NHTSA — Power Train Problems

2004 Mazda RX-8 (Page 1 of 2)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
79,887 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Mazda RX-8 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Mazda RX-8:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2004 Mazda RX-8 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #38

Jan 202020

RX-8

  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Clutch pedal broke driving down the road

- Tulsa, OK, USA

problem #37

Mar 022019

RX-8

  • 109,369 miles
Driving down the road and came to a stop light, engaged the clutch heard a pop and haven't been able to get into gear since.I was in the middle of traffic and was nearly rear ended cause the couch wouldn't disengage to but it in great cause the bracket had broken completely.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #36

Jun 112018

RX-8

  • 112,000 miles
As I pressed my cars clutch to change gears (6 speed manual ) while driving on my regular Sunday drive in a city street, I heard and felt a very loud explosion and noises of metal pieces ejecting from under my car. I was in the 60km/H zone so was not speeding or going fast such as on a freeway etc. I was able to pull over safely while rolling as the engine had been disabled in the explosion. I could feel my left foot was in extreme pain. My car would not start. I feared that the engine had blown up. My car is very well maintained and serviced regularly with no modifications. What I discovered was that the transmission had detonated, the gearbox bell housing was torn apart (got pictures to prove it) and I found parts of the clutch in many tiny pieces all over the roads. The clutch was replaced by Mazda 30,000kms ago and at a Mazda dealership using oem clutch kit. The force of the gearbox explosion was so great that the clutch pedal impacted my left foot and shattered the bones of the left foot in pieces (yes I was wearing thick soled sneakers) and caused severe trauma to my foot in general. At the hospital, the surgeons words were " it looks really bad". I was operated on and titanium plates and 4 screws were inserted to try to hold my shattered bones in place. 8 months and a lot of hospital visits later, I am still recovering from the day. I had further surgery few weeks ago to perform a bone graft because one break wasn't healing. I have approached Mazda regional head office. Initially Mazda contacted me via phone asking for details of the crash. I sent them photos via email. I have not heard from them since. I then also contacted the dealership. They promised to ring back and they too, have stopped. It's been difficult to find a lawyer who can see the obvious problem, that a vehicle should not blow up, or catch fire etc no matter what age it is. Help!

- Felixstow, CA, USA

problem #35

Apr 092018

RX-8

  • 82,976 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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..

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

problem #34

Jul 312017

RX-8

  • 111,000 miles
I was driving down the road and I went to slow down at a light and when I pressed the clutch pedal to engage the brake I heard a pop and my clutch felt like it was shifting to the side and it barely cuts off enough to come out of gear. I inspected the the assembly by looking under the steering wheel and I found that a weld had snapped.

- Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #33

May 032017

RX-8

  • 140,000 miles
"takata recall" my power stering goes out all the time doesnt matter if im sitting still or im going down the high way. It does eventually come back on but does go back off. It also will cause my stering wheel to jurk left and right by itself cause me to swerve in an out of lanes. It got to the point now where I have the power stering unplugged so that it doesnt jerk my wheel while driving. I just need to know if there is a recall that will pay to fix this cause its getting dangerous. Please contact back with any info

- Irginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #32

Apr 182017

RX-8

  • 72,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The clutch pedal assembly broke where it attaches to the vehicle. This is the second time this has happened. When I bought the card 21 months ago it was broken. I had it replaced by a mechanic with an oem replacement and it has now occurred again but in a different position.

- Elmwood Park, IL, USA

problem #31

Jun 172015

RX-8

  • 102,000 miles
The clutch pedal (already a known problem by Mazda, but no recall has yet been announced) cracked while I was driving last year. I was on hwy 13 in Minnesota and barely got control of my speed (was barely able to maintain use of the clutch) it sat until I could get it repaired, the same pedal is now craking in another spot, working on getting it repaired before it breaks again, this time will reinforce it.

- West Saint Paul, MN, USA

problem #30

Apr 132015

RX-8

  • 103,800 miles
I was slowing down at an intersection and pushed in the clutch pedal to put the car in neutral and slow down. When I did this the clutch pedal snapped and went all the way to the floor. I was unable to use the clutch to shift at this point. I was lucky enough that I was on a downhill slope so I was able to shift into second gear and get enough momentum to drive the rest of the way home, but I was stalled in traffic until I did get the speed I needed to get into gear.

