Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

a_handlesman · November 2001

My 2001 XLT V6 Escape stalled for the first time on Wednesday, Nov. 28. It was exactly like hundreds of other people are saying. Going slight downhill, 35-40 mph, and suddenly all power is gone. I would have guessed this was some glitch and would not occur again, but I have been reading about the stall problem since I purchased it in late August, and immediately made an appointment at the dealer for today.
I was shocked when the service manager told me HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM! All of Ford and their dealers are aware of this problem now! Also, the woman I spoke with on the phone to make the appointment said Escapes HAD been in for the problem. Here he was lying to me! I made it very clear that this was strike one against them, and that if it happens again I will seek remedy under the Lemon Law. THIS IS A MATTER OF SAFETY.
They did their useless battery of tests, all of which came back OK. I told them of course everything is OK, I have not had a single problem with this vehicle before or after the stall.
So I drove away in my ticking time bomb. I will post again after my next stall, if I am still alive after being rear-ended by a tractor trailer.

Also, I am posting a complaint with NHTSA as should everyone to get Ford to fix their defect.

escapetribute · December 2001

yes that is an excellent suggestion to contact NHTSA via website but if you really want to report this issue Call the Dept of Transportation Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236) The more people that call in or use the website the better.

sfergie1 · December 2001

escapetribute: NHTSA is a division of DOT that is charged with the responsibility of ensuring automobile safety. The toll-free number includes "DOT" but the on-line form is at www.nhtsa.gov/hotline. The toll-free # and on-line form take you to the same place/agency.

recall1 · December 2001

Does any one know the long term effects of inhaling gas fumes? Can we sue Ford for subjecting us to this and only doing a technical bulletin to warn us instead of a recall?

utopia · December 2001

Trying to decide between purchase of a 2002 Mazda Tribute (like inside & out) or 2001 Honda CR-V (2002's interiors are much improved but exterior is yucksville). Anyway, there isn't anything we don't like about the Tribute -- except these scary reports about stalling, etc. On the other hand, responses from people I've stopped in parking lots with either Tributes or Escapes give nothing but glowing reports on their SUV's. One today (Escape owner) said they are getting 24 mpg in town & close to 30 hwy., have had the SUV since June & no problems! My heart wants the Tribute, but head says go for Honda reliability. Tribute has everything I'm looking for, but it would be a small consolation if it spends more time with the mechanic than me. Sooo, real world opinions please? And, if there is another consumer comment site on the Tribute where I can read additional feedback, please advise. Thanks..

walkercm · December 2001

Utopia,
I am an Escape owner with stalling problems. Putting this aside, it's a great car. However, I would recommend NOT going with a Trib/Escape. There's not much scarier than going down a windy road and your car loses all steering and braking power. And Ford DOES NOT know how to fix it yet according to my dealer when I asked them straight out - they only are doing "well, let's see if this works" type of things. Am currently pursuing Lemon Law against Ford.

winbro · December 2001

if all owners with the stalling problem would pursue their lemon law rights, I'm sure ford would very quickly come up with a solution.

1jimv1 · December 2001

NHTSA has received only about 100 stalling complaints from Escape/Mazda owners out of a total population of about 250,000 trucks sold. That is 0.04% Sure it's frightening if it happens to you so you would think such events would usually be reported to NHTSA and Ford/mazda as well as being reported here! Everyone is working on a fix. A master ford tek reports here that 90% of them are fixed by adjusting base idle or replacing a defective relay. joluv21 reports that Mazda told her dealer they would be releasing an improved Air Sensor for solving the problem on Dec 5. Ford is releasing a revised adjustment setup specification on Dec 15. Ask your dealer! Then go figure for yourself!

tiredofmanual · December 2001

As walkercm makes it sound. You don't lose all steering and braking power, you lose the power assist, and on a vehicle as light as the Escape/Tribute, if you have problems bringing the car to a safe stop you really need to do something about your physical fitness level. I remember riding with my friend in an old [full sized] Buick with his mother driving. The power steering pump went out, leaving her with no power assist on a vehicle that weighed at least 2x what the Escape weighs. She would qualify as a small woman, and she had no trouble safely steering the car the rest of the way home.

dnardini · December 2001

After discovering this forum I see that the engine idle/stall problem is not a unique one.

I purchased a Mazda Tribute (DX-I4 AWD, 5 speed) the first of March 2001 which was delivered to me with the battery light on. A new alternator was installed on March 6, 2001.

