Latches/locks/linkage Problems of Mazda Tribute - part 1

Tl- the contact owns a 2002 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that the rear window latch failed to lock. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer stated the VIN was not affected by NHTSA campaign number: 04v605000 (latches/locks/linkages). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 220,000. Pam.

See all problems of the 2002 Mazda Tribute.

The contact owns a 2002 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that she was unable to open the door to exit the vehicle. He contact had to open the window and stick her arm out the window to unlock the door from the exterior door handle. In addition, the rear lift gate would not remain closed or locked and would sporadically open while the vehicle was in motion. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 04v605000 (latches/ locks/ linkages: hatchback/ liftgate: lock) but was advised by the dealer that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. No repairs were performed. The current mileage was unknown and the failure mileage was 120,000.

Passenger front door will not unlock or open.

See all problems of the 2008 Mazda Tribute.

Drivers side door handle broke under normal use. Cannot open door from inside vehicle. An alarming safety problem. When I took the panel off I found a small piece of plastic had broken off from the assembly. The door handle is constructed from ridiculously cheap plastic. This also affected the alarm system working properly as it would engage while inside the vehicle and go off when exiting the vehicle.

The inside driver side door handle of my 2001 Mazda Tribute completely stopped functioning. This was sudden, without warning, and permanent. The only way to open the door at this point is to roll down the window and open the door using the outside door handle. Thus, the driver is essentially trapped inside the vehicle unless they can access the outside of the car or exit using another door. This seems to be a very prevalent problem with 2001 Mazda Tributes based on a brief internet search.

See all problems of the 2001 Mazda Tribute.

Driver side door handle stopped operating. Drivers door will not open from inside. . . . Outside handle works ok. It stopped working without warning. I am not able to open this door unless I put the window down and operate the outside door handle. Nothing occurred other than normal daily use prior to breaking. Vehicle is driven only by adults.

We own a 2001 Mazda Tribute ES v6 [xxx] . Since purchasing the vehicle in August 2001 there have been three incidences of the inside door handles becoming non-functional and creating a hazardous condition where the doors cannot be opened from the inside (someone must open from the outside or you need to open the window and reach out to use the exterior handle to open the door). This creates a dangerous condition should the car be involved in a fire or accident where the occupant must quickly exit the vehicle. The interior door handle places a great deal of shear force on a small plastic pin that connects the door lever to the latch/lock/actuator. The driver's side handle has broken twice since 2001 and the passenger side door handle broke this week. I looked at the drivers side and the handle is showing signs of fatigue (stress cracks) in the plastic pin, so I will need to replace that before it breaks during a potential emergency. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Drivers side front door handle stopped working, window needs to be down in order to open door. If in an accident or fire driver will need assistance in exiting car. This is proven by all other complaints to be common with this vehicle and in hazardous situations potentially fatal unless government steps in and demands recall. Dealer wants $300. 00+ to fix, have already spent $3000. 00+ at dealer on computer failures and left side driver door window assembly failure.

Inner door handles broken from regular use. Driver side door handles actually broke in half. Passenger front door handle broke as well internally. Neither door handle opens from inside. As for driver side door handle I replaced it with back passenger door handle as I did not feel I should have to pay for a defect like this. Front passenger door handle remains to be fixed. We all need to call Mazda and report this problem. This has been a huge problem with many of these vehicles. Mazda needs to know about it. 1800-222-5500.

Interior driver door handle disengaged (broken cable attachment), handle no longer opens door. Must lower window and open door from exterior handle, not safe in cases where passengers (driver) need rapid egress. Weak door handle assembly at point of cable attachment seems like a design flaw/shortcut. This issue was common on the web-based repair sites with over 50 owners reporting issues on 1 site alone. Factory certified repair is $350! consequently a work around has been posted on the internet that is dangerous. Involves drilling a hole in the handle base and rerouting the cable to this new (less efficient) location. The poor design, weak break-strength and critical nature of the component (door handle assembly) almost ensures this component will fail. The outrageous cost to replace almost guarantees a steady reliable source of income for Mazda dealer rare dept. The fact that this component failure degrades the rapid egress in the event of an accident, it seems like an important issue for your agency to address.