AI Damage2011 Mazda Tribute Hybrid: common problems
Owners of the 2011 Mazda Tribute Hybrid filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and fuel/propulsion system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 7
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 29% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel/propulsion system 29% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 29% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 29% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 14% of all complaints
- Air bags: 2 complaints (29% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 2 complaints (29% of all).
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (29% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (29% of all).
- Engine: 1 complaints (14% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 7 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Head-on collision with power pole at 55 mph. Driver air bag failed to deploy. (no passengers on board).
A recall 16v-788 was published on oct. 26,2016 and has yet to be remedied. The status shows "recall incomplete, remedy not yet available". It has been over 14 months. This needs to be completed. We haven't been notified of the recall (that we can remember) nor can it be completed over 14 months later.
Engine did not turn completely off as it continued to hesitate and rpms fluctuated between 500-1000 but gas pedal would not accelerate car. Immediately put hazard lights on so cars behind me would know thar I was not at constant speed anymore.
About 4 weeks, ago, car literally just wouldn't move when I was in traffic, the wrench light came on, indicating a transmission issue. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer, who found nothing. 2 days ago, exact same thing happened again, in traffic.
Car begin to shimmy between gear shifts felt like transmission was going to fall out on the road. Slipped between gear shifts intermittently afterwords
The automatic passenger airbag sensor does not operate properly. My wife weighs about 120 pounds and the light goes on and off at random on the highway are just sitting still. The dealer has zero solutions and we are following the instructions in the manual which states the weight threshold to be 80 lbs.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 mazda tribute. The contact stated that when depressing the brakes, he would haphazardly depress the accelerator pedal simultaneously. The contact had concerns with the distance between the two pedals and stated that they were entirely too close together.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 12,538 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 34% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tribute Hybrid has 4 complaints (3 years in the data). This year has 7, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2011 Mazda Tribute Hybrid?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, fuel/propulsion system, powertrain. Total complaints: 7. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (14%), hesitation when accelerating (14%), warning lights, check engine (14%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2011 Mazda Tribute Hybrid?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2011 Mazda Tribute Hybrid from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2011 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.