2001 Mazda Tribute Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2001 Mazda Tribute most often write about the engine stalling without warning, interior door handles that break and leave people unable to open the door from inside, and automatic transmission failures. Complaints arrive across a wide mileage range, from cars barely a year old to ones well past 150,000 miles, with cooling-system and stalling reports tending to show up earliest.

1. 1
   Latches, locks and linkages

   Interior door handles break; door won't open from inside

   • 56 complaints (10%)
   • median 73,000 mi at 6.7 yrs old (43 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2011

   Complaints describe the chrome-plated plastic inside door handle snapping under normal use, so the door can no longer be opened from the inside and occupants have to roll down the window and use the outside handle. Owners report it happening on driver and passenger doors, sometimes on several doors of the same vehicle, and describe paying for the replacement themselves. Some also report the outside latch assembly failing, and a few mention liftgate latching concerns. Reported from about 15,000 to 188,000 miles, often described as sudden and without warning.

   Recall 04V605000

   What to check: Open and close every door from both inside and outside before buying, and check whether the handles feel loose or have been replaced. Note that recall 04V605000 concerns liftgate latching on vehicles serviced with later components.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2001 Mazda Tribute-pulled on the interior door hand to exit vehicle and it broke. Now we have to roll down the window and open the door from the outside, then roll the window back up. If we got into an accident I may not be able to exit the vehicle safely, huge hazard. Have not had it fixed, dealer wants over $300. Crazy.”

   NHTSA complaint #10222518, filed 2008-03, 55,800 miles

   “2001 Mazda Tribute. Both my husband and I drive a 2001 Mazda Tribute lx. His driver's side door will not open from the inside. Now the same thing is happening with my car. We also have a friend that drives a ford escape (same car as Tribute, not sure what year his is) that has the same problem. I am just wondering if there could be some issue with the Mazda/ford handle/latch.”

   NHTSA complaint #10203229, filed 2007-09, 59,353 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalls while driving or at stops

   • 207 complaints (37%)
   • median 54,542 mi at 3.8 yrs old (67 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2022

   Owners describe the engine cutting out without warning, sometimes at a traffic light, sometimes while driving or coasting downhill, with dashboard lights coming on and power steering and power assist for the brakes gone with it. Several say the car restarted normally after a short wait, while others were told the dealer could not reproduce the problem. Some complaints link the stalling to the powertrain control module, which in a few cases was replaced or reprogrammed. Spread across the sample from roughly 25,000 to 140,000 miles, with several reports under 60,000 miles.

   Recall 04V175000

   What to check: Ask whether the PCM reprogramming recall (04V175000) was completed and whether the module has been replaced since. On a test drive, note any rough or dropping idle and whether the engine has ever cut out.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I had the 1904-d recall (recalibration of PCM) done on my Mazda Tribute about 1 week ago. Shortly thereafter, my car stalled on the interstate at 75 MPH. We did not have an accident but it could have been pretty severe. After bringing the Tribute back to the Mazda dealer, the PCM had failed. So the recall didn't work on my vehicle. It is currently in the shop to be fixed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10074441, filed 2004-05, 65,700 miles

   “Vehicle stalls without notice. On 3-2-04 I took the car to be fixed but the very next day it stalled again. When I called to let the wantagh service dealer know about what happened, they were very nasty and acted as if I were complaining for nothing. They made me feel like it was my problem, I don't know if this is because the car is still under warranty and they are not able to charge for their service. Yet, I purchased the extended warranty for 2 extra years, which entitles me to this service.”

   NHTSA complaint #10060565, filed 2004-03, 25,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden acceleration or engine speed that won't drop

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the engine revving on its own or the car surging forward, sometimes when pulling away from a parking space, sometimes when the accelerator is released or the brakes are applied. Owners report having to shift into neutral and shut the engine off to stop the car, and some attribute it to the cruise control cable or throttle body. A few note the behavior occurred after the speed control cable recall work was done. Spread widely, from under 20,000 to nearly 200,000 miles, with several reports in the 60,000 to 130,000 mile range.

