Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Mazda Tribute owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The brake pedal was applied and traveled to the floorboard. The contact crashed the vehicle into a snow bank in order to stop. A police report was not filed and there where no injuries reported. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttle was stuck and that the speed control servo needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 00V210002 (vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was 161,000.
I bought this car from a guy in July of this year and he said "the gas pedal gets stuck sometimes but if you just pump the pedal several times it should stop". Well the gas pedal doesn't get stuck sometimes, it gets stuck all the time. It gets stuck and either causes the car not to start or it causes the engine to rev. When I am driving it'll get stuck and accelerate the car when I'm not even pressing the gas pedal and sometimes it causes the brakes to not work either. The only reason I haven't gotten in an accident yet is because it is a stick shift and I'm able to pull it out of gear but it still causes the engine to rev and isn't safe at all. …
I was shopping at the local walmart with my wife, who was driving the vehicle. We were parked in the walmart parking lot. On leaving, she engaged the car in drive and began to ease out of the parking space. The car suddenly surged forward and she was unable to stop it even though she was applying the brakes very hard. This had happened to me several times before but always in a place that was safe and where I could bring the car to a stop. It always happened as I was moving from a parked position. On this occasion, it was not safe, and we crashed into another car. The Tribute was damaged at a cost of $5,000 to repair. The other car also had extensive damages. I asked the dealer who repaired the car to examine the cruise control and accelerator pedal for a defect. He only told me that it looked "normal". …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Mazda Tribute. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, the cruise control failed. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted, but failed to drive. The vehicle was taken to the residence where the contact was staying. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 211,000.
I was at a red light making a right turn. The light turned green I proceeded to drive the vehicle speed went from 25 MPH to 40 MPH and breaks failed. I was able to stop the vehicle and then put it in park. The engine was still racing and I shut the car off waited about 5 min turned the car on engine was still racing and then all went back to normal including the breaks.
The throttle will stick open. It happens typically in the winter when it's really cold but lately, it has been happening when it's warm out. In order for me to get control of the vehicle I have to quickly shift it into neutral and power off the vehicle and coast to a stop. If I do not shut the power off the motor races and sounds like it is going to blow up.
Driver accelerated, with pedal, while cruise control was set at 70 MPH. Removing foot from accelerator pedal and applying the brake did not seem to disengage the cruise; "the engine seemed to surge". The cruise control off button also seemed to have no effect on the cruise. The resistance in the brake pedal increased and engine continued to surge as the vehicle speed was decreased to around 50 MPH. Driver shifted into neutral; the engine RPM shot up. Driver then shifted into progressively lower gears and applied the brake until vehicle stopped. Driver then shifted into park, and shut off the engine. Smoke was coming out of the engine compartment. Vehicle was towed and determined to have a blown engine. …
2001 Mazda Tribute v6. Pulled out pushed the gas pedal to the floor got up to speed of about 35-40 let off the gas and the car was still at wide open throttle put the car in neutral applied brakes which didn't help because brakes do not work then the engine is revving, also slammed on the gas pedal a few times hoping to un-jam the throttle cable. I knew it wasn't a stuck pedal because the pedal returned. Turned the key back one notch to only kill the engine and still allow me to steer hoping to get a little better braking also pulled up slowly on the handbrake at this time to help me stop and pulled over. …
Moved from center turn lane into eastbound lane of rush hour traffic at 5:30 pm. Suddenly noticed the car was speeding. Took foot off accelerator but car continued to accelerate. Managed to pull into a right turn lane into a gas station while standing on brake to no effect. As I swerved into the gas station, I put the car in neutral and turned engine off. Car stopped about 10 feet away from gas pumps. Turned engine on and it raced. Shortly after that the accelerator pedal dropped to the floor and no longer worked. This car was taken in to rick case Mazda, duluth, ga on 10/10/12 for the 2012 Mazda recall due to cruise control and supposedly "fixed" using part #1 f01-10-218 stud. Service station who repaired my car following the 9/10/143 incident said the cruise control cable had once again caused the sudden acceleration and removed and replaced the cruise control cable. …
In the past 30 days I have had 5 incidents where upon exiting from the highway the rpms on my 2001 Mazda Tribute failed to come down to idle speed when I was trying to stop. This caused the vehicle to pull and I had to apply the breaks hard. I tried putting the vehicle into neutral and when I did the vehicle's rpms increased to over 4000. I was able to pull over and shut the vehicle off. It takes about 20 minutes of the vehicle being off before I am able to restart and resume normal operation. I have taken the vehicle into the dealership but they were unable to find anything wrong when they ran their diagnostics an they were unable to recreate the problem. …
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Cables
Mazda is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2006, and 2008, Tribute vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control. Inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable connector could result in a stuck throttle when the accelerator pedal is fully or almost-fully depressed.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles by increasing the engine cover clearance, free of charge. Remedy parts are now available. The safety recall began on September 13, 2012.
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control. The speed control cable can have a cracked or missing speed control cable servo cap locating tab. The locating tab could enter the servo clutch cavity and interfere with the speed control servo clutch.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the speed control cables. Vehicles with speed control cables from cavities 3 and 4 will have the cable the speed control servo replaced.
NHTSA investigations
Gasoline vapor intrusion
There is no summary currently available
Stuck Throttle
In a letter dated July 25, 2012 Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-353 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed control cable connector, which could result in a stuck throttle condition.The vehicles involved are model year (MY) 2001 through MY 2004 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6…
Cruise Control Cable
On July 8, 2012, The Center for Auto Safety has petitioned NHTSA to open defect investigations on Model Year (MY) 2002 ? 2004 Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute vehicles with certain cruise control cables.The Center for Auto Safety has also petitioned for a hearing to address whether Ford Motor Company (Ford) and Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) met their obligations to notify owners and correct a defect in…
Acceleration complaints in other Tribute years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2001 Mazda Tribute?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Mazda Tribute, 7% of the model year's 563 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Mazda Tribute acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 12V-357 (cables, Jul 27, 2012); NHTSA recall 00V210002 (vehicle speed control, Aug 9, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Mazda Tribute acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 113,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 2 fires and 3 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.