Overview & Reviews

Mazda's first sport-utility vehicle since the departure of the Navajo half a decade ago, the Tribute combines car-like ride and handling with the ability to go in the snow and tote up to five passengers and a healthy amount of their luggage. With the most powerful V6 in its class, in addition to handsome looks and a spacious cabin, the Tribute should find huge success despite an increasingly crowded small-SUV marketplace.

• Stout V6 power, rugged good looks, roomy cabin, attractive pricing.

• Weak standard four-cylinder engine, no low-range transfer case.

User Reviews:

Showing 21 through 30 of 112.00

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  A pretty good SUV - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By dan18932 - December 8 - 3:16 pm

  I have had my Tribute for 1 year now. I bought it used from the original owner. It has gone through all of the recalls and I thought it was fine, until the transmission went out at 47000 miles. It had burned up one day while I was driving home from work. The original warranty had expired because it was a 2001. I took it into the dealer and they said I needed a new one which would cost $3000 dollars. I told them I never heard of a cars tranny going out so soon. After fighting with Mazda they agreed to pay half and the dealer I took it to paid some so it only cost me $1,000 dollars. I do not think I would ever buy one again though it drives nicely and has pretty good performance. My mpg is 19.

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  Bad Rotors from Ford - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By darbow - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Here i thought i was getting Mazda reliability but all we have is a glorified Taurus! The rotors needed replaced under 40k (out of warr of course) and some sensors had to be replaced earlier on. I will keep it until Spring and then im getting a 4Runner or Pathfinder to replace it. Sorry Mazda you should have kept Ford parts out of the vehicle (engine/brakes etc....) back in 01 it was the fastest,cheapest and best looking, now its run of the mill and being underrated by Minivans.

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  Best Car I Ever Bought!!! - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By Japhia Tarver - July 8 - 2:00 am

  Me and my husband bought this SUV about three weeks ago, so far we love it! We have not had any problems out of it so far. We bought it used and its still in really great shape! I love how it drives and that it has good handling on turns. It has a lot of room in it and I think will be very safe for my brand new baby. It has a cool feature on it where the back seat folds in the floorbaord, then the back part on the seat folds down so it makes the back part like a flat-bed truck. One thing my husband doesnt like about it though is how long it takes for it to shift gears. Overall it is a great vehicle and I hope that it lasts us for a long while.

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  Cool Truck, but bad luck - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By ejrusso - June 7 - 10:00 am

  We have had our Tribute DX V6 since November 2000. Besides being fun to drive and powerful the truck has a lot of problems. We are taking our truck in at least 4-5 times every 6 months, for repairs, since weve had it. Our transimission has been replaced along with the cylanoid, master brake cylinder, cracked fuel line, 4 check engine light sensors, the rear windshield wiper, drivers door panel, and the stripping along the front windshield. Im sure there are some I am forgetting.

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  Tainted love - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By Alberta - April 13 - 2:00 am

  Bought this used vehicle with under 20k miles and fell in love with the first test-drive. Still love to drive it, but am finding annoying issues arising on continuous basis. Like others, dont like the placement of the gear-shifter, but also have lost use of rear window water "squirter." Will cost $200 (CDN) just to check the line because it runs inside the vehicle! In cold weather, driver and passenger windows squeak like nails on a chalk-board. Mechanic said the rubber was extremely dried out -- more than youd see on a 15-yr old vehicle. Brakes also squeak in cold weather.

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  Air conditioning - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By hockey2day4u - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Turned on the A/C this weekend and it did not work. Of course,the warranty expired in January. Call the dealer DCH in Maplewood and was told that they are no longer a Mazda dealer. Called another dealer and they said it may be covered under warranty still because I complained last summer that it was not getting cold.

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  Very fun SUV! Over 200,000! - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By Kondo157 - March 8 - 9:53 am

  I purchased my 2001 tribute used from a friend with a little under 150,000 miles on it. He was short on cash and needed to get rid of it. So far this car has been nothing but reliable, had a small malfunction with a transmission plug but once this was corrected the car runs like new. Very much power for such a small SUV. Very good modern look to it as well.

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  I love my Mazda Tribute - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By Dianne Leonetti - January 19 - 12:53 am

  Have had the Tribute for almost 4 years. I love its size, not huge like the others, so can justify daily use and gas usage, but large enough to haul a complete heating and air conditioning system up to Buffalo from Atlanta for installation in my sons newly purchased home! No problem fitting it all in. Buy one.

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  If you like the feel of a car but need s - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By Kiele - January 18 - 2:00 am

  If you like the feel of a car but need something bigger this is great!!! I find it to be very peppy and it gets GREAT gas milage.

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  Good Looking SUV with some quirks - 2001 Mazda Tribute
  By TheGrip - November 18 - 8:23 am

  Owned this beauty over 4 years. Love the peppy engine and inside comfort. No major expenses except for new oil pan recently installed due to the nut stripping the aluminum housing. Expected much better gas mileage. Average 16-17MPG. Also wish it had a larger gas tank. Hard to find the ignition key hole at night. Developed a annoying noise in the rear hatch. With all that at 85,000 miles still happy with it.