   Recall 12V357000Recall 00V210002

   What to check: Confirm whether recall 12V357000 (speed control cable) was performed on this vehicle. Check that the throttle returns freely and the cable has clearance from the engine cover, and ask whether any throttle body or cruise control repairs were done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Picked up my Mazda from having new brakes installed to take boat out on memorial weekend. Luckily I was towing my boat as the drag slowed me from going any faster as I approached the on ramp to interstate I-69 and my acceleration wasn't under my control. I was told at the time from firestone that it was caused by the poor design and location of the cruise control cable. I have learned this week that there is a petition 49 cfr part 552;557 on this matter. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10466851, filed 2012-07, 103,642 miles

   “In the past 30 days I have had 5 incidents where upon exiting from the highway the rpms on my 2001 Mazda Tribute failed to come down to idle speed when I was trying to stop. This caused the vehicle to pull and I had to apply the breaks hard. I tried putting the vehicle into neutral and when I did the vehicle's rpms increased to over 4000. I was able to pull over and shut the vehicle off. It takes about 20 minutes of the vehicle being off before I am able to restart and resume normal operation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10204780, filed 2007-10, 100,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Automatic transmission slipping, harsh shifting or losing

   • 51 complaints (9%)
   • median 44,460 mi at 4.5 yrs old (32 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,200 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2000–2016

   Owners report the automatic transmission slipping or vibrating at highway speeds, hard or jerky shifts going uphill, and in more severe cases the loss of reverse or drive with no warning. Some complaints describe the overdrive light and check engine light coming on together, followed by transmission overheating and a recommendation to replace the solenoid kit or the whole transmission. Several owners say the dealer could not reproduce the shifting problem. Mostly reported between roughly 15,000 and 120,000 miles, with a few failures around 40,000 miles.

   Recall 04V1750001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for transmission service records and check the fluid condition and level. Drive the car at steady 40-50 mph and uphill to feel for slipping, vibration or harsh shifts, and confirm reverse engages firmly.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At speeds around 40 to 50 MPH it feels like the transmission is slipping weather I am accelerating or coasting. I also see the tach needle jump around when this happens. The slipping feels like a vibration in the vehicle and there is a lost power. Past this speed range or before it the vehicle operates normally. Dealer could not fix or reproduce the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10038898, filed 2003-09, 43,000 miles

   “I have a 2001 Mazda Tribute. Had been faithful in doing regular maintenance of the vehicle. The car had 84,000 currently and had the transmission fluid flushed at 60,000 miles. The transmission fluid was filled every 5,000 miles whenever I had a oil change. All of a sudden on april 30, 2007, the car could not be shifted into rear gear and the dealer indicated I need to replace the transmission.”

   NHTSA complaint #10189567, filed 2007-05, 84,000 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake pedal feels weak, long stopping distance or fluid loss

   • 51 complaints (9%)
   • median 117,075 mi at 8.3 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2020

   Owners describe the brake pedal going to the floor or the car taking far longer to stop than expected, sometimes with the brake warning light on and low brake fluid. Some reports tie fluid loss to the master cylinder reservoir cap and fluid reaching the area around the master cylinder. Others describe front rotors wearing out early, before the pads, and being too thin to resurface. Mostly reported above 75,000 miles, with several complaints past 120,000 miles.

   Recall 12V016000Recall 07V157000

   What to check: Check the brake fluid level and look for fluid around the master cylinder and reservoir cap. Ask whether recalls 12V016000 and 07V157000 were completed, and inspect rotor thickness and pedal feel on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “During drive home from work indicator for brake problem came on. Found brake fluid level low again. Brake fluid seems to be lost through reservoir breather/ fill cap. Alot of brake fluid has accumulated on and around the master cylinder and is dripping on the exhaust(smells bad too). Found that a recall has been issued for this but Mazda says my VIN is not in the recall range. What should I do?”

   NHTSA complaint #10454274, filed 2012-04, 139,533 miles

   “The brake rotors wear out within 20k miles. They cannot be resurfaced even once, too thin, other Tribute owners have same problem. Other owners state that after market rotors last 3 times as long. (the rotors on my toyota lasted over 100k miles.) I had the Mazda rotors replaced three months ago, but not the brake pad. The brake pads outlive the rotors. The brakes almost failed yesterday and today, they did not catch and the car shimmied all over the road.”

   NHTSA complaint #10223121, filed 2008-04, 20,000 miles

Buying note. This model year has a broad mix of complaints spanning stalling, door hardware, transmission and brake concerns, so service records and a pre-purchase inspection matter more than mileage alone. Confirm which of the open recalls have been completed on the specific vehicle, and test the doors, brakes and transmission behavior directly before deciding.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.