general problems of the 2002 Mazda Tribute

The contact owns a 2002 Mazda Tribute. While driving various speeds, the front passenger wheel became disengaged from the vehicle and jammed into the wheel well. The failure caused the vehicle to be immobile. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and then transported to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer stated that the manufacturer would not cover the repair due to the extensive corrosion. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v174000 (structure) prior to the failure, but the recall repair was not performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Mazda Tribute. While driving approximately 20 mph, the front passenger side wheel unexpectedly detached from the vehicle. The contact maneuvered to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact experienced a failure related to NHTSA campaign number: 14v174000 (structure: frame and members). The vehicle was not repaired because the location of the dealer was far away. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.

I was driving up 101 north at 45-50 mph when the driver's front tire blew out. I immediately firmed my grip on the steering wheel, and braked in a safe manner, but then the car started violently shaking, and veering towards the left to the point where I could not control it, even though the car had slowed to around 20 mph. I grazed the center median, scratching the side of the car, then was able to regain control. I then had to pull over on the freeway going about 5 mph. I then got out of the car, called aaa, and looked at the damage. To my amazement, three of the five spokes on the rim had cracked severely, and the wheel was wobbling badly. A chp officer stopped at the scene, and was likewise amazed at the broken wheel. He checked the road for debris, but found none, confirming that the tire had blown on its own. The tow truck driver then arrived, and helped put the spare on, which also wobbled and was unsafe to drive on. It turns out that some suspension components had broken along with the wheel. He later towed the car to Mazda of marin, where they blamed us for the damage. The bottom line is that wheels don't just break from blououts, and that wheels like this pose a threat to motorists.