Brake Disc Pads problems of the 2004 Mazda Tribute

2004 Mazda Tribute frost builds up on the brake pads when it is cold-causing the vehicle not to stop properly. This has happened 2 times and we had the brakes checked out at 2 separate places plus called the Mazda dealership and were told that the problem is frost on the brake pads. Very dangerous! our collage age son was coming home from work, coming off the interstate, and could not stop at the stop sign on the ramp! (22 year old 4. 0 pharmacy student).

At 47,968 miles and when my Mazda Tribute was four months out of warranty, I was told that I needed new front brake pads and to have the rotors resurfaced costing $340. After they had the car up, I was told there was not enough material on the rotor to resurface and that I would need to have the rotors replaced, costing $485 before a coupon. I requested and still have the parts they replaced and feel there is something wrong after reading other complaints on this problem on a car with so little mileage (and mostly highway miles). Also, the cd player broke once under warranty (it failed to eject or play cds) and was replaced, but has broken again after 18 months - same problem. The cd repair is very expensive - about $500 to exchange for a rebuilt unit and over $300 to repair minimum and there is a problem with the design of the unit. The dealer and Mazda could not tell me the part number or maker of the unit and a couple of dealers did not even offer a repair option, saying the unit would have to be replaced.

At 39720 miles I brought my 2004 Mazda Tribute in for a problem that turned out to be leaks in the transfer case and timing chain cover which were replaced under warranty. At that time, the Mazda service center (#1) told me that the front disc brake rotors had worn below minimums, could not be resurfaced and should be replaced. They also said that the pads were at their minimum thickness and should also be replaced. This was after having taken the same car to a different Mazda dealer's service center (#2) one week earlier and being told that the front brakes were ok (5/32 on pads; 2/32 being the legal limit) and could probably go for another year before needing to be changed. That technician (#2 dealer) didn't seem to have a problem with the rotors. I was told by the #1 dealer that the rotors were not covered under the Mazda warranty - this was considered a normal wear item. However, Mazda's own national customer service agreed with me that rotors are technically not a "wear" item. This is only the second time in 30 years of driving cars with disc brakes that I have ever had to replace a rotor; the last time the car had 90,000 miles on it. Rotors generally don't wear at anywhere near the same rate as pads. Also, there was no warning to me while driving that I was getting to a potentially dangerous condition. The brakes appeared to work fine, did not pull to one side or make any kind of squealing or metal-on-metal sounds. This is a serious condition worthy of a recall! it should have been done a while ago as I have heard of this problem for more than a year now! the fact that two Mazda trained technicians came up with two completely different assessments of my brakes is also cause for concern.