2004 MAZDA RX-8 Complaints

1) CAR OFTEN STALLS/WON'T START 2) ENGINE CRANKS AND WON'T START/ HAD TO TAKE IT TO A SHOP MANY TIMES 3) DEALER SAYS "ENGINE FLOODED" AND REPAIRED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX8. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE ROTARY ENGINE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO REMEDY, BUT ADVISED THE CONTACT TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEFORE STARTING AND SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE. THE NUMBER OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51,200.

AC AND GENERAL CABIN TEMPERATURE PROBLEMS. I AM HAVING A COMBINATION OF PROBLEMS WITH THE HEATING AND COOLING OF THE CAR. IN THE SUMMER WHEN IT IS VERY HOT THERE IS A NOTICEABLE "PULSING" OR ON/OFF SYMPTOM OF THE COLD AIR GENERATED BY THE AC. I TIMED IT AND VERY COLD AIR COMES OUT OF THE VENT FOR ABOUT 30 - 45 SECONDS. THEN IT IS FOLLOWED BY ABOUT THE SAME DURATION OF REGULAR AIR (THE AC SEEMS TO SHUT OFF) SO ON HOT DAYS YOU GET A PULSE OF COLD FOLLOWED UP BY A PULSE OF WARM AIR. THE EFFECT IS THAT THE CABIN HEATS UP AND THE AC CANNOT KEEP UP WITH IT. IT THE WINTER WHEN IT IS COLD OUT THERE IS A DIFFERENT ISSUE. IT SEEMS THAT THE VENTS ARE ALLOWING OUTSIDE AIR TO GET INTO THE MIXTURE. IN THE WINTER ICE COLD AIR IS BEING MIXED IN WITH THE HEAT WHICH HAS THE SAME EFFECT WHERE THE HEATER CANNOT KEEP UP WITH HEATING THE CABIN OF THE CAR. THERE IS ALSO AN ANNOYING FEATURE ON THE DEFROSTER. YOU CANNOT DEFROST THE WINDOW WITH INSIDE AIR AS SOON AS YOU TURN ON THE DEFROSTER IT FLIPS THE OUTSIDE AIR VENT OPEN. SO WHEN IT IS VERY COLD YOU HAVE TO CHOSE BETWEEN SEEING OUT THE WIND SHIELD AND FREEZING OR HEAT THE CABIN AND THE WIND SHIELD FOGS UP. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN THREE TIMES AND HAVE SINCE GAVE UP. THE TECH'S OBVIOUSLY CANNOT OR WILL NOT FIX IT. THE TECH ACTUALLY HAD A THERMOMETER IN THE VENT OF THE CAR AND OF COURSE THE CAR IS INSIDE THE GARAGE IN THE SHADE. SO HE POPS IN THE THERMOMETER AND COMES BACK AND CHECKS IT A - OK. I GAVE THEM A DETAILED DESCRIPTION, DO YOU THINK THEY TOOK THE CAR OUT AND DROVE IT WHEN IT IS ABOVE 85 DEGREES OUTSIDE? NOPE *TR

PURCHASED USED VEHICLE IN APRIL 2007, FIRST INCIDENT 8/14/2007 ENGINE STALLED (ENGINE INTERNAL FAILURE) AT 45,107 MILES ENGINE REPLACED BY MAZDA DEALERSHIP. SECOND INCIDENT SEPTEMBER 2007 POWER STEERING GOES OUT (POOR CONNECTION ON ENGINE ROOM HARNESS) CONNECTION FIXED STEERING GEAR REPLACED; THIRD INCIDENT OCTOBER 2007, STEERING PROBLEM (STEERING SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR MALFUNCTION) BROKEN WIRE REPAIRED--LEARNED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED 15 TIMES PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE. *JB

I OWN A 2004 MAZDA RX8 WITH 67,900 MILES. THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF AN INTERNAL FAULT FAILURE. I AM BEING CHARGED 8,500 TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED WITH A 3 YEAR OLD CAR WITH MID MILEAGE NEEDING AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. I AM A TEACHER AND DON'T HAVE THE SALARY TO REPLACE A CAR EVERY 3 YEARS OR AT 67,900 MILES. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR FIRE. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX-8. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 5 AND 70 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WOULD RESTART INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ROTARY ENGINE, STARTER, FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM, AND THE BATTERY, HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTS. THE NUMBER OF CYLINDERS AND POWERTRAIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,000.

