2004 Mazda Tribute problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Suspension (39) · Vehicle Speed Control (24) · Air Bags (12)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mazda Tribute model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
130 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Suspension:front:wheel Bearing 2015-06-03 · campaign 15E045000 · 576 vehicles
Defect: The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of a 42mm bore, 78mm outer dimension and a 45mm width.
Risk: Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.
Structure:frame And Members 2014-04-04 · campaign 14V174000 · 109,000 vehicles
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 Tribute vehicles manufactured May 22, 2000, through December 19, 2003, originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. These vehicles may experience excessive corrosion at the
Risk: A separation of the lower control arm can result in a significant loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will install a newly designed reinforcement cross-brace, free of charge. The recall began on May 29, 2014. Owners may contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 7514D.
Vehicle Speed Control:cables 2012-07-27 · campaign 12V357000 · 217,500 vehicles
Defect: Mazda is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2006, and 2008, Tribute vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control. Inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable connector could result in a stuck throttle when the accelerator pedal is fully or almost-fully depressed. This risk exists regardless of whether or not speed control (cruise control) is used.
Risk: A stuck throttle may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop or slow the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles by increasing the engine cover clearance, free of charge. Remedy parts are now available. The safety recall began on September 13, 2012. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-222-5500, option #6.
Service bulletins (129)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-20 · SA-055-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
product quality information (pqi) description service information mt-041/12 is no longer valid. it has been unpublished and superseded by the field quality information report (fqir) reporting system.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-07-29 · 09-022-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. the changes are noted in red text. 09-042/04 12/10/04 description some vehicles may exhibit inoperative electric rear window defroster grid lines, integral antenna concerns causing radio reception issues or terminal tabs pulled
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-21 · SA-029-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service alert supersedes the previously issued sa listed below: the changes are noted in red. sa-011/24 02/12/24, 06/06/24, 07/29/24 description mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. mazda recommends dealers follow the sch
Unknown Or Other 2024-08-08 · 09-038-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
in accordance with federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer. note: tampering with a motor vehicle odometer is strictly prohibited by federal, and state laws. it is the dealer’s responsibility to comply with federal, state, and local laws concerning odometer
Unknown Or Other 2024-07-29 · SA-011-24b · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as cited in the vehicle-specific workshop manual or owner's manual. services performed outside of mazda's factory scheduled
Unknown Or Other 2024-06-07 · SA-011-24a · Other
mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as cited in the vehicle-specific workshop manual or owner's manual. services performed outside of mazda's factory scheduled
Showing the 6 most recent of 129 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-10-31 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“i am submitting this formal complaint regarding a potential recall failure involving a 2005 mazda tribute driven by my fiancé, [xxx], who died following a crash on [xxx]. mazda has opened case #[xxx] in response to my inquiry, and i am requesting federal oversight of this investigation. joey’s vehicle may have been affected by nhtsa recall 12v35700…”
2024-08-15 · Electrical System“the driver air bag light on the instrument panel has been illuminated since 2004, repair had been attempted several times but has failed. a bulletin has been sent by the manufacture to the dealership regarding steering wheel airbag light being illuminated giving a false warning, due to defective electrical wiring that cannot be repaired. …”
2023-05-08 · Structure · 203,350 mi“the contact owns a 2004 mazda tribute. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, there was an abnormal rattling sound detected. there were no warning lights illuminated. the contact stopped and noticed there was rust on the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear shock had detached due to…”
2023-03-02 · Air Bags · 212,900 mi“the contact owns a 2004 mazda tribute. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 212,900.…”
2022-10-06 · Wheels“rear passenger side wheel well ,shock tower mount ,and sub frame .shock tower mount broke fell off hit the cement , chipped my rim and crushed my break lines i took it to lafountaine mazda and they have done an estimate for repairs and damage…”
2021-08-05 · Vehicle Speed Control · 189,000 mi“the contact owns a 2004 mazda tribute. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle would accelerate unintendedly, and the brakes would fail during the unintended acceleration. the abs and check engine warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the code reader was not able to…”
2021-03-16 · Structure:body · 176,000 mi“i was driving down the highway when i heard a noise like the roof was being ripped off. when i pulled over to inspect i noticed that the glass from my skylight was gone. appears the glue deteriorated letting window become loose and therefore blowing off. good thing didnt hit any other vehicles.…”
2020-09-15 · Suspension · 110,000 mi“driving one day, the car veered suddenly into the oncoming traffic lane. fortunately no cars were there. i took it to my mechanic who told me the front suspension was cracked and the car's frame was rusted so badly the car could not be jacked up.…”
2019-09-23 · Suspension:rear · 181,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda tribute. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle made an abnormal thumping noise. the contact later noticed that the rear passenger wheel well was rusted out and the shock mount was fractured. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired, the …”
2019-09-04 · Structure:body · 94,000 mi“i own a 2004 mazda tribute from new. it currently have around 94000 miles, mechanically and cosmetically maintained. just recently i started hearing a banging noise from the passenger rear area. i have some stuff in the cargo area on that side so i figured it was bouncing around. so i removed everything and still had the banging. upon further inspe…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.