2006 MAZDA RX-8 Complaints

DASH HAS SEVERAL CRACKS OVER AIRBAG. CRACKING STARTED SOON AFTER WARRANTY WAS NULL. AIRBAG HAS RECALL, BUT MAZDA EXPECTS OWNERS TO PAY $500 FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART. WILL REPLACE AIRBAG AND RE-INSTALL SAME CRACKED DASH. VERY DANGEROUS IN CRASH SITUATION AS SMALL FRAGMENTS MAY ENTER PASSENGERS FACE AND UPPER BODY. SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH RX8'S ACCORDING TO MAZDA MECHANIC. *TR

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A STARTING ISSUE UNEXPECTEDLY. ONE DAY IT NO LONGER WANTED TO START I TOWED IT IN TO MAZDA THEY SAID THE VEHICLE WAS FLOODED. AGAIN IN FEBRUARY 2015 THE VEHICLE STARTED EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE HAVING DIFFICULTY STARTING EVENTUALLY IT WAS TAKEN IN AGAIN TO MIDAS THE ISSUE AGAIN WAS DUE TO FLOODING. I PAID FOR THE SERVICES AND TOOK THE VEHICLE HOME. THE NEXT DAY THE VEHICLE HAD TROUBLE STARTING BUT EVENTUALLY TURNED ONE AS I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN TO MAZDA IT SHUT DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY LEAVING ME STRANDED MID INTERSECTION. HALF AN HOUR LATER THE VEHICLE STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN TO MAZDA FOR AN INSPECTION WHERE THEY IDENTIFIED THAT THE ENGINE HAD LOST COMPRESSION WITH NO REASON BEHIND IT...MAZDA RX8 ENGINES ARE VERY UNRELIABLE AND A SAFETY CONCERN AND IT HAS TO BE DUE TO MANUFACTURE DEFECT...UPDATED 03-16-15 *BF *TR

I WAS GOING TO PULL OUT OF THE PARKING LOT WHEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL BENT OVER TO THE SIDE (BRAKE SIDE). BECAUSE OF THE BENT, I CAN NOT PUT MY CAR INTO GEAR OR TURN IT ON. *TR

CRACK APPEARED IN THE DASH WHERE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG IS CONTAINED. THE CRACK STARTED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND THE CAR IS NOT GARAGED AND IS IN THE SUN ALL DAY SO I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE CAUSED BY THE SUN. I LIVE IN GEORGIA AND THIS CAR ORIGINALLY CAME FROM THE PORT AUTHORITY IN FLORIDA WHERE IT IS ALSO VERY HOT. MY VIN NUMBER IS INCLUDED IN THE RANGE OF "POTENTIALLY AFFECTED VEHICLES" IN THE 14V-344 LETTER DATED JUNE 20, 2014, WRITTEN TO [XXX] OF THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AND WAS SIGNED BY [XXX] , GROUP MANAGER, OF ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY & POWERTRAIN ENGINEERING, MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS. I PRINTED A COPY OF THAT LETTER AND WILL ALSO CONTACT MAZDA TO SEE WHEN THEY PLAN TO INITIATE AN ACTION. I AM ASKING [XXX] THE SAME QUESTION HERE. IS MY FAMILY AND THE PEOPLE WITH THE CRACKS IN THEIR DASHES IN DANGER? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA RX8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE DASHBOARD HAD A CRACK IN IT WHERE THE AIR BAG WAS LOCATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. NE

SUN VISORS REPEATEDLY BREAK AND CAUSE THE VISOR TO DROP DOWN AND IMPAIR VISION MOMENTARILY, THEN THEY WONT STAY IN THE UP POSITION. THESE COST ABOUT $200 EACH TIME TO REPLACE AND THEN THEY BREAK AFTER ABOUT 10 TIMES OF USE. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *TR

THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISORS HAVE SPLIT OPEN AND FLIPPED DOWN SPONTANEOUSLY BLOCKING MY VISION WHILE DRIVING. I'VE HAD MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISORS SPLITTING ALONG THE SEAMS, CAUSING THEM TO DISRUPT MY VISIBILITY OF THE ROAD. I HAD MY MAZDA DEALER REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE VISORS WHILE UNDER WARRANTY ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, BUT THE DEFECT CONTINUES TO OCCUR. EVERY SINGLE TIME I WAS INFORMED THAT SPLITTING SUN VISORS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON ALL MAZDA RX-8S. THE LUBRICANT INSIDE THE HINGE OF THE VISORS WOULD SOLIDIFY DURING HOT WEATHER AND CAUSE THE SPRING TO EXPAND, THUS SPLITTING THE PLASTIC SUN VISOR ALONG THE SEAMS. SINCE THE VISORS HANG IN THE DOWNWARD POSITION ONCE THE PLASTIC HAS SPLIT, THE ONLY WAY TO NOT OBSTRUCT MY VISION WHILE DRIVING IS TO COMPLETELY REMOVE THEM FROM THEIR MOUNTS. THIS, HOWEVER, CAUSES THE ADDED PROBLEM OF NOT HAVING ANY WAY TO BLOCK DIRECT SUNLIGHT THAT CAN SHINE ON YOUR FACE IN THE EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. THE ONLY RECOURSE GIVEN TO ME IS TO CONTINUALLY REPLACE THE SUN VISORS AT $75 EACH EVERY FEW MONTHS. I FIND THAT THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. ANY INSIGHT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. *JS

FOR ALMOST A YEAR, CRACKS HAVE STARTED TO APPEAR OVER THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG COVER. IT STARTED OFF AS A 1 CM CRACK IN A SINGLE LOCATION, BUT NOW HAS PROGRESSED TO MULTIPLE CRACKS THAT ARE UP TO 8 CM IN LENGTH. THESE CRACKS FOLLOW THE PORTIONS OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG COVER THAT WOULD SPLIT OPEN DURING DEPLOYMENT. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH MECHANICS AND THEY HAVE ADVISED ME THAT REPLACEMENT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG COVER REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM. THE DASHBOARD COVER AND THE AIRBAG ARE CONSTRUCTED AS A SINGLE UNIT. I'M CONCERNED THAT THESE CRACKS ARE DESTABILIZING THE SAFETY OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INSIGHT INTO THE MATTER. *JS

THE DASH COVER OVER THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG IS CRACKING A LOT IN ALL DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. I TALKED TO THE DEALER ABOUT THIS AND THEY TOLD ME IT IS A COMMON ISSUE IN THE RX-8'S AND THAT THE FACTORY WON'T COVER FIXING IT. THIS SEEMS LIKE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE DASH CRACKING APART RIGHT ABOVE THE AIR BAG. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT SOME MINOR CRACKS EITHER. I FIRST NOTICED THE CRACKS IN THE DASH ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO AND NOW THEY GROWN AND EXPANDED SUBSTANTIALLY SINCE THEN. IT JUST REALLY LOOKS LIKE A DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH IT OCCURRING RIGHT ABOVE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE FROM NHTSA WOULD LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE FURTHER. THANK YOU *TR

AROUND 07/04/2013, MY CLUTCH START TO GIVE ME A FEW PROBLEMS. THE MAJOR ONE WAS THAT THE CLUTCH PEDAL WOULD NOT RESPOND HOW IT NORMALLY SHOULD. I WOULD STICK AND EVENTUALLY MADE IT VERY HARD TO SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR AND REVERSE. SINCE IT WAS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, I HAD TO WAIT TILL 07/08/2013 UNTIL MY NORMAL MECHANIC WAS OPEN. WHILE INSPECTING IT, HE FOUND THAT THE CLUTCH PEDAL WOULD SHIFT AND WIGGLE SIDE TO SIDE, WHICH IS VERY ABNORMAL. WHEN I WENT TO INSPECT IT MYSELF, I HEARD A "SNAP!" AND THE PEDAL SHIFTED ALL THE WAY TO THE BRAKE PEDAL.UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PEDALS BRAKED, CONNECTING IT TO THE CAR'S FIRE WALL HAD SNAPPED APART. I HAD HEARD THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN FACT BY MAZDA, AND THEY HAD SENT OUT A RECALL ON THE PART. I WENT TO THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL, BUT A WARRANTY EXTENSION, AND MY CAR IS NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENSION AND I WOULD HAVE TO BUY A NEW PART, AND PAY THE LABOR. THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE NOW, AND I NOW HAVE TO PAY FOR A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT MAZDA REFUSES TO FIX. EVEN IN THE MOST EXTREME SITUATIONS, THIS PART SHOULD NEVER BREAK. IT IS STILL A VERY DANGEROUS AND POSSIBLY FATAL DEFECT, THAT IS STILL KNOWN BY THE MAKER, AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT IS STILL HAPPENING TO THIS TYPE OF CAR. *TR