New owner just bought a 2004 Tribute ES with 71K+ miles. Real clean and fairly loaded, I think. It will be the car mainly for the kids to drive. The kids were very surprised and happy. It seems to drive well and is real tight, although a bit noisy. The only thing I need to do for it so far is get a second key.

I was curious to know how much of the car is actually Mazda parts. Was it really a design collaboration between Ford and Mazda or just a Mazda badge applied to a different-trimmed Escape (like Mazda's trucks)?

 

The Escape/Tribute was jointly developed by Ford/Mazda. I know quite a few of the Japanese engineers that worked on that program. A lot of the chassis is very similar to the Mazda 626.

 

And where has the 626 been built since 1993. Answer : Flat Rock , Michigan by UAW in the USA. Not that they and the Mazda 6 are not still a decent product but the final answer to the question is that the Tribute is a rebadged if not slightly remodifed Escape vehicle. Why do you think Mazda is now coming out with the CX-7 (Japan built product but not with originality) which will soon replace the Tribute in production.

 

Thanks for the replies. I didn't mean to to start any car nationality wars here.

What about the V6 motor? Ford or Mazda? Electrical and accessories (radio, climate control, etc)? They look Ford to me.

So, was the chassis really developed based on the 626? Or a Ford? Or was it more of a new design? I always hear that car makers hardly ever design a brand new chassis.

We used to have a '93 Nissan Quest Minivan that was supposedly a joint Ford-Nissan venture (Villager). It was basically a Ford with a Nissan motor. A very good car for 12 years.

 

No nationality wars here mmiller2002. sstlaure is far more knowledgeable about engineering and design as he is involved with those aspects in depth. I just work on them.


It is difficult anymore to make a distinction between who did the design and build. I do belive the Mazda played a larger role in design and engineering of Tribute/Escape but Ford does the building. Most every label you will find on the sub says FoMoCo. Both engines are Ford product. The 3.0l is the Ford Duratec and 2.3 is Zetec designation. Tribute has overall been a good quality suv over the years with relatively few major problems once the initial quirks were worked out. Couple of links below to some interesting reviews.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...s-v-6-4wd.html

http://www.acarplace.com/reviews/2002/tribute.html

http://www.caranddriver.com/previews...a-tribute.html

http://4wheeldrive.about.com/gi/dyna...81%26sid%3D181

 

Thanks again.

Since you're in the business, if I have Ford dealer more convenient, can they work on it just as well as a Mazda dealer?

 

Maybe, but you could pay more there for the parts. My DPFE sensor went out. I went to the Ford dealer to get one. $66 for the same part that Mazda online wanted $30 for. Convenience isn't worth that much to me.

 

I can basically shop Ford vs. Mazda dealers for the best prices on basic mechanical parts, right? Trim will be different, but underhood stuff should be the same between Escape and Tribute, right?

 

Yes underhood parts all all interchangeable. Many interior parts as well. We get parts from the Local Ford store from time to time when in a pinch. Diagnostic equipment is the same as well. We have a few Escape customers that bring them to our Mazda store as they do not like the Ford place. The only thing we can not do is warranty work. That would need to be done at the Mazda dealer as Ford cannot submit a claim for being reimbursed to Mazda.