2004 MAZDA RX-8 Complaints

I FEEL GRINDING WHEN I SHIFT FROM 1 GEAR TO 2. SOMETIMES IS DIFFICULT TO SHIFT TO THE 2 AND 3 GEAR. I BLEED THE CLUTCH LINE, CHANGED TRANSMISSION OIL. IT IS WEIRD BECAUSE THE CAR HAS LOW MILEAGE. *TR

DIVING AT 50 MPH AND MY CLUTCH PEDAL BROKE, MOVING SIDE TO SIDE AND UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. I WAS 3 MILES FROM A MAZDA DEALER AND GOT THERE. WAS TOLD THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE PART IN STOCK (IN DEMAND, OF COURSE) AND I HAD TO PAY $25.00 FOR OVER NIGHT SHIPPING TO GET MY CAR FIXED THE NEXT DAY. I WAS GIVEN MY OLD PETAL AND BROKEN PART AND PAID $470 FOR THE FIX. AFTER REVIEWING THIS PROBLEM ON-LINE I SEE THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2004-2008 RX-8'S FROM 20,000-70,000 MILES. HAD MY 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER BEEN DRIVING THIS CAR AT THE TIME, THIS WOULD BE A WHOLE DIFFERENT LETTER. PLEASE RECALL THIS CAR AND CORRECT THIS ON GOING DANGEROUS , LIFE THREATENING PROBLEM. MAZDA MECHANIC'S KNOW ALL TO WELL ABOUT THIS, WHY DOESN'T THE PUBLIC. WHY DON'T YOU. *TR

2004 MAZDA RX8 CLUTCH BRACKET BROKE. MY WIFE JUST GAVE BIRTH AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN USING THE RX8, MUCH CAUSE SHE CAN'T DRIVE, BUT I WANTED TO START IT UP AND TAKE IT OUT FOR A TRIP TO THE STORE BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN SITTING FOR A WEEK. WHEN I WENT TO START IT, THE CLUTCH JUST FELT LIKE IT SNAPPED. THE BRACKET SNAPPED IN HALF ON THE LEFT SIDE. WOW THANK GOD THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN WHILE MY WIFE WAS PREGNANT OR WHAT ABOUT WITH MY SON IN THE CAR. SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM NOT BEING ADDRESSED BY MAZDA. I AM SURE THAT WE HAVE THE DRIVER EXPERIENCE AND GOOD ENOUGH DRIVING SKILLS TO HAVE SAFELY AVOIDED DISASTER, BUT I AM VERY HAPPY THAT IT HAPPENED ON JUST A NORMAL STARTUP RATHER THEN AT 70 MPH IN HEAVY ATLANTA TRAFFIC. *TR

THE CLUTCH PEDAL IN THE MAZDA RX8 BEGAN CREAKING DURING USE. AFTER INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE ONLINE, I LEARNED THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG MAZDA RX8 OWNERS AND THAT CONTINUED USE OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL WOULD LEAD TO FAILURE WITH THE CREAKING BEING A SIGN THAT THE PEDAL IS PREMATURELY WEARING. SINCE MAZDA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT AND OFFER A RECALL, I REMOVED THE CLUTCH PEDAL AND HAD THE MOUNTING BRACKET REWELDED. I'VE ALSO OBSERVED THAT THE METAL USED FOR THE BRACKET IS INCREDIBLY THIN AND THAT THE SPOT WELDS MADE AT THE FACTORY BY MAZDA ARE WHOLLY INSUFFICIENT TO KEEP THE BRACKET FROM MOVING UNDER STRESS, LEADING TO PERMANENT FAILURE WHEN IT BREAKS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY MAZDA RX8 AT 35MPH DOWN A CITY STREET AT NIGHT. I PUSHED IN THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO SHIFT GEARS. THERE WAS AN EXTREMELY LOUD POP, THEN THE CLUTCH DROPPED TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO FORCE IT INTO GEAR TO GET IT HOME. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THAT THE CLUTCH PEDAL BENT/COLLAPSED, AND THE CLUTCH BURNED OUT. UP TO THIS POINT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF CLUTCH WEAR, NO SLIPPAGE OF THE CLUTCH, EVERYTHING OPERATED NORMALLY. I HAVE HAD EVERY SERVICE COMPLETED ON THE CAR, AND HAD IT IN THE SHOP FOR A MAJOR REPAIR ONLY 3 MONTHS (OR LESS) AGO. THE CLUTCH PEDAL SHOULD NOT HAVE BENT, AND WAS THE CAUSE OF THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE CLUTCH. AGAIN, UP TO THIS POINT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF CLUTCH WEAR, THE CAR WAS OPERATING FINE. I CAN PROVIDE ALL SERVICE RECORDS FOR THE VEHICLE. THIS EXACT PROBLEM HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED SEVERAL TIMES ON RX-8 CLUB THREADS, AND MATCHES IDENTICAL TO THIS VERY THREAD: HTTP://WWW.RX8CLUB.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=132912 AND HTTP://WWW.RX8CLUB.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=182412&HIGHLIGHT=CLUTCH+BRACKET THIS FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT HAD I BEEN TRAVELING AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED OR HAD THE CLUTCH PEDAL FOLDED UNDERNEATH THE BREAK PEDAL. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO FOLD UNDER THE PRESSURE OF MY FOOT, MUCH LESS UNDER NORMAL CLUTCH OPERATING CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE I WAS JUST SHIFTING GEARS. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A DEADLY ACCIDENT! THE DAMAGES TO THE CAR INCURRED AS OF TODAY ARE APPROXIMATELY $1900 BEFORE TAXES. NORMAL CLUTCH DAMAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN INDICATED BY SLIPPAGE OF THE CLUTCH DISC AGAINST THE PRESSURE PLATE. THIS SORT OF DAMAGE COULD HAVE ALSO SEIZED THE ENGINE HAD THE PRESSURE PLATE DECONSTRUCTED IN THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. THE PROPERTY DAMAGE I CLAIM IN THIS WAS THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE DONE TO THE VEHICLE ITSELF, NOT ANYONE ELSE'S PROPERTY. THE COSTS FOR REPLACEMENT AND REPAIR ARE OUTLANDISH AND UPSETTING. I WILL PROVIDE ANY DOCUMENTATION ON REQUEST, AS WELL AS PICTURES. *TR

