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Vehicle safety record

2011 Mazda Tribute Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 14 complaints about the 2011 Mazda Tribute with NHTSA, most often about the steering (5) and the fuel system (3). Those complaints describe 2 crashes. There are no recalls for it. For comparison, the 2010 has 39.

NHTSA data checked

AFar fewer problems than a typical Tribute year, for its age

#192 most complained-about 2011 vehicle

Complaints
14
Recalls
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0

Most common 2011 Mazda Tribute problems

Share of all 14 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

No recalls for the 2011 Mazda Tribute

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2011 Mazda Tribute. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.

What owners say

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14 complaints about the 2011 Mazda Tribute

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.

Steering

The contact owns a 2011 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel became firm and failed to respond to driver input. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights started to flicker, and the vehicle stalled. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred; however, the steering wheel became...

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loose and unresponsive to driver input. The contact stated that on another occasion the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel locked and could not be turned in either direction. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11519445
Steering

The contact owns a 2011 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and turning the steering wheel to the left, there was a slight vibration coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle then lost power steering functionality. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway, turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had occurred twice in one...

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month. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V282000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11518784
Body, doors & structureCrash

The passenger subframe is rusted and broke the axel when driving. Glad im ok....So dangerous and the driver side is fine so bad design by ford (the tribute is like the escape)

Filed Incident StructureNHTSA 11505960
Steering

I bought the car used several years ago and in the past year have experienced the steering wheel all of a sudden appear to be locking up. I looked up the recall and found that this is a known issue with the Mazda Tribute vehicles. I checked with dealer and they agreed. I contact Mazda customer service on 3 different occasions in the last month and they have issued a case number but will not acknowledge that my vehicle is a covered VIN to be fixed. They said its not part of the recall. It is and I have asked them...

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to look into it. When I drive and pull into a parking lot such as a Starbucks and have to make a turn off a main road the vehicle steering locks up and the recall is 7614E Mazda acknowledges that the recall is correct in which the power steering torque sensor fails but refuses to cover my specific Mazda Tribute which is 2011. This range is covered and they said they wont cover it. I need the NHTSA to investigate this and contact Mazda to enforce it being covered under the recall. When this happens I am fearful that I will not be able to turn and hit a car, a person, or a building because it becomes so hard to turn. Only remedy is to shut car off and wait 20 minutes then turn back on. Sadly Mazda keeps tell me they wont cover it.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11455055
SteeringElectrical system

Twice, while driving under 25 mph, and both times while turning to the right, the power steering has stopped working. When checked by a mechanic, it was determined to be the steering shaft torque sensor malfunctioned: code b2278-2f

Filed Incident Steering · Electrical systemNHTSA 11390984
Steering

I was driving my vehicle on a city street, and the steering suddenly began to lock up. The vehicle was in motion when this occurred. I was not able to turn or control the steering wheel; it became extremely hard. I was not on my brakes, I was driving straight with my feet on the gas. This happened twice in the last 4 days. I brought the vehicle to the mazda dealership and they said the steering wheel column needed to be replaced, the torque sensor, and calibration. I read the 2011 mazda and ford escapes that was built in the kansas city factory were recalled for this same exact issue in 2014 which I did not own the vehicle at that time.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11365648
Fuel system

Gas filler neck gross evap leak / canister purge valve leak/ codes p0455 p0457 I was told that ford makes mazda parts and ford escape suv trucks are known for these problems with evap system?? *Tr

Filed Incident Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11331433
Fuel system

A recall 16v-788 was published on oct. 26,2016 And has yet to be remedied. The status shows "recall incomplete, remedy not yet available". It has been over 14 months. This needs to be completed. We haven't been notified of the recall (that we can remember) nor can it be completed over 14 months later.

Filed Incident Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11062562
Acceleration & cruise controlEngine & coolingFuel system

Driving on highway, engine just failed to accelerate suddenly and had to coast over to the breakdown lane. Engine did not turn completely off as it continued to hesitate and rpms fluctuated between 500-1000 but gas pedal would not accelerate car. Immediately put hazard lights on so cars behind me would know thar I was not at constant speed anymore. *Tr

Filed Incident Vehicle speed control · Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 10610223
AirbagsCrash

Head-on collision with power pole at 55 mph. Driver air bag failed to deploy. (No passengers on board). *Tr

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 10604610
Transmission & drivetrain

I have always had an acceleration issue with this vehicle. Many many times, feels like the car is just not going to move when I try to accelerate. About 4 weeks, ago, car literally just wouldn't move when I was in traffic, the wrench light came on, indicating a transmission issue. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer, who found nothing. 2 Days ago, exact same thing happened again, in traffic. We had the car again towed, and this time they found the throttle needed to be replaced. I think it was always bad, but 2011 was not a vehicle year included in the throttle recall for the mazda tribute. *Tr

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10543971
Transmission & drivetrain

Car begin to shimmy between gear shifts felt like transmission was going to fall out on the road. Slipped between gear shifts intermittently afterwords

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10422032
Airbags

The automatic passenger airbag sensor does not operate properly. My wife weighs about 120 pounds and the light goes on and off at random on the highway are just sitting still. The dealer has zero solutions and we are following the instructions in the manual which states the weight threshold to be 80 lbs. If we're in an accident and her airbag doesn't deploy there will be a problem. Vehicle is an 2011 mazda tribute. *Tr

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 10395426
Acceleration & cruise control

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 mazda tribute. The contact stated that when depressing the brakes, he would haphazardly depress the accelerator pedal simultaneously. The contact had concerns with the distance between the two pedals and stated that they were entirely too close together. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The current mileage was 4,500. The failure mileage was 5.

Filed Incident Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 10393058

Mazda Tribute: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
201114020SteeringA
201039300Transmission & drivetrainA
200935220SteeringA
2008202561SteeringC
20074100Acceleration & cruise controlA
All Tribute years

2011 Mazda Tribute vs rivals

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2011 Mazda Tribute

Does the 2011 Mazda Tribute have any recalls?

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2011 Mazda Tribute right now. Recalls can be announced at any time, and this page checks NHTSA every day. You can also check your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What are the most common problems with the 2011 Mazda Tribute?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the steering (5), fuel system (3), acceleration & cruise control (2).

How many complaints has the 2011 Mazda Tribute had?

14 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on March 28, 2011 and the latest on April 28, 2023. Of these, 2 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 0 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2011 Mazda Tribute a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 98 out of 100 (grade A: far fewer problems than a typical Mazda Tribute year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Mazda Tribute years have the most complaints?
What should I do if my 2011 Mazda Tribute has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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