ogden ave, downers grove, il 60515, (877) 827-9086) where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger side wheel well was completely corroded and the rear shocks needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 146,100.

Filed Jun 14, 2018 · Suspension · MO

Right rear wheel well is completely rusted where it holds shock. This is the same problem of recalled 2001-2004 mazdas. This year should be recalled also.

Filed Apr 23, 2018 · Suspension · 110,000 miles · MI

The shock tower was completely rusted out on the drivers side rear. It is possible to see the tire. The rust began in gasoline entry area per the mechanic and then spread to the shock tower. This has also effected the threads on the tire. I believe these cars should be recalled immediately. This a dangerous issue. I should be reimbursed for repairs related to the rust totaling $1056. Does not include the need to replace the worn tires.

Filed Mar 23, 2018 · Suspension · 126,000 miles · NY

Both rear wheel well housings , sub frame , main supports rusted out , car now cannot be driven. Broke when it was being driven, car sank down on passenger side , started making aloud pounding sound , it happened on a busy city street.

Filed Jan 23, 2018 · Body, Brakes · 120,000 miles · TN

This mazda tribute has extensive and unrepairable rust to the body, understructure and suspension parts than makes it unsafe to drive. Structural integrity is compromised in the event of a collision, vehicle is prone to veer out of control due to missing suspension pieces and gas and exhaust fumes leak into the cabin due to rusted out and missing inner body panels.

Filed Jan 9, 2018 · Body, Suspension · 147,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda tribute. While driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal noise coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was severe corrosion on the a-frame and rear suspension support of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the rear suspension support fractured. Wilkins mazda (750 n york rd, elmhurst, il 60126, (630) 279-3000) was contacted, but was unable to provide assistance with having the vehicle repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

Filed Jan 2, 2018 · Body, Suspension · 126,000 miles · IL

Our 2005 tribute model has the same rusting out of the right and left rear wheel wells that the 2001-2004 models of the tribute have experienced. Those models were repaired under a recall, but this year's model and forward still have the same rusting out problem. Dealers for mazda and ford won't even look at this to repair it. Car is now basically undrivable. And from what I've found, mazdaworld.com says that most of these vehicle were actually manufactured in 2004 but dated to 2005 model year. But avoided the 2004 recall because of this I can find a kit on ebay to fix, but no dealers will do the work. There have been plenty of complaints, but no action on this known problem that has existed in prior model designs.

Filed Dec 15, 2017 · Suspension · 186,476 miles · DE

Right rear shock tower rusted out, came apart from the vehicle while driving 40 MPH

Filed Oct 26, 2017 · Body, Suspension · 142,000 miles · OH

Passenger rear wheel well completely rusted through leading to failure of the shock mount. Shock entering the vehicle cargo area through the body.

Filed Sep 25, 2017 · Suspension · 100,000 miles · KS

Rear shock towers excessive rust.

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 28, 2017 · Body, Suspension · 180,000 miles · MO

Right (passenger) rear wheel well rusted out so that shock is exposed and unattached. Suspension affected to the extent that car is not safe to drive.

Filed Jul 14, 2017 · Suspension · 60,000 miles · IL

On july 12, 2017 while driving my car to work I noticed several loud thumps coming from the back of my car. I stopped at the gas station to see where the noise was coming from and noticed that my right wear wheel well had rusted out. I walked over to the left side and noticed no erosion or rust. I took my car to the to a near body shop and the total to replace this would be over $2,000. I also searched on the web and found a website called aboutautomoble.com who had a list of 51 of the same complaints as mine.

Filed Jul 14, 2017 · Suspension · 140,000 miles · WI

Rusted through body back right wheel causing shock to push through inside of car.

Filed Jun 26, 2017 · Suspension · 145,000 miles · KS

I heard a loud creaking/thud noise coming from the rear passenger side wheel area while driving over any size bump/depression on city streets and highways. Looking closer, I saw that it was because the metal around that particular shock mount had rusted and cracked, and the mount would flex inwards when the shock was compressed. The problem is only on that wheel, and it is a common issue with other vehicles of the same model, so it must be a design flaw.

Filed Jun 24, 2017 · Body, Suspension · 99,000 miles · OH

Both rear wheel wells rusted out (passenger side much worse) causing shocks to come unmounted. Discovered by hearing thumping noise while driving.

Filed Jun 19, 2017 · Body, Suspension · 135,000 miles · NE

This vehicle is owned by me but used by my son in colorado. On a recent trip near moab, ut on the way to a camp site, my son heard a strange noise. Upon investigation he noted the frame in the right rear wheel well holding the upper end of the shock absorber had broken in two places from rust intrusion. An inspection of the left rear wheel well indicated minimal rusting. Since the tires were recently replaced this failure was a surprise as the mechanic didn't note excessive rust, cracking or signs of metal fatigue. When the incident occured my son was driving on a gravel road toward a designated campground just a short distance from a paved highway. Although the vehicle has 4 wheel drive, it was never used in a rough manner such as for 4 wheeling or on rough uneven surfaces. This was my personal vehicle until a year ago. We had just spent $1,500 for new tires, a carburator repair and a new windshield that a rock had cracked. It was our intent to own the vehicle a few years longer since it has only 135,000 and is in good condition. My son was able to safely return to steamboat, a 5 hour drive from moab, but was very concerned the entire shock would push through the wheel well causing the vehicle to list or drift resulting in loss of control or a rollover, I.e. Serious injury or death. A local body shop refused to make repairs due to the extensive damage. To make the vehicle salvage based on its current value and condition is unthinkable, yet if repaid cannot be made at a reasonable cost, this may be our only choice. My research suggest the right rear wheel rust is fairly common in tributes and escapes, yet no recall.

Filed May 30, 2017 · Suspension · 123,089 miles · CT

Passenger side inner rear wheel well rusted out and completely seperated shock from frame. I was driving along last week and suddenly started hearing a rattling sound. I pulled over to inspect only to find nothing in trunk. Took truck to mechanic only to be told the entire shock had seperated from frame. The other wheel well is rust free. This is a known problem in mazda tributes only recalled from 2001-2004, when tributes from 2001-2006 have interchangeable parts and tons of people online in all forums are experiencing the same rust problem in the same locations all over the us.

Filed Mar 28, 2017 · Body, Suspension · 120,000 miles · MA

Loud banging from rear of auto during drive, found that rear passanger side shock mount and housing completely rusted out. Cannot drive auto as its a safety problem as shock is not attached to anything

Filed Mar 12, 2017 · Body, Suspension · 117,000 miles · WA

The right, rear wheel well is completely rusted through and looks like a major accident waiting to happen. The shock mount is connected to this portion of the frame and will more than likely shear off soon. Upon searching this issue, it appears that several other 2005 mazda tribute and ford escape owners have experienced the same defect. Mazda/ford recalled 2001-2004 models for the same problem, but has yet to address the problem for the 2005 model year. Based on the widespread nature of the problem, it is obvious that this a factory defect and should be recalled either willingly or unwillingly.

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