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Body problems of the 2004 Mazda Tribute

20 problems related to body have been reported for the 2004 Mazda Tribute.

Body problem 1

Failure Date: 07/20/2016

Tl-the contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while having the vehicle inspected, the technician informed that the right and left rear inner was severely corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v174000 (structure). The approximate failure mileage was 93,165.

Body problem 2

Failure Date: 07/12/2016

2004 Mazda Tribute, approx. 101,000 miles. Complete failure/rust-through of rear, passenger-side wheel well causing separation of shock/strut from the frame. As indicated in the hundreds of complaints I have read, experienced loud clunk and swaying of the vehicle, brought to our long-time mechanic who indicated he had never seen anything like it and based on age/condition there is no way this should have occurred. Brought vehicle in to Mazda dealership after speaking to Mazda customer care (rep indicated that recall for sub-frame corrosion should address this) only to be told that recall repair was completed but car was unsafe to drive due to the corrosion and shock separation. When I called Mazda back and asked how it is possible to issue a recall on a known issue for rust but only address one contact point on the frame as, clearly, the entire frame is made/coated with the same materials, was advised basically not their problem and it is possible a future recall could address this issue. This is absolutely unacceptable and as a current owner of a 2014 Mazda 6 (and past owners of 6 other Mazda's) I can not understand how a safety issue such as this is not being addressed. As evidenced by this website and multiple others, this issue affects 2001-2006 Mazda Tributes (& Ford escapes) and was already acknowledged to be a defect in the materials used as evidenced in recall# 14v-174. Excessive corrosion is not limited to a single attachment point on the frame, to even imply that it would be is avoidance of liability by the manufacturer(s) at best, criminal negligence is a better descriptor. It is the entire frame that is defective and this needs to be addressed as a critical safety issue before someone gets seriously injured or killed, the complaints seem to be increasing so it is only a matter of time. Please address this-the original recall needs to be expanded ASAP.

Body problem 3

Failure Date: 05/31/2016

Right rear shock mount has rusted completely through. This may result in suspension failure and possible loss of control of vehicle. Photos of extensive rust condition widely available on the internet.

Body problem 4

Failure Date: 02/19/2016

A very load banging sound is coming from my right passenger wheel well area. It appears the shock-absorber mounting location is rusted away and breaking off. I can see inside my car through the speaker grill now. First occured when the car was in motion and driving over a road with small potholes. The rest of the underside of the car seems ok.

Body problem 5

Failure Date: 02/01/2016

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v174000 (structure) and the dealer was unable to supply the remedy parts for the recall repair within a reasonable time frame. The vehicle was due to receive an inspection and may not pass due to extensive premature rust and corrosion that progressed for months before notification of the manufacturers recall. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified and were unable to provide a specific time frame to provide the repair. The contact was uncertain of when the vehicle would be repaired. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was not available.

Body problem 6

Failure Date: 11/14/2015

The rear passenger wheel well has excessive corrosion through the frame of my vehicle. The corrosion has split my frame in half and left wholes surrounding the split. My shock tower is exposed and corroded making it unsafe to drive. The rear driver side is splitting in the same exact place. This is a serious safety hazard and obvious defect. Driving straight down a dirt road at 35 mph (approx. ) a loud snap and dust rolling thing through the rear speaker mounted on the wheel well. I then pulled over and inspected the car and found that it was all rusted out.

Body problem 7

Failure Date: 09/27/2015

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle had an abnormal loud sound. The contact stated that the rear passenger side shock support in the wheel well had rotted. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was unknow. Bd.

Body problem 8

Failure Date: 07/20/2015

Right rear shock has broken through wheel panel and can be seen from the trunk area. Left rear side has stress fractures and I assume will also break through eventually. Took car to body shop and was told that the wheel panel has rusted through and that it would be too expensive to fix because to properly fix the car one would have to replace the wheel panel and any other metal area on both sides of the car that is rusted. Is NHTSA willing to take the car to test the undercoating and metal to determine if they meet proper standards? I went online and have seen that this same problem with other madza Tributes and even Ford escapes. Can you help?.

Body problem 9

Failure Date: 06/14/2015

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. While driving at an unknown speed, a loud abnormal noise emitted from the front of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the passenger side wheel house panel and shock were severely corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for further inspection, whom also confirmed that the front passenger wheel house panel and shock were severely corroded due to defective material. The technician advised that the rear passenger side wheel house panel and shock and the driver side wheel house panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000.

