2004 MAZDA RX-8 Complaints

2004 MAZDA RX-8: WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SWING DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR DOWN FOR USE, THE SUN VISOR SEPARATED AT THE TOP MOLDED PLASTIC SEAM EDGE AND NO LONGER STAYS IN UPRIGHT POSITION, BLOCKING DRIVER'S VISION. VISOR HAD TO BE FORCIBLE REMOVED FROM ROOF ATTACHMENT STEM SINCE IT HUNG IN COMPLETE DOWN POSITION, CREATING A DRIVING HAZARD IF IT WOULD BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN. IT COULD NOT BE SWUNG TO SIDE AS THIS BLOCKED THE SIDE VISION. VISOR WAS RARELY USED, SO FAILURE WAS NOT DUE TO WEAR OR NEGLECT. THIS IS SECOND OCCURRENCE FOR EXACT SAME PROBLEM. LAST OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 2.5 YEARS AGO, AND WAS REPLACED BY MAZDA UNDER THE ORIGINAL CAR WARRANTY AT NO COST. THE VEHICLE IS NOW BEYOND THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY PERIOD AND BEYOND THE 12 MONTH PART REPLACEMENT WARRANTY. WHEN REQUESTING THIS REPAIR RECENTLY THROUGH THE AT LOCAL MAZDA DEALER TO BE COVERED AS A LATENT DEFECT AT NO COST, EXPLAINING THIS WAS SECOND OCCURRENCE, THE SERVICE WRITER TOOK INFORMATION AND STATED HE WOULD TRY TO HAVE MAZDA COVER REPAIR AGAIN. CONTACTED SERVICE WRITER ON 11-4-09, HE STATED MAZDA DENIED MY REQUEST TO HAVE THE REPAIR COVERED AT NO COST. I HAVE A CURRENT REQUEST INTO MAZDA USA AT 800-222-5500 AGAIN REQUESTING RELIEF FOR THE REPAIR. THIS FORMAL COMPLAINT IS BEING FILED SINCE THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR

MY MAZDA RX8 HAS BEEN BURNING OIL SINCE IT WAS NEW. I DON"T HAVE IT ANYMORE. DO I HAVE ANY RECOURSE AGAINST MAZDA CORPORATION? *TR

I OWN A MAZDA RX-8 2004 MODEL AND I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE ON APPROX 10/31/09. I DIDN'T REALIZE IT UNTIL I NEEDED TO CHANGE GEARS BUT I REALIZED THAT MY CLUTCH WAS GETTING STUCK BEHIND MY BRAKE PEDAL AND THAT I COULD NOT SHIFT GEARS PROPERLY. I SLOWED DOWN AND AFTER TUGGING AND TUGGING I WAS ABLE TO SWITCH GEARS. I STOPPED THE CAR TO CALL MY FRIENDS THINKING IT WAS A BAD CLUTCH BUT NO ONE COULD GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND SPENT 200 DOLLARS GETTING IT TOWED AND ANOTHER 180 TO GET IT FIXED. THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN MY CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET. ITS MADE OUT OF MATERIAL SO FLIMSY THAT IT HAD SNAPPED FROM THE WELDS. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND AFTER DOING MY RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. I FOR ONE DON'T WANT TO EVER BE STUCK O THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSTATE AGAIN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX8. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN THE IGNITION THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A NO-START CONDITION. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. THE REPAIR DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS FOR IDENTICAL FAILURES, BUT THE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN REMEDIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AS 59,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

1. CLUTCH PEDAL FELT ABOUT A 1/2" LOW (AS IF HYDRAULIC FLUID HAD AN AIR POCKET AND NEEDED BLEEDING) ABOUT TWO BLOCKS BEFORE FAILURE. 2. I WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT BEHIND 3 CARS IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE, SHIFTED INTO FIRST WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN; ACCELERATED VERY SLOWLY AND TRIED SHIFTING TO SECOND GEAR BUT THE PEDAL MADE A SNAPPING SOUND AND WENT TO THE FLOOR, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS STUCK IN FIRST UNTIL I LET THE CAR ROLL BACK A LITTLE AND GOT IT IN NEUTRAL. I WAS STUCK IN A MAJOR INTERSECTION AND THERE WAS GRIDLOCK, LOTS OF HONKING AND YELLING AND A FEW CARS CAME VERY CLOSE TO HAVING ACCIDENTS. I PUSHED MY CAR TO THE EDGE OF THE INTERSECTION AND WAITED FOR THE TOW TRUCK. THE TOW TRUCK HAD TO HAVE SMALLER PICKUP BROUGHT IN TO WINCH MY CAR OUT OF THE INTERSECTION BECAUSE HE SAID IT WAS UNSAFE TO SET UP THE TOW RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. 3. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND AFTER INSPECTION HE SAID IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN TO A NEW PEDAL FROM MAZDA. HE WAS SURPRISED IT LASTED FOR 60K MILES. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I ORDERED A REINFORCED CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY FROM HERE: HTTP://WWW.FLUIDMOTORSPORTS.COM/P-188-TRANSMISSION-AND-ACCESSORIES.ASPX TURNS OUT HERE ARE THREE AFTERMARKET COMPANIES MANUFACTURING REINFORCEMENTS, MAZSPORT, BHR AND RACE ROOTS; EACH HAS THEIR OWN DESIGN AND THEY ARE SELLING HUNDREDS OF THEM BECAUSE ALL THE PEDALS FAIL IN 40 - 80K MILES. *TR

THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ON MY MAZDA RX-8 SNAPPED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND SINCE THEN HAVE HAD A LOT OF DIFFICULTY SWITCHING GEARS WHILE DRIVING. I LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE LIKE THIS EVEN THOUGH THE PEDAL AT TIMES BECAME STUCK BENEATH THE BREAK PEDAL. I HIRED AN MOBILE MECHANIC TO REWELD THE PEDAL BRACKET ALTHOUGH JUST YESTERDAY IT SNAPPED AGAIN. MY VEHICLE IS A MAZDA 2004 RX-8 AND THERE IS NOT A SINGLE DEALERSHIP I HAVE FOUND THAT WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX-8. HE STATED THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO START AND THAT WHILE DRIVING IT FAILED TO OPERATE AT MINIMAL SPEED. HE ALSO STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND HE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THE MIDDLE INTERIOR CONSOLE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS A PREVIOUS CAMPAIGN PERTAINING TO THE SAME FAILURES; HOWEVER, THE REPAIRS WERE MADE WITH THE ORIGINAL OWNER. THE CONTACT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING THE REPAIR COST. THE CONTACT STATED THE PART WAS REPROGRAMMED BUT NOT REPLACED AS RELAYED TO HIM BY THE MANUFACTURER. NO REPAIRS HAD BEEN MADE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNDER 101,000.

THE BRACKET FOR THE CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY 2004 MAZDA RX-8 BROKE WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, THE CLUTCH WOULD SQUEAK A LITTLE BIT WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT. I NOTICED THAT THE BRACKET WAS LOOSE ONCE, SO I TIGHTENED THE BOLT ON IT, BUT THAT DIDN'T CHANGE THE SQUEAKING. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT THE WHOLE BRACKET WAS ABOUT TO FAIL! I TOOK A CLOSE LOOK AT THE BROKEN BRACKET, AND IT APPEARS THAT A WELD BROKE. IT OCCURRED ONE MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK. AS I DOWNSHIFTED FROM THIRD TO SECOND GEAR, I HEARD A 'CRACK' AND THEN MY CLUTCH WOULDN'T WORK PROPERLY. I LOOKED DOWN, AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS NEXT TO (AND TOUCHING) THE BRAKE PEDAL (IT SHOULD NOT BE THAT CLOSE). I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO SHIFT. NOW, I CANNOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE, AS THE CLUTCH WILL NOT ENGAGE WITH THE BROKEN BRACKET. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY IN CASES LIKE MINE WHEN IT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. *TR

CLUTCH BRACKET FAILURE; (1) OF THE 3 WELDING POINTS FAILED, CAUSING THE BRACKET TO SEPARATE AT THE WELD, BENDING, AND SEPARATING THE PLATE INTO 2 PIECES, MAKING SHIFTING IN AND OUT OF GEARS DIFFICULT DURING OPERATION. THE SERVICE REP. AT GAINESVILLE MAZDA LAUGHED AT ME WHEN I ASKED IF THEY WOULD GIVE ME A DISCOUNT ON A NEW BRACKET. GAINESVILLE MAZDA IS AT 2600 N MAIN STREET GAINESVILLE, FL 32609 (352) 505-9459. *TR

1. NO EVENTS, JUST DRIVING 2.CLUTCH PEDAL SNAPPED OFF NOT ALLOWING ME TO CHANGE GEARS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS 3. SINCE MAZDA DIDN'T WANT TO COVER IT, I HAD IT REWELDED MYSELF. *TR