After that the battery light disappeared, however I encountered several incidents where I would come to a stop and the engine would lose power, with the idle loping to 250rpms. The vehicle would shudder and almost stall. I reported this to Mazda and they asked me to "look for a pattern" to help diagnose, but the symptom seems too damn intermittent.

On November 7, 2001 the battery light came on again. I immediately drove straight to the dealer as it felt like the alternator has stopped working (which it did).

They could not diagnose the problem and kept the vehicle in the shop for 3 weeks. I picked it up again on November 22nd and was assured that "the problem was fixed". The work order indicates that they replaced (in this order) alternator, PCM, wire harness, GEM, PCM (again), airbag module, alternator (yet again), EEC relay, instrument cluster and battery.

Sooo... I'm on my 4th alternator and 3rd PCM. I guess that I'm getting mileage out of the warranty, heh. The bad news is that I had a power drain/idle loping incident within days of picking the vehicle up, and several since that.

On Wednesday, Dec 12, 2001 I brought the vehicle back to Mazda. It checked out 100%... nobody can find the problem.

I've lost complete confidence in this vehicle and have approached Mazda for a replacement or refund. Mazda reassures me that this is what warranties are for.

I can honestly say that this has been the worst consumer experience of my life. I have owned three Mazda vehicles back-to-back (two previous B2600 trucks) and seriously doubt there will be a fourth.

More importantly I am very concerned that eventually I will encounter the stalling problem, or the alternator will fail again somewhere up in the mountains.

I am sorry to see that others have experienced similiar or worse problems.

I still believe that the Tribute is the best designed vehicle in it's class, and I have found it a joy to drive. However Mazda needs to address these serious power problems and work on the Tribute's reliability.

I'm hoping that Mazda will eventually stumble across the problem and we will all put this issue to rest... before somebody is seriously hurt as a result.

I'm also looking for others who have experienced these brief power drains while stopping the vehicle, notably with the DX 5 speed model.

Regards,
Dino Nardini

a_handlesman · December 2001

Jim,
Do not take this personally, but before you start posting numbers, you should know the the facts. A few weeks a ago I would have agreed with your estimate "about 100 complaints". You need search through all categories (components). For example, when I posted my stalling complaint, I listed it under "engine" but it appeared under "fuel: throttle linkage and control". So when you add up all incidences of stalling from the various categories, you are over 100 for the 2001 Escape alone. Now add to that the 2002 Escape, the 2001 and the 2002 Tribute. I will bet anything that there are well over 250 complaints of stalling. As a percentage of total vehicles built, you are correct in that it is very small, but 1 in 1,000 is too many for a life threatening problem and is unacceptable for a new $24,000 vehicle.

arroyo1 · December 2001

Hi all. I am just about to purchase a 2002 Tribute LX 4WD. I was wondering if these stalling and other problems were experienced in the earlier models, 2001, and if the 2002 models are much more reliable. Also, anybody know of any recalls.

Thxs.

walkercm · December 2001

tiredofmanual:

This is partially true, you can manage to steer and brake the Escape on a stall until you can restart it, when you put some muscle into it. It certainly is not "easy", but not "hard" - if you are expecting it. However, going down a windy hill, and not expecting it, you can easily loose power around a curve and not be able to react to it in time as you swerve into another lane. If you don't think this is a serious problem, well, I would say you sound like a Ford Tech trying to protect the company. I suspect most people would not want to drive a car like this though...

tiredofmanual · December 2001

I assure you that I am not employed by Ford nor am I in the automotive business at all. Speaking of service techs trying to protect the company, this summer a good friend of mine had a problem with the power locks in her 2001 Civic. Every so often the locks would not allow the vehicle to be unlocked. When it did happen you never knew whether it would be like that for a few minutes or a few hours. The Honda techs didn't seem to think it was that big of a deal (a "minor inconvenience") and one dealership even refused to service it since she hadn't purchased it there (she bought it more than 2000 miles away - hardly a case of buying down the street to save a few bucks). I can think of many situations where not being able to get into/out of her car could potentially be life-threatening, especially for a young woman in a big city (Chicago). The bottom line is that Techs for all brands give you the runaround and Ford Techs are but members of the same club Honda and Toyota Techs are in.

