2004 MAZDA RX-8 Complaints

TAKATA RECALL AFTER RESPONDING TO NUMEROUS NOTICES REGARDING THIS RECALL AND THE DEADLY DANGER OF THE AIRBAGS, MAZDA STILL INSISTS THAT I DRIVE THE VEHICLE AN HOUR AWAY AND IN HEAVY CITY TRAFFIC TO HAVE THE SERVICE DONE TO CORRECT THE AIRBAG ISSUE. IN ADDITION, FOR YEARS THE ENGINE HAD COMPRESSION ISSUES AND I FOUND OUT THAT AFTER REPLACING THE ENGINE 4 TIMES UNDER WARRANTY, MAZDA WAS REPLACING THE ENGINE WITH THE SAME ENGINE THAT HAS COMPRESSION ISSUES AFTER A TIME. I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD BUY A $7,000 GEN II ENGINE THAT DID NOT HAVE COMPRESSION PROBLEMS, OR TAKE THE REPLACEMENT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR COMPRESSION ISSUES AS A WARRANTY REPAIR. THEY WERE ABLE TO DEPLETE THEIR STOCK OF BAD ENGINES BY USING THEM AS REPLACEMENTS, AND AS SOON AS MY WARRANTY EXPIRED I STILL HAVE A FAULTY ENGINE WHICH ALSO KEEPS ME FROM SAFELY DRIVING DRIVING FOR SERVICE WORK. THE ENGINE WILL LOOSE COMPRESSION AND POWER IN TRAFFIC AND CAUSE A SAFETY ISSUE. I KEEP MY VEHICLES WELL PAST THE 100K MARK BECAUSE I TAKE CARE OF THEM AND KEEP THEM ON THE ROAD. HOWEVER, THAT HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE WITH THIS CAR, DUE TO A COMBINATION OF MAZDA'S BAD FAITH METHOD OF REPLACING FAULTY ENGINES, AND THE POTENTIALLY FATAL AIRBAG ISSUE. APPARENTLY THE CAR ALSO HAS ISSUES WITH THE EXHAUST OVERHEATING AND CAUSING A FIRE HAZARD, WHICH I HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED OF. ALTHOUGH A BEAUTIFUL CAR THAT I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE, THIS VEHICLE IS UNSAFE IN MORE THAN ONE WAY AND HAS A CURRENT VALUE OF $0. IM EVEN AFRAID TO OPEN THE DOOR OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE NOTICES I HAVE RECEIVED, THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW WHEN OR WHAT MIGHT CAUSE THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. I REALLY CANNOT PUT A SPECIFIC DATE ON WHEN THE ISSUES OCCURRED, OTHER THAN THE SERVICE RECORDS FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENTS UP UNTIL THE 100K MARK. AT 102K MAZDA REFUSED TO REPLACE ANOTHER ENGINE THAT HAD GONE OUT.

VEHICLE IN MOTION (3RD GEAR). SLOWED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. DEPRESSED CLUTCH PEDAL TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. PEDAL STAYED ON FLOOR. I PULLED IT UP WITH MY FOOT AND ATTEMPTED TO PUMP IT IN AN EFFORT TO BUILD PRESSURE. WITH CLUTCH DEPRESSED VEHICLE COULD NOT BE SHIFTED INTO GEAR UNLESS PUMPED MULTIPLE TIMES, THEN CLUTCH WOULD ENGAGE LESS THAN 2 INCHES OF TRAVEL FROM FLOOR. PEDAL MOVES BACK AND FORTH SIDE WAYS AS WELL..

"TAKATA RECALL"-CAR STARTS WHEN COLD,THEN IT DIES IN THE TRAFFIC,GOT ENGERYS PUSHING CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC,LIKE CAR BUT IT HAS LOTS OF RECALLS AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED RIGHT AWAY.WON'T DRIVE MADZA 2004 AFTER THIS HAPPENED. *TT THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PUSH THE CAR OFF OF THE HIGHWAY, AFTER IT DIED, HE LOST HIS GRIP AND WAS DRAGGED BEHIND THE VEHICLE. *JS

ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2016 I HAD STOPPED TO VACUUM OUT MY CAR AT A CAR WASH ON HIGHWAY 11 IN ATTALLA, AL. UPON LEAVING THE CAR WASH I TURNED LEFT ONTO PLEASANT VALLEY RD AT A SLOW SPEED IN FIRST GEAR. AS I WAS TURNING I SHIFTED INTO SECOND GEAR I HEAR A BREAKING NOISE AND THE STEERING WHEEL ABRUPTLY SPUN TO THE LEFT AS THE CAR WENT IN A DEEP DITCH FLIPPING ONTO ITS ROOF, THEN HITTING A SMALL CULVERT AND LANDING ON IT'S SIDE. AS I WAS INSPECTING THE VEHICLE TO SEE WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED, THE PASSENGER LOWER CONTROL HAD BROKEN AND THE BALL JOINT HAD SEPARATED FROM THE CONTROL ARM.

