By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
week...
Vehicle Est. Production Actual Production
Escape 3,275 last week 0 last week
Tribute 1,112 last week 0 last week
one thing , small as it may be,while washing the escape the black rubber small glass rests under the rear window popped
out,hard to find in driveway,I HAVE SINCE PUT SOME SUPPER GLUE ON THEM, I hope they stay PUT.
For those of you sitting on the fence, I suggest you "sit" a bit longer until problems like these get resolved.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/ivoq/default.htm
This report requires the VIN for the vehicle being
reported on.
We were at the Mazda dealer this afternoon testing out the tribute and heard nothing about this no drive, no sell etc ruling.
What does it mean?
I ordered the ES in Galaxy Blue in September. I was very drawn to it. I have been very happy with leather seats, as being able to clean it easier than cloth, with my dogs being in the car. I wanted the premium audio, and in the brochure it says that is an option. It does not say that you have to choose one option over the other, if you are getting the ES. I did not want the sun roof, so I did not want to have to get the Luxury package with the sunroof, just to get the best sound system. The salesman said he wasn't able to order the Premium audio without the Luxury Package. I was ticked and almost decided against the purchase, but then I realized I didn't need the best sound system anyway and could add the tape player for a lot less money.
I think I'm going to lease it now, and keep my Sebring--haven't had any mechanical problems with it yet. If I drive the Trib. in the winter I can keep the miles down and hopefully, they will have it perfected--better reliability, Premium audio with ES, gear shift out of way of sound system etc. Hopefully.
Does anyone notice a hissing noise problem when the air condition is set to AC or Max AC.
The sound can heard from inside the engine compartment, especially a brief tap on the gas padel or accerleration.
My Mazda service center people, near Marietta in GA. told me it's "NORMAL" as usual. Does anyone agree?
It's driving me crazy... I heard one owner has a similar problem and it is resolved by replacing the switch for the ac?
Does any one can provide any suggestion?
In short, the people you talked to at the dealership are idiots. They should at least learn to say, "I don't know."
Dealer found out today it is a nation-wide problem, and Mazda should be releasing instructions to the dealer today or tomorrow. They gave me a loaner, but I had real plans for my tribute for the Thanksgiving holiday.
I really hope this gets settled quickly and that there are NO MORE PROBLEMS.
Even so, I still really like the truck! I pray no more recalls.
city(75%)& hwy(25%)driving got 251 miles on 12.6
gals so the math comes out to around 20mpg. i'm
pretty happy with those pre-breakin numbers. took her up to go skiing over the weekend and it made the trip a breeze, very fast uphill, down hill and everything in between:) don't have any of the reported fuel, wiper, etc issues. that's
all for now.
Highway: 21 to 23 dependant on speed. Fuel line fixed. No other problems and I love the way it handles. Keeping my fingers crossed! I drove the Escape and the Santa Fe. Hyundai felt underpowered but had a great interior.
haven't driven one but many have reported the general lack of power. after 3 years in a sportage i was gun shy of the korean auto manufacturers. i guess i just needed the 200 hp
and now that i have it the grin is from ear to ear.
I also confirmed my initial thought that these must be FORD parts/design. My previous Mazda vehicles never experienced problems like this. I was told by the Mazda technician that the typical Mazda wiper system design is different than Fords - and apparently better since it works. I hate to sound anti-Ford, but, this just proves what happens when you send 30 Ford staff to help Mazda in Japan - it really messes things up.
Checked the www.blueovalnews.com site for recent news and found that Ford has issued Safety Recall 00S49 (for the Escape) which covers windshield wiper module inspection and possible replacement. It says that "a certain portion of the vehicle population may experience inoperative wipers". It also says that "service inspection/repair instructions and parts requirements" are under development and no date for part availability is known.
That 4-Runner or Pathfinder sounds like a pretty good idea right now.
I swear, if they are readily admitting to the 5 or 6 recalls this quickly I wonder what else might be wrong.
mtnbiker: You have a point, an apples to oranges comparison maybe. But, the verdict is still out, is it worth having a vehicle that would cost slightly more (our Tribute LX:$31,900 CDN vs. $35,800 for Pathfinder XE - O.K., I know it's the entry level Pathfinder!) or a Tribute that has now been at the dealer gathering dust for the last 13 days. I guess I'm just a bit depressed - go figure. Nothing like a car payment and NO car. Maybe I'll go visit the Toyota or Nissan dealership this weekend to cheer myself up - I hear they have vehicles that actually work.
it would be nice to rent an Escape. Does anyone
know any place I can do that?
What's next?
- Handling is GREAT - much better than I had anticipated overall.
- Power is VERY good in normal driving - very responsive, but when you hit the throttle hard, like for a ramp merge, it doesn't feel as strong as 200 hp implies.
- Came with Firestone Wilderness HT tires, which are NOT on the recall, but Firestone's woes leave me a little non-confident. I have to admit though that the ride is good, the noise low, and the handling really good.
- Despite all the national publicity about low tire pressures in Firestone tires, the dealer delivered my Trbute with all 4 tires 4 to 5 pounds underinflated compared to the 29 psi called for by the doorpost label. I corrected that at once of course.
- The headlights came from the factory misadjusted so low that they lit up the bumper instead of the road. A quick adjustment by the dealer cured that, and night visibility is ow very good.
