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SUVs Mazda Tribute Mazda Tribute Transmission Problems
58 messages, Last post on Nov 14, 2009 at 5:15 AM
You are in the Mazda Tribute Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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I have a 2003 Mazda Tribute (bought new in 2004) with 59,635 miles on it. The miles are at least 80% highway miles. I'm 64 years old and I don't abuse this vehicle. I'm on my third transmission. The first failed with 18,742 miles on it. Polar Mazda (White Bear Lake, Minnesota) replaced that transmission with a rebuilt one. The second transmission failed 7-19-09 with 59,635 miles on it. I am now on my third transmission. This third transmission (rebuilt) cost me $3,200.00 to have it installed. I shopped around to get the best price. I called Kennedy transmission and they wanted between $2,800.00 and $3,500.00 to have the transmission tore apart and fixed with second party parts. I figured they would've charged me the max, $3,500.00. I decided to have Polar do the work, because I had a $300.00 coupon from Mazda. We got the coupon because of the problems we were having with my wife's 2004 Mazda 6 which was about to go off warranty with only 16,000 miles on it. Yes we were stupid enough to buy two Mazda's! I believed the good reviews at the time we bought the vehicles. The total price of their transmission (rebuilt) was $3,500.00 - $300.00 = $3,200.00. They also told me (over the phone) their warranty was 3 years or 100,000 miles, which sold me on having Polar do the work. Kennedy's warranty was two years. When I picked up the Tribute I asked the manager about the warranty. He said it was a one year warranty. Another manager agreed with him about the one year warranty. I told them they lied to me and I was going to call Mazda about the situation. When I got home the manager from Polar called me and said the parts dept. got a bulletin and the warranty was a three year warranty. God manager huh! You would think he would get all the bulletins and read them. I would never buy another Mazda again. We have had many problems with both our vehicles, too many to mention. One day when we were at the dealership a girl brought her Mazda 6 in and the transmission was going out. I suppose it's the same trany as the Tribute with the V6. It's a Ford engine and transmission. My advice to everyone who reads this, stay away from Mazda. The next vehicle I buy will be a Toyota. |
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I forgot to note, three days after I brought home my Mazda Tribute (with the 3rd. transmission) there was a big transmission fluid mess on my garage floor. Good job POLAR MAZDA OF WHITE BEAR LAKE, MINNESOTA. Get some mechanics that know what they are doing. The leak (they say) was caused by the speed sensor. It took them FOUR DAYS to figure that out.
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Replying to: cjad (Aug 07, 2009 11:07 am) |
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Replying to: pg08 (Jun 09, 2009 11:21 am) |
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Replying to: cjad (Aug 07, 2009 11:07 am) tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper |
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Replying to: wedding1 (Mar 25, 2008 6:35 pm) 
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| I'm very sad to read the reports about the transmission problem with the Tribute. I just bought one less than a month ago. I'm experiencing the a jolt / thump when taken off. I just email the dealer for advise, but I think this is a major problem. I don't even have my permanent plates and trouble is in the horizon. Any legal advise for the consumer. Does the lemon laws applied in this case? Thanks | |
It's terrible that we have this one thing in common. Just a few weeks ago we were saying what a great lil' truck out '06 Tribute had been to us. Absolutely NO problems, untilllll the ABS light came on & the car would make a grinding sound when you accelerated and it wouldn't go anywhere. No problem, so we thought, we got it looked at and the ABS sensor on the front axle was broken and had to be replaced. When the mechanic was dropping my car off he noticed that the grinding noise was louder and oddly still there. Being that he is a BMW specialist he made a few calls and found out that Mazda Tributes had been coming back to the dealer with transmission problems. The dealer we purchased from had gone out of business a few months back, no problem we went to another local dealer. Come to find out our perfect lil' SUV had a major transmission problem that would cost roughly $4000-$5000 to fix. The truck is a '06 bought in 05, with ONLY 33,000 miles on it, and just y luck the warranty had expired ONE month before we figured this all out. We were told that just maybe because the warranty had JUST expired they'd fix it as a customer courtesy. (I also have another Mazda.) HAHAHA It's been TWO weeks of having my SUV parked outside my house because it is completely unsafe to drive. Just today did the "warranty man" let the dealer know that it's going to have to come out of my pocket. The reason is because I couldn't find proof of OIL changes, when I finally did, they accused me of printing them up myself (did not - good idea though), since it didn't have the mechanic phone number on it and no invoice numbers. That mechanic is actually a certified Chrysler mechanic but whatever. So now my PERFECT condition, Tribute is at a local garage to see how much they will charge me. But mark my words Mr. Mazda man, I will not go down quietly. I have all the big wigs addresses and some email addresses. The Mazda customer service says that the "warranty man" is the one that calls it. Kiss my butt Mazda I will NEVER give you another penny! I should've learned my lesson when my NEW Protege came with a body defect. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me!    
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I noticed about a month or 2 ago, my 2005 Mazda Tribute (about 105,000 miles) started jerking when I took off in 1st gear (it's got a manual transmission)... then about a week ago, I started sensing some slipping, but thought it was my imagination and it would go away. I was praying that actually, because I cannot afford any major car repairs. I still owe almost $6,000 on this car, I've had a lot of financial problems in the past few years and had to refinance the car. I don't know what I'm going to do if I need a new transmission, and all signs are pointing that way! I would agree that the car isn't worth paying $3000 + for a new transmission, but I can't afford to buy a new car, much as I'd like to! Having filed for bankruptcy 1 1/2 years ago, no one would approve a car loan OR a loan to pay for a new transmission!! I don't know what I'm going to do!!!
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I purchased my 2009 Mazda Tribute on August 15, 2009 and it was in the shop August 17,2009 with 3,465 miles on it I had my transmission replaced on August 28,2009. After about a week of driving with the new transmission in it, my SUV started to bump again when it was shifting from 3rd to 4th gear normaly between 30 and 40 mph. It went back in the shop September 21,2009, they told me they ran every test possible and could not get it to duplicate what the problem is. I had to go up there and drive my SUV with the technician in my car to make him feel the problem. He felt it, but could not do anything about it, because it would not duplicate with him driving. Went and picked up my car drove it for a few week and placed it back in the shop October 24,2009. They have still told me nothing is wrong with my vehicle, even though I drove it with the technician in the car with me and he felt it again..... After having my vehicle in their shop for a week and a half, they have now told me that the Tributes have an Adaptive Transmission, and they will miss and bump until they adapt to your driving style.... Well my vehicle has not adapted to my driving style in the 2 months that I have had my new transmission something is wrong with this picture.... If I knew I was going to have this much problem with this vehicle I would not have bought it... I am highly disappointed!!!!!
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