Mid/rear Seats Assembly Problems of Mazda Tribute

I have a 2005 Mazda Tribute with 145000 miles. During the summer, I folded the rear seats down in the stowed position to utilize the cargo space to go on vacation. When I unstowed the seats to utilize them for passenger use, I discovered the right rear seat cushion had the fabric burned off the face of the seat. Also, the floor mat was severely burned and melted into the carpet. This area is just above the exhaust system of the vehicle. This is a very serious issue and the interior of the car almost caught on fire. I contacted mzda and they told me it was out of warranty and there is nothing they could do. They put my vehicle and an analyzer and found nothing wrong with my vehicle. I never had a check engine light come on. I explained that this was not a warranty issue, but a safety issue! they just blew me off and sent me on my way. I have photo's of the damage. I cannot even pull the back floor mat up due to it being melted into the carpet. It doesn't matter how old the car is, the interior is not suppose to catch fire through normal use for any reason. There is definitely a major safety issue with this design. Updated 11/16/2010.

See all problems of the 2005 Mazda Tribute.

The bars of the front head rests protrude from the rear of the seat as there is no protection between the bars and the cloth of the seat. Because of this, it is very easy for one to hit their legs/knees when entering and exiting the vehicle. My main concern is that it seems like there could be a very high potential for serious leg/knee injuries in the case of an accident. I believe this problem can affect young teens to adults as my mom, who is only 5' 1" tall, easily hit one of the bars with her knee as did I when getting in and out of the back seats.

See all problems of the 2008 Mazda Tribute.