- Killeen, TX, USA

problem #29

Mar 242015

RX-8

  • 110,000 miles
The clutch pedal assembly broke as I was driving in the freeway.

- Watsonville , CA, USA

problem #28

May 212013

RX-8

  • 108,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased the car in 5/14/2013 after a week or so it started to lose power and misfiring, popping noise, transmission warms up. The gear that I hold and shift just warms up all the time it feels like it might fire up. Then I took the car to a mechanic they couldn't do anything. I took it to Mazda mechanic they charged around 900$. then it didn't fix anything I went another one and they told me loss compression it was 115 that time. I kept driving it and they said I need to rebuild the transmission too.. I paid this car 6500. And now it S all bad. And apparently I need to buy new engine and transmission. I believe it will cost me about 6000$.now its on 129,000miles.

- Hobart, WI, USA

problem #27

Feb 202014

RX-8

  • miles
Power steering stopped working when I was turning on to the high way. Making it stiff and hard to turn. Clutch peddle collapsed making it had to shift gears and the clutch ratio is off,

- Windsor , CO, USA

problem #26

Jan 152014

RX-8

  • 61,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Rx-8. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the catalytic converter became inoperable. In addition, the vehicle stalled without warning but was able to be restarted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

- Weatherford, TX, USA

problem #25

Sep 022013

RX-8

  • 91,000 miles
Was driving normal conditions down a 35 mph road when I went to upshift gears and depressed the clutch pedal, I heard a loud pop and the pedal went to the floor. The clutch pedal bracket cracked and popped off due to poor quality and bad engineering, in my opinion. This could have caused the transmission to lock up and cause an accident through loss of control. I was not abusing the vehicle/ have not abused the vehicle.. this item should not break in the manner it did.

- Manahawkin, NJ, USA

problem #24

Apr 192013

RX-8

  • 85,000 miles
While shifting from 4th to 5th gear, I heard a snapping sound come from the clutch pedal, followed by the inability to shift gears because there was no pressure coming from the clutch pedal. The clutch pedal bracket had snapped, causing the pedal to move at an angle and the push rod that leads from the clutch pedal to the clutch master cylinder punctured the clutch master cylinder causing it to fail.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #23

Jan 292013

RX-8

  • miles
2004 Mazda Rx-8 touring with 6-speed manual has a broken clutch pedal. The aluminum clutch pedal weaves left and right. It is on the verge of snapping in half. Placed the car at jax automotive while I purchase a new oem clutch pedal with reinforced brackets from race roots.

- Sterling, VA, USA

problem #22

Oct 062012

RX-8

  • 104,500 miles
The clutch pedal assembly bracket mounted to the fire wall cracked on broke on the left side of the unit causing the clutch to be unusable and unable for any forward or reverse gears to be engaged. Luckily I was pulling off the road into a convenience store when this happened and was able to pull the transmission out of gear and into neutral without use of the clutch. This is dangerous beyond belief and is presently covered by Mazda under an 8 year 100,000 mile warranty extension plan but this should be a mandated safety recall regardless of mileage or year. The factory part is made of tin as best I can tell and can be bent and deformed with bare hands at the point where its bolted to the firewall, a critical mounting point as evidenced by the growing number of cases for this exact defect. I will probably have to purchase the part at my own expense but don't feel I should have to since this is such a basic safety defect that could have deadly results to the driver and other innocent drivers in the vicinity of the affected Mazda RX8.

- Drums, PA, USA

problem #21

Jul 262012

RX-8

  • 111,301 miles
At a stop light, I depressed my clutch pedal. I heard an audible snap and the clutch became unusable.

- Herndon, VA, USA

problem #20

Jun 012012

RX-8

  • 70,000 miles
Clutch pedal assembly failure. Causing the pedal to shift inward towards the brake pedal.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #19

May 072012

RX-8

  • 75,000 miles
I was driving my car and when I went to depress the clutch pedal to shift up a gear the clutch pedal snapped. I can force the transmission into first and up, but I cannot get it into reverse.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

Read the next 18 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?