Used 2009 Mazda Tribute SUV Consumer Reviews
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Function and style
Bought the Tribute for me and my wife, it has been great, lots of cargo space, fuel economy is exceptional from the 4 cylinder; and it has lots of power considering the other models we looked at with comparable engines. We typically see 29-30 mpg on road trips in West Texas it is primarily flat so cannot speak much of hills but out here it is a great combination of function, fuel economy and style
Overall good/bad ignition problem
We have been very impressed with the reliability of the Tribute, but an extremely annoying ignition problem that does not allow the car to crank was aggravating. After countless hours of online research and several attempts at repairs, it appears we have conquered the problem. All stemming from an inferior designed ignition module that wears out. Happens with Ford Escape and Ford Focus also. Should have been recalled. UPDATE, the ignition module did not solve the problem, so I changed the starter. Even though the car would start fine for days, it would still not crank at times. After weeks it seems the new starter did the trick. It must has been something faulty in the starter that made it work intermittently.
- Performance
fun while it lasted.
I bought my Tribute with 7300 miles on it and I loved it. I traded it in with 35500 miles on it because the transmission had gotten really sluggish over the last 15000 and I was having problems with the breakes. It had been in the shop 5 times within the last 6 months and they still squeaked loudly. As far as the transmission I've read numorous reviews on the tribute/escape/mariner regarding the transmission issue and consumers needing new ones so i traded mine before it could give me problems. I loved the layout and the look of the vehicle. the 12v outlet in the back came out of its compartment and the one up front was loose. I got about 22-25 mpg city and 26-28 hwy.
Brake Failure for No Reason at 28K Miles
We own a 2009 Tribute, and thought it was a really good car, until yesterday, 3.5 years after we bought it. I was out with my kids, the car went "ping--." A red light indicates "brake." I thought my parking brake was on, but it wasn't. The display says "check brake system." I tried to brake, there was no traction. The car kept going. I stepped on the brake all the way, still no traction. I managed to roll the car back to our house. I called Madzda and Mazda refuses to take responsilities and wants me to pay for checkup just because the car is "out of warranty." If we got killed yesterday, who'd pay for the checkup? Mazda refused to allow us to speak with management.
Good overall
I had a 2001 Tribute with a V6 that was a gem. The new 2009 has all the goodies and is a fun ride. It performed very well on a 200 mile trip getting 25 mpg.The only fault I have,so far,is the use on black plastic trim used ont the center console and the placement of the center storage compartment. Compartment is very difficult to reach into because it is too far back from the driver. I only have 1,950 miles on the vehicle.