- Getting a spare key made was a major hassle beacuse of the new anti-theft and anti-duplication systems. The dealer took 45 minutes to do it, and felt so badly about the time taken that it was "no charge". I learned later that this saved me a LOT of money, as the microprocessor equipped keys require simultaneous re-programming of ALL the keys, and it costs a lot. Sort of "key control", like "gun control": doesn't slow down the bad guys much, but sure inconveniences and costs the good guys.
- No wiper problems - at least so far. We have 17 days straight of rain and snow here in Minneapolis right after I got my Tribute, so they've gotten a good workout.
- No fuel smell or fuel leakage problems - at least so far.
- Gas mileage has not been impressive. Runs between 18.5 and 20 mpg, using very careful and consistent measurements at each fillup. Because I put on most of my miles on my off-peak hours commute, and drive mostly freeway, I normally hit or exceed the EPA hwy rating for a vehicle, but on this one, I'm missing the 24 mpg EPA hwy rating by a LOT. Still hoping for improvement with time, but my experience with other vehicles has been that those early tankfuls ARE representative of what's to follow. One possible contributor: we are required by law to use VERY ethanol-enriched fuels here in Minnesota in the winter, because the corn farmers have a strong lobby. The mileage will improve somewhat in the summer when we use normal fuel.
- The seatbelt anchor on the doorpost on the driver's side (only) drives us crazy with a "clicking" noise that appears to be caused by slight movement of the seatbelt through it when we hit minor road bumps or seams. Haven't been able to solve this one. It'll be on the "punchlist" for the dealer to correct.
Overall: Very happy with the vehicle overall. Not as perfect as the two Miata's were, but still VERY good overall.
seems like i could squeeze out 24 or maybe even
25 mpg on level, all hwy driving.
We cancelled our order.
I suppose it was for the best. We bought a 2001, 2WD, 4.7, V8 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab (the 4x4's are a lot more), with everything but alarm and leather for 25K including tax and license. Lousy gas mileage, no zoom, but it drives quite nicely, is very quiet, has plenty of passenger room, and its size is more manageable than a full size pick up. It is really a more practical truck for our rural family of five (I hall feed, hay, etc ). I was just tired of driving trucks, and I suppose I got caught up in the whole ZOOM ZOOM thing!
By the way, my sister-in-law and her hubby got their Escape about a month ago and they love it. so far, no problems.
used to stand still on the uphill. Is this really a problem, or all Tributes do this?
I'm wondering if you're saying "no zoom" in the Dodge when it's got a ton of hay plus four people in it?!
boomer18
Please let me know what you think...!
Other noises that I've noticed: some clicking noise (like flapping paper or something) between the drivers window and door jam, and the same seatbelt noise that another person noticed. That one I fixed by simply spraying some WD-40 behind the plate.
The Max is a great car. I struggled with the decision to purchase a new Trib. anticipating that there might be problems; however, I felt confident the Mazda/Ford would insure that vehicle would be flawless upon introduction. I was wrong of course, but I still feel that they are on track with the Trib/Escape. The concept, looks, drivability are all major pluses, but if they can't get the fundamental things right, it's a cause for concern, especially when you pay full list for the vehicle. Too bad. I was hoping I would be owning this mini-suv for awhile. Maybe I will give it another shot in a few years. My best to all and I wish you nothing but fun, safe, trouble-free driving.
McCale
- That clicking sound in the seatbelt area
- What sounds like valve clatter when the engine idles down
We took it into the dealership for both and the results were:
- The acceleration sensor must have been made incorrectly because they replaced the whole seatbelt unit (under warranty). No click.
- The engine noise was heard by the mechanic and he checked with Ford, who said it was normal. I guess I'll have to accept that and be thankful that I have a warranty.
In general, we are really happy about the vehicle. It was hard to get via factory order and luckily we found what we wanted on the lot of a dealer 100 miles from home (happened to be traveling in the right area at the right time). As far as I know, the order still isn't filled, and it was started in the last week of Sept.
I have had a chance to try out the drivability in poor (snow, slush, wet) weather and am impressed. We bought into V6 4X4 with few other options and it has performed beyond expectations.
The only thing that I can complain about would have to be the EPA MPG not being close to reality. Ours has also been around 20 MPG, and I don't think we have the Ethanol (I hope, since it is supposed to be labeled at the pump).
To all who have had problems: this is the first run and we bought in early. I am expecting worse, and hopefully it won't happen.
To everyone else: I still think it is a great SUV. It gets me where I need to go when I need to go. It's a great value. If you are interested but unsure of all of the problems, wait a year or so. I am certain they will be better.
E
So, I will go with the dealer's recommendation for my oil change, but I will first get in writing that use of 10W-30 will not void the warranty.
Any other information anybody has is welcome...
The Dakota has plenty of power, but not the zoom I was looking forward to in the Tribute. I imagined myself zooming around town, whipping into cramped parking spaces, and effortlessly weaving around tractors and cattle trucks on rural roads!
So far I am quite happy with my new truck, which by the way, I probably would not have even considered had I not seen the Dakota Quad Cab listed on Edmund's most wanted list. I just assumed the rear seating in the Dakota would be cramped like it is in other small four door pick-ups. Sites like this one really make car buying a lot easier.