2004 MAZDA RX-8 Complaints

I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE ON 12/5/06 AT RUSSEL MAZDA IN CATONSVILLE, MD. VERY SATISFIED WITH THE LOOK OF THE VEHICLE AND HAVING NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE THE VEHICLE I MADE MY DECISION TO PURCHASE. SEVERAL OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS OWN MAZDA?S AND BELIEVE IN YOUR VEHICLES BUT NONE OWN THE RX-8. ON 1/4/07, AFTER MOVING A SHORT DISTANCE TO PARK THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE WOULDN?T RESTART 5 MINUTES LATER. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED BACK TO RUSSEL MAZDA IN CATONSVILLE FOR SERVICE. DEALER STATES ?NO START CONDITION. CAR TOWED IN. CUSTOMER HEARS A WHINING SOUND FROM UNDER THE HOOD WHEN TRYING TO STAR ENGINE. ENGINE DOES NOT TURN OVER, ?POSSIBLE STARTER?. CAR FLOODED, DE-FLOODED CAR AS PER BULLETIN #01-048/06XXB479R1//.3 ? PROCEDURE ?A? ONLY. AFTER BELIEVING THIS PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED, I ASSUMED EVERYTHING WAS OK. TO NO AVAIL, ON APRIL 4, 2008, DUE TO AN EMERGENCY, ONCE AGAIN I HAD TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE A SHORT DISTANCE. AFTER PARKING VEHICLE AT HOME FOR 2 DAYS DURING A SHORT ILLNESS, I WENT TO START VEHICLE TO GO TO WORK VEHICLE WOULDN?T START. ?DE-JAVU?! I WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND TRIED TO START VEHICLE AGAIN. AFTER THAT, I HAD TO CALL OUT OF WORK ADVISING THEM OF CAR TROUBLE. I THEN WAITED 4 HOURS TO TRY STARTING AGAIN, STILL NO START. I CALLED THE CASTLE FORD/MAZDA IN BELTSVILLE WHO ADVISED ME TO TOW VEHICLE IN. ONCE UNIT ARRIVED, AFTER ONE WEEK OF WAITING FOR RESULTS OF DIAGNOSIS, VEHICLE WAS FLOODED AGAIN. THE DEALER GAVE ME AN INITIAL REPAIR ESTIMATE OF $850.00. I WAS ABLE TO HAVE THEM LOWER THAT AMOUNT TO $650.00. MY TRUST IN MAZDA?S PRODUCTS HAS TRULY BEEN TARNISHED. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 MAZDA RX 8. THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 11,000 MILES DUE TO LOW COMPRESSION AND OTHER ISSUES. 10,000 MILES LATER I AM GETTING THE SAME SYMPTOMS IN THE NEW ENGINE. MY DEALER IS GREAT, BUT THE CAR IS A LEMON. *TR

MY MAZDA RX-8 HAS STALLED MANY TIMES WHILE AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WHILE GOING ON TRIPS ON THE INTERSTATE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WOULD LOSE POWER AND STALLS AND I WOULD HAVE TO PULL OVER AND START IT AGAIN WHICH IT WOULD TAKE A FEW MINUTES BEFORE IT WOULD START. I HAVE HAD MY MAZDA TOWED FROM MY HOUSE TO THE DEALER BEC IT WOULD NOT START AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS FLOODED. NOW IT WON'T START AGAIN AND IT IS REALLY FRUSTRATING AND STARTING TO WORRY ME HOW DANGEROUS IT IS DRIVING MY MAZDA. I HAVE HAD MY MAZDA FOR A YEAR NOW AND THE ONLY TIME I DRIVE IT IS WHEN I GO ON A LONG TRIP OR TO GO SHOPPING AND MOSTLY ON WEEKENDS OR AFTER I GET OFF FROM WORK. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS RESOLVE SO THAT I WON'T GET HURT OR SOMEBODY ELSE WILL GET HURT BEC OF THIS. I UNDERSTAND THAT MAZDA RX-8 HAD A RECALL ON FUEL SYSTEM I JUST WONDER IF THIS WAS TAKEN CARE OF FOR THIS CAR. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE CAR IS FINE AND TO MAKE SURE TO WARM IT UP BEFORE YOU SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN ,I HAVE DONE THAT AND NOW MY MAZDA WILL NOT START AGAIN. *TR

CLUTCH PEDAL STARTED SQUEAKING, CLUTCH PEDAL BRACE BROKE AND CAR WON'T GO INTO GEAR AT ALL, ORDERING A NEW CLUTCH PEDAL. *TR

MY CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET BROKE AT THE WELDS WITH 60K MILES ON MY CAR. MY CAR IS BONE STOCK. *TR