You are right that stalling is a bit more serious than I made it out to be, but none (that I know of) have resulted in a crash. I do believe that most cases have been in very similar conditions and I haven't heard curvy roads being mentioned.

arroyo1, the actual number that have stalling problems is less than 1/2% of all Escapes/Tributes. And on those affected, stalling is pretty rare. Also, for the majority of the vehicles afflicted, a new PCM relay fixed the problem permanently. All manufacturers will produce a lemon every so often and the Escape/Tribute is no different. Your chances are very slim, but if it makes you feel better, try adding language to your sales contract stating something like this:

"Mazda has recognized that a small percentage of Tributes are affected by a stalling problem and there is no known remedy that fixes this problem in all affected vehicles. If this vehicle exhibits this problem and after 3 attempts to fix the problem have not remedied the problem to the customers satisfaction, then this dealership will buy back this vehicle, at selling price minus $0.10 per mile." Your sales contract is just like any other contract - negotiable. Just write that in, initial it and have the sales manager initial it as well. Then sign the contract.

To check on recalls, go to the NHTSA website and you can look up recalls, TSBs, complaints, and more relating to any vehicle sold in the USA.

firstov · December 2001

Hi,
My 02 Trib gas pedal does not work smoothly. The very first moment when I push the pedal, it does not go, so I have to push it a little harder and then I got hi RPM... kinda hard to keep the car in traffic. I went to the dealer, they cleaned it. It helped for a while, but I got the problem again next month. Went to the dealer. He told me he does not feel that gas pedal works not smoothly...
Please help!! My wife got RAV4 and gas pedal there works very soft. Does anyone else have same problem???

ob11 · December 2001

Not all vehicles have the same amount of power steering boost, etc. One thing that has changed is the steering wheel diameter. Older full size cars and pick-ups had the room for a big steering wheel, while in today's smaller vehicles...that is a different story. We had a 87 Volvo 240DL that lost the power pump. My wife could barely move the wheel at around town speeds. I drove it, and it was a great upper body workout! I suppose the same is true for brakes. The inherent mechanical advantages are lost with today's power assist everything.
Happy Holidays!

jfiliberti · December 2001

2001 XLT V6 Escape. My Escape was built 1/2001 and bought it 2/28/01. Read about fuel smell before I noticed it and service said there was a bulletin on the problem on my second inquiry. It still happens when I do a restart with a warm/hot engine. I haven't gone back yet but I don't do warm restarts very often and the smell isn't real bad. No stalls. I only have about 5,000 miles after 10 months. Otherwise, I love it.

heckster4 · December 2001

What were all the changes that were made on the 2002 Tribute? Also, how close to the car must you be in order to work the keyless remote, open and closed buttons and horn? When I picked up the car, one speaker wasn't working. How hard is that to fix?

wpooh · December 2001

My 2002 Escape with 1800 miles died while I was trying to pass a car on the interstate. I couldn't see out the back due to large amount of smoke. The engine had to be replaced. Everyone was really nice( i was 5 hours away from home on a Sunday) Ford did reimburse me for the motel home and the rental car. After i called and complained Ford did give me gas money for the drive to pick up my Escape. ( I had to use 2 vacation days though) When i called Ford, to ask what caused the engine to fail( dealer was instructed by Ford not to tear the engine apart and to remove it as a complete assembly and return it to Ford) Ford customer service rep gave me the run around and said the service manager could help etc.

taylor396 · December 2001

I was very close to buying a Mazda Tribute last year (a 2001) but had to pull out of it. I waited and waited and then canceled, which happened to be a good idea. I thought I'd also wait to see if the problems cleared up on it, and it doesn't seem they have. It's heading toward the bottom of my wish list.

audia8q · December 2001

the chances of you hitting lotto are better than you getting a tribute with the problems posted on here...

Real world warranty claims on this stalling issue are nowhere near the percentage of vehicles that you would be led to believe on here.

Rich

canadatwo · December 2001

winning the lotto: 1 in 14,000,000 or worse

stalling Escape/Tribute: 1 in 1000 to 1 in 5000.

not really the same.

princam · December 2001

My husband and I bought the vehicle last week and we drove to Canada on the same day picked up the vehicle. We did not experience any problems at all other than impressed on its capability. We drove to the snowy Buffalo all the way to Toronto.
I was worried when we first purchased it as there were complaints of stalling over the internet. But now, I can say that it's just one of those lemons that those people ended up with. That is very unfortunate. We have already turned some heads on the highway. I thought it was a mini SUV, but when we parked next to the Jeep Cherokee, it's the same size. We love the vehicle's classy design, the spacious cargo space, visibility, and it handles the road very well.

