2002 Mazda Tribute: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 502 complaints
502
Total Complaints
70,400mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
Top Issue
24
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

30,000 25th Percentile
70,400 Median Mileage
119,835 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
68
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
33
AIR BAGS
32
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
31
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
26
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
24
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
21
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
18
SERVICE BRAKES
18
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
15

Severity Assessment

24
Crashes
29
Fires
15
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ON NOVEMBER 2 DRIVING 40MPH WITH NO WARNING MY ENGINE SHUT OFF AND I LOST POWER TO MY STEERING AND BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AFTER APPLYING ALL MY WEIGHT TO THE BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL. I MISSED AN ONCOMING CAR AND A TREE BY LUCK. I TOOK THE TRIBUTE TO THE DEALERSH..."
"ON NOVEMBER 2 DRIVING 40MPH WITH NO WARNING MY ENGINE SHUT OFF AND I LOST POWER TO MY STEERING AND BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AFTER APPLYING ALL MY WEIGHT TO THE BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL. I MISSED AN ONCOMING CAR AND A TREE BY LUCK. I TOOK THE TRIBUTE TO THE DEALERSH..."
"ON NOVEMBER 2 DRIVING 40MPH WITH NO WARNING MY ENGINE SHUT OFF AND I LOST POWER TO MY STEERING AND BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AFTER APPLYING ALL MY WEIGHT TO THE BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL. I MISSED AN ONCOMING CAR AND A TREE BY LUCK. I TOOK THE TRIBUTE TO THE DEALERSH..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28