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2004 RX8. MY ENGINE FLOODS REGULARLY, I AM AFRAID TO VALET MY CAR DUE TO THIS CONSTANT PROBLEM. MY DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR FAILED, I HAD TO REPLACE OUT OF POCKET, NOW THE DEALER IS SAYING MY CAR HAS LOW COMPRESSION AND SUGGEST I TRADE IT IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THEY DO NOT WANT TO REPLACE MY ENGINE AS I AM OVER THE WARRANTY PERIOD. THIS IS MY FIRST AND LAST MAZDA. *TR

THE HEATER CONTROL UNITS ARE FAILING ON MAZDA RX8. WHEN DRIVING THE AIR GOES HOT TO COLD BACK AND FORTH. IF YOU MOVE THE KNOB BACK AND FORTH YOU CAN GET YOUR HEAT BACK. I HAVE HAD WINDOWS FOG UP BECAUSE THE HEAT HAS GONE OUT. I HAVE CONTACTED MAZDA AND THEY WILL NOT ADDRESS IT. I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON THIS AFFECTS. IF YOU DO A SEARCH ON RX8CLUB.COM YOU WILL SEE ALL THE FAILURES. *TR

VEHICLE'S CLUTCH BRACKET ASSEMBLY BROKE AT TWO SEPARATE WELD POINTS MAKING THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE. PRIOR TO CHRISTMAS, 07, I BEGAN NOTICING A VERY LOUD SQUEAK UPON DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH PEDAL. IN RESEARCHING THIS, IT APPEARS THAT THIS WAS SYMPTOMATIC OF THE FIRST WELD SPOT FAILING. I BEGAN NOTICING AN INABILITY TO PULL THE CAR OUT OF GEAR. THE SHIFTER WOULD NOT BUDGE, EVEN WITH THE CLUTCH PEDAL FULLY DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR BOARD. THIS PROBLEM WAS MOST SEVERE AT VEHICLE START UP. UPON STARTING THE CAR, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT THE CAR INTO ANY GEAR. TO MAKE THE CAR DRIVABLE, THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE STARTED WITH THE CLUTCH PEDAL DEPRESSED, AND THE CAR ALREADY IN 1ST GEAR (WITH THE VEHICLE OFF, IT WAS VERY SIMPLE TO GET THE CAR INTO ANY GEAR). I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALER TWO DAYS AFTER THE PROBLEM BEGAN. THEY ADVISED ME THAT MY PROBLEM SOUNDED AS IF IT WAS DUE TO FAILURE IN THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. I HAD ADVISED THEM THAT I HAD READ ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH THE CLUTCH BRACKET, AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL ALIGNMENT. I QUESTIONED WHETHER I HAD TOO MUCH FREE PLAY, AND NOT ENOUGH CLUTCH STROKE. THEY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR THE DAY AND ADVISED ME BY PHONE THAT THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM WAS FULLY FUNCTIONAL. MY CLUTCH PEDAL ALIGNMENT WAS OFF AND THEY MADE ADJUSTMENTS. WITH REGARDS TO THE NOISE I WAS HEARING UPON DEPRESSING THE PEDAL, THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL. UPON RECEIVING MY CAR, ALL THE PROBLEMS APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN RESOLVED. THE NOISE WAS GONE, THE CAR WAS SHIFTING LIKE IT HAS SINCE OWNING THE CAR. A NIGHT LATER, LESS THAN 20 MILES LATER, UPON MAKING A SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, I HEARD A VERY LOUD SNAP AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL DISAPPEARED FROM BENEATH MY FOOT. THE CLUTCH BRACKET HAD SNAPPED (A BREAKAGE AT A SECOND WELD SPOT) AND NOW WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO THE CAR. THE CAR RETURNED TO HAVING THE SAME DIFFICULTIES WITH REGARDS TO SHIFTING. MAZDA WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR AS A SAFETY DEFECT, INSISTING THAT IT WAS DRIVING ABUSE AND NOT A DESIGN FLAW. *TR

DRIVING ON HIWAY AT 65MPH I WAS PUSHING IN CLUTCH PETAL TO CHANGE GEARS AND HEARD LOUD POP COME FROM CLUTCH PETAL. I WAS STILL ABLE TO CHANGE GEARS BUT AFTER INSPECTING THE PETAL THE MOUNTING BRACKET ON THE LEFT SIDE HAD BROKE OFF AND THE PETAL BENDS TO THE RIGHT SIDE. *CN

CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET BROKEN TWICE! THE CLUTCH PEDAL BROKE ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO, SO I TOOK IT TO MAZDA AND THEY FIXED IT. ABOUT A MONTH LATER, IT BROKE AGAIN. I HEARD THE TELL SIGNS BECAUSE IT STARTED SQUEAKING AGAIN AS IT DID THE FIRST TIME AND NOW ITS SQUEAKING AGAIN! *TR