scape2 · January 2002

only here at Edmunds about stalling problems. Visit other chat rooms around the internet on the Escape/Tribute and you don't see as many, sometome none.
I honestly believe the first production run of Escapes/Tribs were questionable. And if you look closely at the recalls and the numbers and lots involved the number shrinks.
Ford/Mazda have a winner on the table and Ford has the ability to mass produce as many as the market wants. Subaru, Honda, and other competitors don't ahve the ability

techy1 · January 2002

Not even to the first oil change, there I was meandering up I-495 in the Washington D.C. area on a quiet holiday morning... cruise control set at about 60 MPH. After crossing the American Legion bridge, the Escape started making strange engine noises which initially sounded like electrical noise from the stereo but after turning the stereo off, the noises got progressively worse and were obviously coming from the engine compartment. No sooner do I recognize that -- the check engine light comes on. As I IMMEDIATELY pull to the shoulder, the Escape dies and loses all power (steering, brakes, etc -- electrical still seemed good.)

It would not crank over at all but seemed to try to engage the starter. The battery "indicator" is green and all seems well electrically. There's oil in the engine. But this does NOT look good. I think the engine may be toast.

2,950 miles and this kind of problem is WHOLLY unacceptable for ANY car. I paid almost $25k for this SUV and I am absolutely apalled that this could happen. It's really too bad because up until this point I have absolutely LOVED this Escape.

2002 Escape XLT 4X4, V6, Auto.

I sense a major engineering flaw here from my experience and that of many others... especially post 1121 from wpooh. The similarities are amazing although I don't remember seeing any smoke. The tranny HAD kicked down to go up the hill from the bridge but the hill wasn't so big that it would require excessive power from the engine.

So I'll take it to the dealer and leave this note for the service department:

CHANGE THE ENGINE, CHECK THE OIL.

TECHY1

scape2 · January 2002

boards across the net.. People mention that the dealers are not prepping the vehicles correctly. Not checking fluid leveles ect... When I picked up my Escape V6 XLT I checked all fluid levles and the engine oil seemed about 1 - 2 quarts low. The dealer agreed and topped it off. Sorry to hear about your problem. Stuff like this is what gives Ford a bad name. Overall however if you check other Escape boards around the net the Escape is proving to be reliable......

prplnrs · January 2002

I own a 2002 Tribute and my gas pedal is not smooth operating either, my husband a mechanic, has looked at it and can't figure it out either. Sometimes it works fine and others really jumps forward. prlplnrs

skhargrove · January 2002

Readers: I hope I don't jinx myself. But I have owned a 2001 Tribute DX/V6 for almost a year...and have put almost 30,000 miles on it. Fortunately, I have not had ONE problem with my vehicle. My only complaint is the excessive
road noise from the front door windows, and certainly would like better mpg. My wife
loves the vehicle also. Any others with my
LUCK!!!

Keith

tcd2 · January 2002

Well I was all set to buy a Tribute but the dealer swap went south when the dealer who had the
vehicle didn't stick to his argeement and sold the SUV the day it arrived instead of swapping it
with my local dealer. Plus after reading all the problems I was starting to get nervous about
buying one. So I bought a new Chevy Trailblazer LT 4WD and love it. Thanks for all the good
info. and good luck to all of you with Tributes.

Happy Motoring!

bige22 · January 2002

My 2001 Tribute has 30k miles and the transmission is acting up. At highway speeds, I let off accelerator, rpms fell to 1k, then tried to reaccelerate. Engine revved to 6k rpms, NO power (like in neutral), when I let off, a Loud clunk from drive train and it re-engaged. Has happened a few times. In shop now, Dealer can't find the problem. Anybody else with the problem?

achin1 · January 2002

Hi all,

I have a 2001 Tribute. I too had a stalling problem (happened twice). My dealer was not helpful, so I called all of the local dealers to see which ones would look at the SUV. I found one and printed off the previous messages about replacing the EEC module and gave it to him. After running tests, he said that was my problem and replaced the part. I haven't had any problems since! Also, when the first stalling problem occurred, I called the Mazda customer hotline and wrote them a letter demanding my money back. A month later, I received a letter back from them to start the buy-back procedures. Since, my car appears to be fixed (I've driven down the same road in which I had the stalling problem several times now), I'm going to keep the Tribute.

canadiancl · January 2002

Perhaps you should wait a bit before formally turning down that buyback offer. If the problem is as easy to rectify as it appears (in your case), I'm not sure that Mazda would have cooperated that quickly. Usually manufacturers will fight you tooth and nail before giving in on a buyback request. Maybe they now realize the gig is up. Just keep the offer alive for as long as you can, and in the meantime drive the car as much as you can to see if the problem occurs again.

