Used 2005 Mazda Tribute s AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A) Consumer Reviews
Used Tribute for sale
Love this SUV
seemmons, Townshend, VT, 11/02/2011
Mazda Tribute s AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
38 of 39 people found this review helpful
I love, love, love this car. My tribute currently has 89,000 mi. It's everything a small SUV should be. In the V6 with 4wd, it's powerful quick. I spend 2hrs in mine daily, both highway and dirt roads, and it's just as stable on the mud as it is on pavement. I'm getting around 25mpg. On our first big snow, I hit 4WD, and drove this thing through the mud and 16" of snow up a hill without so much as slip. It's much more stable than I feel the Jeeps are, and when test driving, blew away even the Escape. Mine also has an enormous sunroof, stylish leather and idiot-proof 6 CD changer. There also isn't a dog, a ladder or power tool my hubby and I can't fit in it.
Mostly a great car
zel1, Portage, MI, 05/14/2011
Mazda Tribute s AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
29 of 31 people found this review helpful
We have put 164,000 miles on our Tribute, including many long highway trips and back woods driving on two-tracks in the UP of Michigan. We required a new (rebuilt Ford) transmission at 94,000 miles, which possibly can be attributed to driving with cupped tires that probably vibrated it to pieces. Mileage is so-so, up to about 21.5 on the highway (we are usually pretty heavily loaded on trips). A/C, defroster, heater have always given some problems, but still work OK. Never burned a drop of oil, and still has good power on the highway. Hoping to make 250,000 miles.
Its old, so what do expect?
Uncle Jon, Greer, SC, 12/27/2018
Mazda Tribute s AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
When buying any 10+ year vehicle with over 150K miles, realize the engine is due for an overhaul and a lot things start going bad. I owned this vehicle since it was new and preferred a Luxury model such as this. The leather seats were very cheaply made and wore through after 5 years. Gas mileage was always abysmal, but that is always true of the larger Ford engines. Very few repairs in the early years except for an early replacement of the coil set (2 times). Engine light stayed lit for 3 years and we could not figure out why. I guess that dashboard light was well made.
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Terrible build quality
Ryan, Pleasant Ridge, MI, 03/17/2016
Mazda Tribute s AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
19 of 24 people found this review helpful
I've owned this car since 2005 and treated it pretty well. Only 125,000 miles on it, and it's totaled now. Mazda won't recall an inherent flaw causing passenger wheel well to rust out prematurely around strut mount. It's a $3000+ repair. I've already put $3000 into damages when the ecm caused engine misfires on one side of engine at 82,000 miles, destroying 2 of the 3 catalytic converters in the process, and another $1000 or so in random parts like alternator, starter control arms etc. Stay away from this dumpster fire of a vehicle, and it's twins the Ford escape and mercury mariner which feature the same flaws.
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2005 Mazda S AWD 3.0 V6
redeye, 05/19/2009
Mazda Tribute s AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Didn't like it at first, but it steadily grew on me. Noisy at highway speeds, some interior and dashboard controls are poorly designed and impossible to see at night. Heated seat button is in a truly odd place. Body creaks and groans, wallows over some highway undulations. All this and I still like it....can't put my finger on it...maybe it's just that it is reliable, decent on gas (ECU went bad at 80,000 and I put a rebuilt one in that improved mileage to 24 - 25 hwy), tires wear forever and it does go in the snow better than any car i have driven.