2004 MAZDA RX-8 Complaints

I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO RESOLVE AN ON-GOING ENGINE STARTUP /VEHICLE STALL PROBLEMS WITH MY 2004 RX-8. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 15,000+ MILES AND HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR SHORT, DAILY RUNS TO WORK AND RECREATIONAL DRIVES. THE ROTARY ENGINE HAS A REQUIRED ENGINE WARM-UP PROCEDURE BEFORE SHUTTING IT OFF. A DEFLOODING PROCEDURE IS ALSO REQUIRED IF ENGINE FAILS TO START IN THE MANUFACTURERS MANUAL. MAZDA HAS ALREADY HAD A RECALL ON THE FUEL SYSTEM COMPUTER WITH UPDATE SOFTWARE. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED FROM MY GARAGE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THIS DONE BECAUSE OF A NONSTART SITUATION. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE CORRECTED BY THEM ALTHOUGH A STALLING WHILE A RED LIGHTS OR NO STARTUP AFTER REFUELING AT GAS STATIONS PROBLEMS RECURRED. THE CAR AGAIN HAD TO BE TOWED FROM MY GARAGE TO THE DEALER TO BE CHECKED FOR THE NONSTART-UP ISSUE. A REPLACEMENT OF BATTERY, ALTENATOR AND SPARK PLUGS WERE DONE. THE PROBLEM SEEMINGLY CLEARED FOR HALF THE DAY UNTIL A TRIP FOR FUEL CAUSED ANOTHER NONSTART INCIDENCE(STUCK AT THE PUMP) IN A $34,000 CAR! IT FINALLY RESTARTED AFTER 10 MIN AND WAS DRIVEN BACK TO THE DEALER THE NEXT AFTERNOON WHERE THE PROBLEM THEN RECURRED IN THEIR GARAGE. THE DEALER HAS NOW TOLD ME I MUST WAIT LONGER AFTER THE MANUFACTURER'S REQUIRED ENGINE WARM-UP TIME TO SHUT OFF THE CAR AND NOT TO RESTART ENGINE IN SHORT PERIODS OF TIME. IS THIS INSANE OR WHAT! THIS EXPLANATION DIDN'T FLY WITH ME, SO THE CAR HAS BEEN NOW RECHECKED AND OK'D TO DRIVE AGAIN BY THEIR TECHNICIANS WITH NO CHANGES MADE. THEY WISHED ME "GOOD LUCK!" *NM

MAZDA RX 8 FAILED TO START. SECOND TIME SENT TO DEALER FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER HAS HAD CAR FOR 5 DAYS WAITING FOR A BATTER FOR MY CAR. *JB

2004 MAZDA RX 8 HAS MANY DESIGN DEFECTS, BATTERY WAS REPLACED, SPARK PLUGS AND OIL FILTER WAS REPLACED 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. *TS THE STARTED WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS STALLING IN TRAFFIC AND WAS TAKING MULTIPLE TIMES TO TRY TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. AFTER NUMEROUS TIMES OF THE VEHICLE BEING TOWED, THE DEALERSHIP DECIDED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE. AFTER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE, THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS STILL NOT STARTING SMOOTHLY. THE DASH LIGHTS WERE BLINKING ON AND OFF AND THE HEAT WAS NOT WORKING. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, 02 SENSOR, AND A/C AMPLIFIER. THE HEATER CONTROL SWITCH WAS REPLACED. THE SUN VISOR WAS REPLACED. *JB

MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING THE 2004 MAZDA RX-8 I HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED. THE COLLISION OCCURRED AT NIGHT IN A LEFT TURN SITUATION. THE RX-8 TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. MY SON EMPHATICALLY STATES THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. HE WAS OF COURSE CITED FOR FAILING TO YIELD THE RIGHT OF WAY. IT WAS THE SECOND TIME HE HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE. HE IS AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER, WITH OVER 11 YEARS OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE DESIGN AND POSITION OF THE REARVIEW MIRROR IN THE RX-8 MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT. THE LOW HEADROOM IN THE RX-8 PLACES THE LARGE REARVIEW MIRROR AT THE LEVEL OF THE DRIVER'S EYES. MY EXPERIENCE IN THE MONTH THAT I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE IS THAT THE MIRROR TENDS TO OBSCURE THE DRIVER'S VIEW TO THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, MORE THAN IS TYPICALLY THE CASE IN OTHER VEHICLES. THIS IS TRUER FOR TALLER DRIVERS. IN THE CASE DESCRIBED ABOVE, THE DRIVER WAS 6' 2" TALL. FOR SOMEONE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE VEHICLE, THE TENDENCY OF THE MIRROR TO SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT DRIVER VISIBILITY MAY NOT BE IMMEDIATELY APPARENT. *NM