I HAVE A 2004 MAZDA RX8 WHICH I PURCHASED NEW ON OCTOBER 13, 2005. THE CAR HAS 21,420 MILES ON IT ... ALL 'BABIED' AS I'M 52 YEARS OLD ... AND ALL SERVICE HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEALER. THE CAR IS STILL UNDER THE FACTORY WARRANTY PLUS I HAVE A HIGH-PRICED EXTENDED WARRANTY ON TOP OF IT! TWO DAYS AGO I NOTICED THE CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING SO I CALLED MY DEALER. THEY WANTED ME TO WAIT A WEEK TO BRING IT IN; I DECIDED IT WOULDN'T BE MOVING ON IT'S OWN IN A WEEK AND DROPPED BY THE DEALER THE SAME DAY. TODAY THEY PHONED ME TO SAY THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY NEEDED REPLACING. FURTHER, THIS WOULDN'T BE COVERED UNDER EITHER THE FACTORY WARRANTY OR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY; INSTEAD, I WOULD BE LIABLE FOR THE $1480.00 REPLACEMENT COST! A CAR WITH ONLY 21K MILES ON IT THAT HAS BABIED SINCE DAY ONE SHOULD NOT BE HAVING CLUTCH PROBLEMS (I'VE DRIVEN MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS) NOT SHOULD I BE LIABLE FOR THIS EXORBITANT COST! UPON SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND THE PARTS I NEED ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE DEALER; THEREFORE, I DON'T EVEN HAVE THE OPTION OF HAVING SOMEONE ELSE DOING THE REPAIRS WITHOUT PAYING AN ASTRONOMICAL FEE FOR A THROW-OUT BEARING AND PLATE ($497.00)! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX-8. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND SHUT OFF. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER THE STALLING OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. ON JUNE 24, 2007, THE DEALER REPLACED THE COIL, HOWEVER, IT FAILED TO WORK AND THE DEALER REPLACED THE ENGINE. THIS ALSO DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AGAIN. THE FAILURE WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE COIL A SECOND TIME AND THE DEALER WAS IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE ENGINE APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK AGO. THE ENGINE SIZE, NUMBER OF CYLINDERS, AND A VALID VIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 36,000.

I PURCHASED MY 2004 MAZDA RX-8 IN MARCH 2005 AND PROBLEMS WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON DID NOT START UNTIL APRIL 2006. AT THAT TIME THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 26,000 MILES ON IT (I HAVE A LONG COMMUTE 90% OF WHICH IS FREEWAY). THE FIRST SEVERAL TIMES BACK TO THE DEALER MINOR THINGS WERE ADJUSTED OR CLEANED SUCH AS THE SPARK PLUGS AND A SMALL VALVE A KIT TO A BUTTERFLY VALVE IN A CARBURETOR ENGINE. EVENTUALLY THE VALVE WAS REPLACED, BUT THE LIGHT STILL CAME BACK ON. IN FACT, ON ONE OCCASION THE CAR WAS PULLED OUT OF THE SHOP DOORS PRONOUNCED FIXED AND UPON MY STARTING IT AGAIN THE LIGHT WAS BACK ON. EVENTUALLY MAZDA APPROVED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BE REPLACED, WHICH IT WAS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS STAYED OFF SINCE THAT REPLACEMENT (ABOUT 3-MONTHS) , BUT OTHER PROBLEMS HAVE ARISEN. FIRST, EITHER THE INTAKE OR EXHAUST HEADS WERE NOT SEALED CORRECTLY SINCE THE ENGINE SOUNDS LIKE IT IS COMING THROUGH THE DASH. THIS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT BUT NEVER PROPERLY REPAIRED. NOW, AS OF AUGUST 3, 2007 THE CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON 3 OCCASIONS WHERE WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE CAR SHUTS DOWN. THE NEEDLES IN THE DIALS ON THE DASH BOUNCE WILDLY BACK AND FORTH WHILE A CLICKING SOUND IS COMING FROM THE FUSE BOX IN THE ENGINE. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE CAR IS BACK IN FOR IT'S 10TH VISIT TO THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP IN CLEVELAND. I HAVE STARTED THE BUY BACK PROCEDURE WITH MAZDA. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA RX8. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONCE BEFORE AND THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED. THE NUMBER OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 29,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000.