MY POWER STEERING GOES IN AND OUT AS IT PLEASES; ONLY WORKS WHEN IT WANTS TO AND CUTS UP WHEN DRIVING AND HAD TO TURN OFF CAR TO MAKE IT WORK TO ONLY MAKE IT REPEAT AGAIN. DOES THIS ONLY WHEN DRIVING. AND NOT SAFE FOR ANYBODY WHO IS DEALING WITH THE NO POWERSTEERING ISSUES OR HAVE STEERING BUT WITH MANY FAULTS THAT CAN LEAD TO ACCIDENTS/DEATH MAZDA FIXED OTHERS BY WIRE TAPPING ALL DELETING THE POWERSTEERING CONNECTIONS. BUT ONLY HAVING THE ISSUE LATER DOWN THE ROAD THEY DID THIS AROUND FEBRUARY/MARCH OF LAST YEAR AND HAD IN AND OUT POWERSTEERING AFTER 3 MONTH OF THEIR REPAIR.

SYNOPSIS: POWER STEERING GOING CRAZY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. STARTING APPROX 2 YEARS AGO, THE POWER STEERING WOULD SHUDDER, OR JERK BACK AND FORTH, WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL (SOMEWHAT SHARPLY), FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER THE CAR WAS STARTED. THIS HAPPENED EXCLUSIVELY IN COLD WEATHER, AND AT LOW SPEEDS. ONCE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION FOR A FEW MINUTES, THE BEHAVIOR WOULD CEASE. THE COLDER THE WEATHER, THE STRONGER THE JERKING (IT SEEMS). HOWEVER, A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE STEERING EXHIBITING THE "NORMAL" AMOUNT OF SHUDDER, AND THEN STOPPED AS USUAL. BUT A FEW MINUTES LATER WHEN I WAS TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY (AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS), IN RELATIVELY STRAIGHT LINE, THE STEERING SUDDENLY BEGAN VIOLENTLY JERKING BACK AND FORTH. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS WAS DISCONCERTING. I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR USING BOTH HANDS (I AM A STRONG ATHLETIC MALE). THE EVENT LASTED ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS BEHAVIOR WHEN I FIRST NOTICED IT A FEW YEARS AGO, AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS ONLINE ABOUT THE SHUDDERING BEHAVIOR AT STARTUP. ONE SUCH THREAD (THERE ARE MANY) IS HERE: HTTPS://WWW.RX8CLUB.COM/SERIES-I-TROUBLE-SHOOTING-95/STEERING-WHEEL-SHAKES-MORNINGS-219210/ AND A VIDEO SHOWING THE BEHAVIOR IS HERE: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=8XZSRXWTH8S&FEATURE=YOUTU.BE&T=1S ALL OF THE REPORTS INDICATE IT HAPPENS IN THE FIRST FEW MINUTES OF OPERATION, THEN THE STEERING IS FINE. SO I WAS NOT OVERLY CONCERNED. BUT THIS LAST EPISODE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WAS VERY SCARY, AND I THINK WARRANTS IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION. THANKS, RICK

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX-8. THE CONTACT NOTICED A STRONG FUEL ODOR INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE PERFORMED NORMALLY PRIOR TO BEING REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V354000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). BROEN AND WOOD BUICK GMC MAZDA (329 GREENVILLE BLVD SW, GREENVILLE, NC) DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW FUEL TANK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 71,000. *BF UPDATED 8/2/18*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX-8. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALER (MODERN MAZDA DODGE RAM, 68 WATERBURY RD, THOMASTON, CT, 06787, 860-283-4304) TO BE SERVICED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 17V355000 (SUSPENSION), 16V793000 (FUEL SYSTEM), AND 17V354000 (FUEL SYSTEM). THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE RECALL REPAIRS WOULD TAKE ONE DAY TO COMPLETE; HOWEVER, IT TOOK FOUR DAYS. THE CONTACT RETRIEVED THE VEHICLE AND, WHILE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE AND THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD REPAIR THE FAILURE. ONE WEEK LATER, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CONTACT COULD RETRIEVE THE VEHICLE, BUT THEN DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMPRESSOR FAILED AND IT WOULD ONLY LAST APPROXIMATELY TWO MORE YEARS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN THE CONTACT RETRIEVED THE VEHICLE AGAIN, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START EVEN WITH A JUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES, PERFORMED AN INVESTIGATION, AND CONFIRMED THAT THE DEALER'S INFORMATION WAS CORRECT. NO ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 144,000. *JS

VEHICLE MILEAGE UNDER 100,000. HAS HOT START ISSUE, LOW COMPRESSION. ENGINE WARRANTY SHOULD BE MET BY MILEAGE AND NOT BY YEARS. I AM REQUESTING RECALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ABOVE ISSUE. THANK YOU

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX-8. WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A DRIVE-THRU WINDOW, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS PUSHED TO A PARKING SPACE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, A LOUD POP SOUND EMERGED FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS, SMOKE AND FLAMES APPEARED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT EVALUATED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.