Overheating and AC Issues in 2006 Mazda Tribute: Potential Electric Fan Fault?

Hey there! Ran into something similar with my 2008 Mazda CX-7 a while back, believe it or not. Yep, just as you called out, turned out to be an issue with the fan control unit. It was causing the electric fans to malfunction, meaning my AC was blowing warm and my engine just kept getting hotter. Took it to my trusted garage (after a heated game of hide and seek with the temp gauge myself) and it was actually a pretty straight-forward fix. My mechanic replaced the defective fan control unit and bam! Back to normal again. Wasn't a minor thing but didn't require any major surgery to the car, if you catch my drift. Pretty gutting not to have the AC in full swing though, especially in the summer! Definitely recommend getting it checked out ASAP to avoid any further damage to your engine, especially with the red zone flirting going on. So that's my two cents. Hope it helps!

Hey, sounds like you have quite the adventure with your Mazda CX-7. It's great that it ended up being a relatively simple fix! If you don't mind me asking, how much did you end up shelling out? Also, has anything else popped up since then or has it been smooth cruising? My Tribute's got me tearing my hair out with its temp gauge dance, and I'm curious about whether this lurking issue might toss some more surprises my way at the mechanic. Thanks for sharing your experience, really appreciate it!

Hey, happy to share my experience with the ol' Mazda! You're right, the fix for the fan control unit wasn't as hairy as it could've been. I ended up stumping up €480.00 to get the electric fan control bit sorted out. May seem like a solid hit to the wallet, but trust me, having functional AC and a cooler engine is worth it! Thankfully, since catching that issue early and getting it fixed, it's been pretty smooth sailing with my CX-7. That damned erratic temperature gauge hasn't made an encore, thankfully! I think the key is to get these things sorted as soon as they show up, so I'd urge you not to let your Tribute give you any more grief. Get her to a mechanic you can trust, pronto. Wishing you lucky car karma!

Spot on! Really appreciate the keen insights you’ve shared. I’m definitely viewing that €480.00 as a comfort and peace-of-mind investment more than anything else now. Better to squash the bug before it turns into a monster, right? Time to bid farewell to my Tribute's temperature tango. Glad to hear your CX-7's keeping it cool and steady post trouble. I suppose cars really just have their own quirks we need to manage, much like us humans, ey? Anyway, gotta get back to finding a mechanic I can trust for the job. Here's hoping this trip to the garage doesn't leave me with any "surprise" tales to tell. Cheers again!