Body problem 10

Failure Date: 03/09/2015

Extensive rust in the back passenger wheel well which has caused the suspension to break away from the body of the car.

Body problem 11

Failure Date: 01/03/2015

The rear passenger wheel well has excessive corrosion through the frame of my vehicle. The corrosion has split my frame in half and left wholes surrounding the split. My shock tower is exposed and corroded making it unsafe to drive. The rear driver side is splitting in the same exact place. This is a serious safety hazard and obvious defect. The front end of my vehicle was just recalled and repaired for the same issue. I don't understand why Mazda has not addressed this issue already. Excessive corrosion has also occurred on the Ford escape made from the same line. Mazda needs to be responsible and correct this before a serious injury or fatality occurs.

Body problem 12

Failure Date: 10/13/2014

While looking for a knocking sound in the passenger side rear found that the shock mount assembly was broken loose from the body of the vehicle. You could see through to the interior fabric, leaving shock and mount attached to nothing. Serious design flaw.

Body problem 13

Failure Date: 09/08/2014

This was not an accident. I recently have had to have the right and left inner wheelhouse panels on my 2004 Mazda Tribute replaced due to excessive corrosion. The inner wheelhouse panels were rusted thru and the shocks that were attached to those panels were loose due to cracks in the panels and were banging up against the car. I don't consider that much corrosion that caused the panels to break loose from the car body as normal wear & tear nor part of something that should be watched under routine mainenance. I have kept cars longer than 10 tyears and never had this problem! it was definitely a safety hazard and someone could have been hurt in a serioius auto accident. Please recommend a recall on 2004 Mazda Tributes due to excessive corrosion due to the manufacturer's defect in their quality control and processes.

Body problem 14

Failure Date: 06/26/2014

Excessive corrosion at rear shock mount. Rear wheel well and shock mount requires replacement.

Body problem 15

Failure Date: 06/02/2014

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that the rear passenger side wheel was rusting causing the strut brace to rust. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced a manufacturers recall that was related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

Body problem 16

Failure Date: 04/15/2014

I noticed the problem when I was driving down the road and heard a knocking coming from the rear of the vehicle I thought it was a bad shock at first so I pulled over to check it out and the rear shock brackets are completely rusted through and are breaking away from the main frame. I contacted Mazda on April 10 2014 and they said they heard of this happening to many of their vehicles as well as many Ford escapes. They havent provided any other info on assitance with repairs or a recall. The car is no longer driveable until it goes through massive reconstruction of the sheet metal and framing in the rear wheel well.

Body problem 17

Failure Date: 04/09/2014

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that the frame, rear shock tower, and wheel well were completely corroded. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 14v174000 (suspension) and stated that the manufacturer was not providing a sufficient remedy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Body problem 18

Failure Date: 02/04/2014

Inside both rear wheel wells, the body is rusting out substantially around the shock tower bracket. It is so bad that the shock tower can break lose and the car will be a danger to drive. This is documented to have happened to many similar 2004-2006 Mazda Tributes and Ford escapes (made on same factory line). It is a difficult and costly repair. . Read more...

Body problem 19

Failure Date: 11/29/2013

Took vehicle to dealer and had them check out some noise coming from rear of vehicle. Dealer says the rear passenger wheel well is very rusted (actually rusted through in spots) and not stable. Noise is coming from around the rear shock area which is very deteriorated around the shock mount and it looks like the shock may not be adequately secured. The same thing is starting to happen on the other rear wheel well but most of the damage is on the passenger side. There is no visible rust on the exterior of the vehicle. We were referred to a local body shop but the repair would be too expensive too fix. We've regularly serviced this vehicle at the dealer since we bought it new. I've checked on-line and have found many other instances of this type of damage occurring in Mazda Tributes and Ford escapes in the 2004-2005 model years. The vehicle is not being repaired due to cost.

Body problem 20

Failure Date: 08/05/2013

The right wheel wheel well is completly rusted through including the rear shock mounts. The only thing holding the metal together was the outer undercoating spary. My 18 year old son was driving on the interstate in this condition. I searched the internet and see that other Mazda Tribute and Ford escape owners have the same problem. It's an obvious manufature's defect that is occuring nationally and is a serious safety issue. Department of transportation federal highway administration.

Body problems	20
Structure problems	4
Frame Rust problems	2
Hatchback/liftgate problems	1
Underbody Shield problems	1