bob360 · January 2002

Well , my Escape XLT has now done 21000 klms and I have not experienced another stall- so I am keeping my fingers crossed , because although more than 70000 Escapes ( see VIN #) were maufactured before mine , the creaks have returned and appear to be more noticeable after braking on right turns. It's a shame really , seeing that my vehicle is serviced every 5000 klms and one would think that Ford would by now been able to fix this problem. Now I not only wonder about how well this vehicle was put together but also if my resale value is going to be affected adversely down the road.Does anyone know if a fix is in the works ? Thanks..

cfawcett · January 2002

I almost bought an Escape, but I chose the Aztek, I have had it for about a month now and like all the other owners out there, have had no problems. I've got almost 2000 miles on it and I'm loving it. I'm averaging 21 miles to the gallon and it's the quietest vehicle I've ever driven. Not only that but I've never had so many compliments about how much better my 02' Aztek looks compared to the 01'. The only reason I didn't get the Escape was my dealership experience was horrible! So if you haven't purchased an Escape yet I would look at the Aztek. My Aztek is great and I can't wait to tow my boat with it this summer.

Well hopefully Ford will do you guys some justice and get your cars fixed. I think they will, but it may take them time, I heard they were still working on the tire recalls. Good Luck Guys!

maltb · January 2002

Did it feel strange shopping for a minivan instead of an SUV?

corey76 · January 2002

No I gotta tell you when I was looking at the Escape I never thought about shopping for a Mini-Van. So no it didn't feel strange at all. I guess the Escape is kinda like a Mini-Van though. It probably shares many of it's parts with the MPV. It doesn't really look like a Mini-Van so maybe that's why it didn't seem that way. Mini-Vans are nice, but I don't need that much space. Typically they are more expensive too, and I would like to be able to at least travel down a slightly bumpy dirt road with ease. I guess you are right it looks like all minivans will be converted to SUV's as we go along. Acura is doing it, Chrysler is doing it, Mitsibishi is doing it, Chevy is going to do it, Honda is doing it, Buick is doing it. Well I guess that's the way we're going!

maltb · January 2002

that was not directed at you.

corey76 · January 2002

Ya cfawcett is another user I created.

stever · January 2002

Please pick one user name you wish to use and email me which one to delete (stever@edmunds.com). The Member Agreement frowns on multiple personalities on Town Hall. Thanks.

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

maltb · January 2002

Sorry bud...

corey76 · January 2002

I have no idea how that user got created but I couldn't get my other machine to quit using it!

scape2 · January 2002

if the media will report the intial problems with production of the Escape/Tribute have ended... Probably not.. The 02 Aztek is a considerable improvement over the last. Yet, the Escape has a stronge engine and looks less like a mini-van in my opinion. The consumer is ruler and so far the Escape/Tribute combination is numero-uno with consumers...

marykay5 · January 2002

We own a 2001 Tribute with leather interior. We have experienced a foul smell when the vehicle is closed and in the garage overnight. we have cleaned it out and taken to dealer with no luck. ??????

maltb · January 2002

certainly with a name like that you'd have something in your bag of tricks to fix anybody's foul scent.

canadiancl · January 2002

If that was a used car, then I would suspect uncontrolled flatulence from previous owner which had been absorbed into the seats.

)

Sorry Steve, can't get that thought out of my head!

stever · January 2002

ok ok, you guys play nice. We don't have enough members of the fairer sex participating on Town Hall as it is. You're a pretty funny guy for someone with an accounting background, canadiancl, but I think cabin fever may be setting in :-)

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

canadiancl · January 2002

Warped humour sets in when you can't reconcile the darn bank account!

1jimv1 · January 2002

marykay5: Odors adhere to all the inner surfaces of a car (by adsorption) so perhaps leaving all the car windows open when storing in the garage and locking up the garage instead will clear the car enough for you. If you clean the floors with a "steam" cleaner you may clear the source more thoroughly. If it's the leather, have an upholsterer examine it and advise you. Remember it's under warranty. Good results!

astrosurf · January 2002

Has anyone noticed that their passengers get car sick from riding in the escape? As a driver I am fine. Could it be that the suspension is too stiff and bumpy?

canadiancl · January 2002

Usually its the OWNERS who have been reporting getting sick from their Triscapes.

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