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This verifies what baggs32 said. This is now in the Mazda factory sites (and I guess in Ford's too), so new Mazda's coming off the line will have the new program. I have no idea how this affects Tribs/Escapes sitting on the lot near your house, but you may want to inquire of your dealer about this.... let's see how it goes from here...
Hmmm ... should I reinstate my Mazda-built-by-Ford rant here, or go back over to the B-series topic?
J/K!
Meade
Dinu
Had a Ford once. 50 yrs from now will say: Still had a Ford once.
Meade
I couldnt resist the sarcasm since they are opening an investigation now that problem has been solved...glad to see they are on top of things.
Sorry, maltb, but the subject did come up. I'm just responding. And I've kept the above as factual as possible without inserting any personal opinion.
BTW, my IT buddy next door hasn't experienced the stalling problem in his Tribute again. Intermittent problems are a real pain, aren't they? I love picking up my car from the dealer to find the words, "Could not duplicate problem," on the service invoice!
Meade
I certainly hope this isn't your last post! One can always ignore the posts that one has no interest in. Unfortunately, I don't have that option!
tidester
Host
SUVs
I agree this is supposed to be an informative chat room not a bashing room.
visit www.auto.com and www.alldata.com and see the TSB's and recalls on the Escapes/Tribs for yourself. Read the data...
Who would dare design an expensive SUV with hard plastic interior parts, hard plastic armrest, no heated seats for leather seats, etc.
The escape is not expensive.. Personally I don't want heated seats, and the plastic trim I think is just fine.. Its solid and doesn't rattle, which is more than I can say for alot of other vehicles out there..
Thanks to those who posted X-plan information. I used it, it was easy, and it saved me money.
When the "mini-suv" class first arrived on the scene, the average costs were between $18-21K. Now we see cars coming close to $30K in comparisons. I can get a nice mid-size for that kind of cash.
IMHO
the vue's interior isnt what I would call exciting. Did you see something I missed ??
This is an ENTRY LEVEL SUV folks. The plastics in the Liberty are not that much better. VUE?? I would say about equal. I have to admit, the Liberty has nicer interior, but you don't base a vehicle nor buy a vehicle soley on interior.. you must find balance..
Meade
First off, thanks for the info. It's always good to have someone around that actually does the work. Second, do you happen to know exactly what the PCM upgrade is changing? For example, is it only changing how the engine manages low RPM situations, or is it changing a bunch of things to make everything more efficient? I'm just curious as to whether or not it will affect performance in any way. I can't find anyone here or on the other boards that can say for sure. All who have had the upgrade done seem to have left the boards because their troubles were over (crossing fingers) so it is hard to get the "after" that matches the "before".
Thanks!
bertloehrer@dpla.net
I have a 2002 Tribute LX. I haven't had any problems...yet. Would you suggest getting this PCM upgrade?
After describing this situation to the service manager, he called Mazda and had me bring it in to change the switch. It took about 90 minutes. The switch is on the transmission so he had to take a lot of interference off on the driver side of the engine bay to get to the switch. Its been a month and have not had the problem recur. Final fix we hope.
Also, I was wondering if anyone knows of an aftermarket hitch that can be used for this vehicle, given the only way to get a Mazda installed hitch is originally from the factory.
Thanks!
Why do buyers put up with the ford quality problems?
I know it's the same Ford engine. It would be a tragedy if the screwed up the nice MPV by adding more power but a crap engine.
First off the MPV does NOT use the 3.0 Duratec engine. The MPV uses a 2.5 liter DOHC aluminum block and heads engine. 170HP@ 6250 rpm/165ft/lbs of torque at 4250rpm. So.... if there is a stalling issue that you claim its not Ford its Mazda! There is an article about the MPV in Motor Trends April issue. They acutally wish Mazda would have USED the Ford 3.0 Duratec 200HP and 200ft/lbs of torque V6 in order to compete in this market by the way.... The Duratec 3.0 by the way is proving to be extremly reliable/durable and low maintenance..
jafo2001... You come into this room claiming every long term test of the Escape/Trib has parts falling off or engines blowing up.. Please link me to these reviews or better yet list them so I can read them myself.. Thank-you.
The 2.5 was flawless in the 00-01, I'd expect the same from the 3.0.
We all make misteaks! ;-)
tidester
Host
SUVs
scape2, why don't you go read Edmunds OWN long term test - February. And why don't you go out and BUY Automobile magasine, turn to page 94 and READ it.
For example: Look at the Edmunds long term test on the Honda Odyssey (which they absolutely LOVED):
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Our long-term Odyssey certainly lived up to our expectations for Honda reliability. Aside from scheduled maintenance (every 7,500 miles for normal duty), it required very little. We had three recalls performed, but all were minor and addressed in short order. Additionally, on one occasion while the van was residing in Detroit, the rear hatch wouldn't open. This was repaired by a dealership the same afternoon and covered by the 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty. The front brake pads were replaced at 23,000 miles. And the rear window developed a rattle near the end of our lease. That's it.
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So this indicates to me they had 6 different problems that had to be addressed, and yet there is no ding on quality..
But let the same thing happen to a domestic vehicle and the same editors will claim shoddy workmanship..
hmm, thats it indeed.
--quote--
One was associated with a recall for a potentially faulty solenoid that would allow drivers to remove the ignition key before `park' had been engaged fully. Our car did not suffer this problem, but Toyota dealers were on the ball, and we had the solenoid replaced not once, but twice, by eager-to-please service departments.
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Again, domestic manufactures will offer recalls and TSB's to vehicles that do not suffer the problem describe in the recall or TSB, but no one seems to claim that they were 'on the ball'..
Double standards abound..
Was driving my wifes 2001 XLT with 5500 miles on it and the check engine light went on. I called my sales rep via cell phone while on the NYS Thruway. and she told me to check for a loose gas cover, I pulled over and reseated the gas cover ( No Change) Called her back and she said don't panic just drive it over to service. I was about 40 miles away but did attempt at 4:20 in the afternoon. She assured me that service will be open till I get there. Made it there at 4:50PM.
Spoke to Service Manager . He checked out the car. Found out that we had a bad sensor and it was replaced. Time out 5:30PM. They say that Fords Service is not good. But I say at Sunshine Ford they did take care of my needs. Thanks Sunshine.
I am also a previous Saturn owner so I am accustomed to a quality service dept.
While that doesn't always corespond with the model year, it might shed some light on the subject.
If the date is past 9 or 10/2001 then it might be a 2002.. If it's past 01/2002 then for sure its 2002. If its prior to 9/2001 then I would guess its a 2001, but thats just a guess. Sometimes they introduce model years very early in the previous year.
But the noise in the car was too high. The engine growled all the time and on the highway it was so loud even the radio couldn't cover it. Also the seats were very firm and unforgiving.
Is the Tribute any quieter than the Escape?