HI, I WANT TO REPORT A CONTROL ARM FAILURE ON MY 2004 MAZDA RX-8 THAT RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT AND MINOR INJURY. I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON DECEMBER 7 IN OKLAHOMA CITY AND AFTER COMPLETING A RIGHT HAND TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, I WAS ACCELERATING AWAY WHEN THE RIGHT FRONT CONTROL ARM SEPARATED AT THE BALL JOINT RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL. THE CAR SPUN AROUND AND WENT OVER A 10" CURB WITH ALL FOUR WHEELS AND STRUCK A HIGHWAY SIGN. I SUFFERED A JAMMED RIGHT THUMB AND HYPER-EXTENDED RIGHT SHOULDER, WITH NO MEDICAL ATTENTION NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO BOB MOORE MAZDA IN EDMOND OKLAHOMA WHERE IT REMAINS WITH PARTS ON BACK ORDER. INTERESTINGLY THE VEHICLE HAD JUST BEEN TO THE DEALER ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER 15 AND THE INSPECTION RECALL ON THE CONTROL ARMS WAS PERFORMED. I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THE RECALL SHOULD BE REPLACEMENT OF ALL SUSPECT CONTROL ARMS AND NOT JUST AN "INSPECTION. *JB

PERFORATION - 2004 RX-8. THE CAR IS SHOWING BUBBLING RUST UNDERNEATH PAINT, ABOVE PASSENGER DOOR. THE DEALER SAYS THEY WILL NOT FIX IT UNTIL RUST GOES THROUGH THE PAINT TO THE OUTSIDE. GREAT POLICY FOR ALMOST NEW CAR! *NM

I RECEIVED 2 SAFETY RECALL NOTICES ON MY RX8. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHERE I LEASED THE VEHICLE AND I THOUGHT THEY CORRECTED AND/OR INSPECTED THE PROBLEM. OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST 60 DAYS, THE SERVICE I HAVE RECEIVED HAS BEEN UNSATISFACTORY AND I HAVE BEEN LEAD TO BELIEVE THAT THE DEALER MAY NOT HAVE ADDRESSED THE SAFETY RECALL ISSUES. (CRACKED BALL JOINT AND HEAT INSULATION). I HAVE A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM AND I THINK THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, TO THE POINT THEY WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE. THIS WILL INEVITABLY CAUSE MY VEHICLE TO LOSE VALUE. *JB

I PURCHASED A 2004 MAZDA RX-8 IN MAY 2004. IN NOV 2005, THE FIRST COLD DAY, THE ENGINE FLOODED. THE SAME WEEKEND I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM MAZDA WARNING ME OF THE PROBLEM AND TO BRING IT IN FOR A RECALL. I WAS ADVISED TO LET THE CAR WARM UP BEFORE DURING IT OFF. I MADE UP A WARNING SIGN FOR THE ATTENDANTS AT THE PARKING LOT, SINCE THEN THE CAR HAS FLOODED TWO TIMES AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIMES; AIRPORT PARKING LOT AFTER LONG LONG FLIGHTS. I AM PRETTY UPSET ABOUT MAZDA'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THIS PROBLEM. A LETTER TO MAZDA RESULTED IN THEM SENDING ME INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO "DE-CHOKE" THE ENGINE WHICH CAN AND HAS KILLED THE BATTERY AND HAS NEVER WORKED. THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH MAZDA AND MY LAST. I AM THE OWNER OF THE CAR AND I AM EMBARRASSED ABOUT THE WHOLE THING. I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE HOW MAZDA CAN LEAVE THEIR CUSTOMERS LITERALLY, "OUT IN THE COLD". *NM

I PURCHASED THE CAR IN MARCH 2004. DURING THE TIME SPAN OF JULY 2004-OCTOBER 2005 THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPT. FOR FAILURE TO START AND ENGINE FAILURE DURING DRIVING THE CAR. OCTOBER 5, 2005 THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME TO PICK UP THE CAR THAT IT WAS FIXED. I WENT AND PICKED UP THE CAR AND STARTED HOME IN THE CAR THE CAR QUIT RUNNING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MILES PER HOUR AND MYSELF AND TWO CHILDREN WERE ALMOST HIT BY TWO BIG TRUCKS. *JB

1. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE 80F OR HIGHER. AIR CONDITIONER ON SEEMS TO CONTRIBUTE. POSSIBLY ALTITUDE IS A FACTOR. MUCH WORSE IN CITY DRIVING 2. CAR LOOSES POWER, ESPECIALLY AT TAKE OFF. I HAVE PULLED OUT ONTO THE FREEWAY AND TAKEN >1 MILE TO GET UP TO 50 MPH 3. MAZDA HAVE DOWNLOADED SOFTWARE PATCHES TWICE - NO IMPROVEMENT