Selling a junk Mazda Tribute
Any Tribute sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Mazda Tribute
NHTSA has 2,831 owner complaints on file for the Mazda Tribute, model years 2000 to 2011, the 155th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are engine and cooling (352, 12%), speed control (352, 12%), body and structure (293, 10%). 138 complaints involved a crash, 71 a fire, and 39 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 90,000 miles. The 2001 model year has the most complaints (734). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is engine and cooling, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a blown engine: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Mazda Tribute by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6 | Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 734 | Engine and cooling | 26 | 17 | 15 | 74,000 |
| 2002 | 502 | Engine and cooling | 24 | 29 | 9 | 71,770 |
| 2003 | 266 | Speed control | 22 | 11 | 8 | 78,000 |
| 2004 | 232 | Suspension | 19 | 7 | 7 | 110,000 |
| 2005 | 542 | Suspension | 22 | 4 | 4 | 108,250 |
| 2006 | 181 | Speed control | 11 | 1 | 3 | 77,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | Speed control | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2008 | 251 | Steering | 9 | 2 | 5 | 83,000 |
| 2009 | 46 | Steering | 2 | 0 | 2 | 99,000 |
| 2010 | 57 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 3 | 58,269 |
| 2011 | 8 | Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Mazda Tribute recalls
NHTSA lists 22 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for brakes (3), transmission and drivetrain (2), fuel system (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2010 model year, fuel system (campaign 16V788000, Oct 2016): Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Tribute vehicles manufactured March 3, 2009, to May 26, 2011. On vehicles with a 3.0L engine, the Fuel Delivery Module (FDM) may crack, ca…
- 2008 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 15V677000, Oct 2015): Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2008 Tribute vehicles manufactured February 9, 2007 to April 22, 2008. The affected vehicles have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufa…
- 2001 model year, suspension (campaign 15E045000, Jun 2015): The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tr…
- 2008 model year, hybrid system (campaign 14V552000, Sep 2014): Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 10, 2006, to May 23, 2008. The coolant pump for the hybrid system may fail, resulting in the…
- 2008 model year, steering (campaign 14V282000, May 2014): Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Tribute vehicles manufactured October 5, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may no…
What a Mazda Tribute is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Tribute on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a blown engine 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Mazda models
- Mazda Mazda3 3,960
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- Mazda 626 2,958
- Mazda Mazda6 2,946
- Mazda CX-9 1,878
- Mazda CX-7 1,549
- Mazda Protege 1,053
- Mazda RX-8 1,004
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Mazda Tribute worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Tribute gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Mazda Tribute that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Mazda Tribute?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Mazda Tribute numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.