CLUTCH PEDAL IS HAS BEGUN TO MAKE CREAKING SOUNDS AND FEELS LOOSE WHEN FULLY DEPRESSED. I HAVE READ ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THE PEDAL BREAKING AND SNAPPING AND I SUSPECT THIS IS LEADING UP THAT THE POINT THAT IT ULTIMATELY DOES BREAK. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, ATTEMPT TO CHANGE INTO 3RD GEAR AND MY CLUTCH PEDAL DROPPED RIGHT TO THE FLOOR, WHICH CAUSED MY CAR TO JERK INTO THE NEXT LANE AS I WASN'T EXPECTING MY FOOT TO HAVE FREEFALL. AFTER STOPPING THE CAR, I FOUND THAT MY CLUTCH PEDAL MOUNT HAD BROKEN AWAY FROM THE ASSEMBLY CAUSING MY CLUTCH TO BE UNABLE TO DISENGAGE ENTIRELY. THE ASSEMBLY WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED OR WELDED TO RETURN TO REGULAR FUNCTIONALITY. *TR

CLUTCH ASSEMBLY FAULTY DESIGN. WHILE DRIVING AND SHIFTING GEARS (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY SNAPS, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF ABILITY TO SHIFT GEARS. THE THIN METAL TEARS AWAY FROM AROUND ONE OF THE BOLTS THAT HOLDS THE ASSEMBLY TO THE FIREWALL. THIS IS HAPPENING ON OTHER RX-8'S OF PEOPLE I ASSOCIATE WITH TO THE POINT THAT WELDING UP THE OLD BRACKET IS BECOMING COMMON. MAZDA HAS NOT COME UP WITH A STRONGER ASSEMBLY SINCE THEY INTRODUCED THE RX-8 IN 2004. THE ALTERNATIVES TO CORRECT THE ISSUE (OUT OF WARRANTY) IS TO: (A) PURCHASE A NEW ONE FROM MAZDA. (B ) HAVE YOUR OLD ASSEMBLY WELDED OR PURCHASE A REMANUFACTURED WELDED ONE. (C) PURCHASE A BRACKET THAT ADDS SUPPORT TO THE ASSEMBLY I DID BOTH B & C, WELDED AND ADDED SUPPORT. *TR

2004 MAZDA RX8 CLUTCH LEVER BRACKET BROKEN. SHIFTED CAR FROM 3RD TO 4TH HEARD A LOUD SNAP AND THE PEDAL DID NOT FEEL RIGHT. I WAS VERY CLOSE TO HOME SO I MADE IT BUT WAS HARD TO SHIFT. FOUND THE LEVER BRACKET TO BE BROKEN AND CRACKED ON THE RIGHT SIDE. *TR

CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY 2004 RX8 BROKE AND CAUSED ME TO ALMOST GET IN ACCIDENT WHEN THE CAR WOULD NOT RELEASE OUT OF 4 GEAR. THE CLUTCH SHIFTED TOWARDS MY BREAK PEDAL AND IT ALMOST MADE ME WRECK. *TR