Tribute tranny problem

WE CONTACTED Mazda for its input and the response was: ``We've had no reports of a fault or recurring weakness with the Mazda Tribute's transfer case or transmission. One of the great features of the Mazda Tribute is the ability for drivers to conveniently lock the transfer case in 4WD at the push of a button mounted on the dashboard. The unfortunate thing is that, if the driver forgets to disengage 4WD when rejoining the bitumen, transfer case `wind-up' can occur. This places stress on the transfer case and may lead to a weakness or failure in the transfer case's internals. Unfortunately there's no way to tell if this occurred in the moments before your reader reported the knocking noise, or some years back in the hands of the previous owner.'' This probably doesn't help, but it may be an explanation and your 2004 model car is out of warranty.