2002 Mazda Tribute Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 26about this part
- Share
- 7%of 384 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 110,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 26 complaints about the body and structure of the 2002 Mazda Tribute, 7% of the 384 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 110,000 miles. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10331317, filed 2010-05, 129,827 miles“2002 Mazda Tribute. Unable to open the door to exit the vehicle. I had to open the window and stick my 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 stay open while the vehicle was in motion.”
NHTSA complaint #10534490, filed 2013-08, 149,000 miles“Takata recall, my car is having electrical problems (ABS), I also have a lot so on certain sport utility vehicles equipped with 3.0l v6 duratec engines, during deceleration, the engine can stall”
NHTSA complaint #11062061, filed 2018-01, 310,912 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10407371, filed 2011-06, 111,948 miles“Both the inside handles of my 2002 Mazda Tribute have malfunctioned causing extreme difficult in getting out of the vehicle. This could result in a very dangerous situation in the case of an accident or fire along with various other incidents. It is my understanding from internet searching that this is a common problem, however, I have never heard of other vehicles having this problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10237022, filed 2008-08, 74,000 milesRelated recalls
- 14V174000Apr 4, 2014Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 Tribute vehicles manufactured May 22, 2000, through December 19, 2003…Covers: Mazda Tribute 2001–2004
Related service bulletins
- 10154139Dec 11, 2018If a vehicle has body vibration or steering wheel shimmy while driving and the root cause is determined to be tire balance, re-balance the tires using a Hunter GSP9700 or…
- 10148068Oct 10, 2018When encountering a vehicle with paint damage, refer to the "Mazda Pocket Paint Guide" to determine cause, prevention, remedy, and warranty coverage (if applicable). Copies of…
- 10134702Mar 22, 2018When encountering a vehicle with paint damage, refer to the "Mazda Pocket Paint Guide" to determine cause, prevention, remedy, and warranty coverage (if applicable).
- 10013931Jun 1, 2004Pop/snap noise while driving.
Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | 14% |
| 2010 | 2 | 5% |
| 2009 | 2 | 6% |
| 2008 | 1 | 1% |
| 2006 | 13 | 10% |
| 2005 | 126 | 33% |
| 2004 | 45 | 29% |
| 2003 | 29 | 15% |
| 2002 | 26 | 7% |
| 2001 | 45 | 8% |
| 2000 | 1 | 20% |
Other parts of the 2002 Mazda Tribute
124 complaintsBrakes
80 complaintsElectrical system
41 complaintsAir bags
37 complaintsVehicle speed control
37 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
35 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
22 complaintsSteering
15 complaintsSuspension
13 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsOther or unknown
7 complaintsEngine
6 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Mazda Tribute
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology