While stopped at a light I pressed my clutch pedal and I hear a pop. The clutch now is loose and I'm not able to change gears. After while I was able to get into 1st gear. The shop discovered the clutch pedal bracket snapped.

- San Jose, CA, USA

Clutch pedal assembly snapped off at one of the weld points. The welds are too weak and the metal is too thin. This is happening to everyone who owns an RX8. My car is a 2004 with 56K miles. I am an older male and my car is driven very sensibly and with no abuse. Please do not wait for someone to be seriously injured or killed before Mazda is required to recall and properly upgrade these clutch pedals. I had two small kids in the car and thankfully was able to get out of harms way when the pedal snapped.

- Louisville, KY, USA

For a week or so prior to failure, I heard a squeak coming from the clutch. Had car in to change tires, mechanic noted clutch pedal was soft and advised I have it looked at the next day. On the way home clutch pedal kicked over to the right and I wasn't able to engage clutch & shift, stuck in 2nd gear. Lucky for me I didn't get in a collision, was rolling through a busy intersection, was able to get to a parking lot and stalled and stopped the car. Reset clutch pedal red greened it and limped it home till I had it fixed a couple of days later.

- Surrey, 00, USA

Upon normal clutch operation while driving, a loud snap was heard and then the clutch pedal stopped functioning causing me to be unable to change gears. Once stopped, the car would start again but the clutch pedal would not allow me to put the car in gear. The pedal was now moving towards the right when stepped on. Upon inspection it appears that part of the pedal bracket had snapped and caused the clutch to malfunction. I had to turn off the car and put it in first gear, then restart the car in order to drive it. I got it home safe and then towed it to the nearest Mazda dealership and spent $310 on a new clutch pedal. If I was on a busy road I would have had an accident. I have the bad part if you want it for inspection!

- Moody, AL, USA

The clutch pedal assembly snapped on my 2004 Mazda RX8 for a second time yesterday. This is very unsafe considering the fact that when it breaks, the clutch pedal itself can move horizontally and get lodged under the brake pedal causing the driver not to be able to stop the vehicle. There's post after post in different forums around the net that describing the same thing happening to other people (ex. www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?T=178486&highlight=clutch+pedal). Something needs to be done about these pedals before we have another Toyota type of incident on our hands.

- Yorba Linda, CA, USA

Under normal driving conditions the Mazda rx8S(2004) clutch pedal assembly cracks thus causing the car to be undrivable.

- Maple Shade, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Rx-8. while driving approximately 10 mph, he engaged the clutch and the pedal extended to the floor. He stated that the engine stalled and he had to push the vehicle onto the emergency lane. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the clutch pedal assembly was replaced. The contact had not called the manufacturer when the complaint was filed. The current mileage was approximately 37,800. The failure mileage was approximately 37,600. Updated 06/08/10. The consumer also stated the driver side sun visor broke and obstructed his vision. Updated 08/11/10

- Greenlawn, NY, USA

Clutch pedal bracket snapped while shifting from second to third gear. Car had previously been taken to Mazda dealership, who insisted there was no problem with the bracket. Had been making a clicking noise when clutch pedal was depressed. Pedal became loose on the horizontal axis (e.g. could be moved left or right with little pressure. Could still be shifted with careful application of pressure, but not safe for continued driving.

- Houston, TX, USA

Diving at 50 mph and my clutch pedal broke, moving side to side and unable to shift gears. I was 3 miles from a Mazda dealer and got there. Was told they didn't have the part in stock (in demand, of course) and I had to pay $25 for over night shipping to get my car fixed the next day. I was given my old petal and broken part and paid $470 for the fix. After reviewing this problem on-line I see this is a very common problem with the 2004-2008 Rx-8's from 20,000-70,000 miles. Had my 18 year old daughter been driving this car at the time, this would be a whole different letter. Please recall this car and correct this on going dangerous, life threatening problem. Mazda mechanic's know all to well about this, why doesn't the public. Why don't you.

- Loxahatchee, FL, USA

2004 Mazda RX8 clutch bracket broke. My wife just gave birth and we haven't been using the RX8, much cause she can't drive, but I wanted to start it up and take it out for a trip to the store because it had been sitting for a week. When I went to start it, the clutch just felt like it snapped. The bracket snapped in half on the left side. Wow thank god this didn't happen while my wife was pregnant or what about with my son in the car. Seems to be a problem not being addressed by Mazda. I am sure that we have the driver experience and good enough driving skills to have safely avoided disaster, but I am very happy that it happened on just a normal startup rather then at 70 mph in heavy atlanta traffic.

- Hampton, GA, USA

Clutch pedal is has begun to make creaking sounds and feels loose when fully depressed. I have read about the possibility of the pedal breaking and snapping and I suspect this is leading up that the point that it ultimately does break.

- Pacific Palisades, CA, USA

Driving down the road, attempt to change into 3rd gear and my clutch pedal dropped right to the floor, which caused my car to jerk into the next lane as I wasn't expecting my foot to have freefall. After stopping the car, I found that my clutch pedal mount had broken away from the assembly causing my clutch to be unable to disengage entirely. The assembly will have to be replaced or welded to return to regular functionality.

- Kanata, 00, USA

Clutch assembly faulty design. While driving and shifting gears (manual transmission) the clutch pedal assembly snaps, resulting in the loss of ability to shift gears. The thin metal tears away from around one of the bolts that holds the assembly to the firewall. This is happening on other Rx-8's of people I associate with to the point that welding up the old bracket is becoming common. Mazda has not come up with a stronger assembly since they introduced the Rx-8 in 2004. The alternatives to correct the issue (out of warranty) is to: (a) purchase a new one from Mazda. (B ) have your old assembly welded or purchase a remanufactured welded one. (C) purchase a bracket that adds support to the assembly I did both B & C, welded and added support.

- North Augusta, SC, USA

Complaint is to Mazda usa for their weak clutch pedal welds. I've been driving my RX8 (2004) since September 2007 and the first time it snapped was in 2008 late summer. I got it rewelded at a local shop and after about 9 months the bracket broke in half, broke right through the welds and cracked the metal. So I bought a new bracket and an aftermarket reinforcement bracket for about 450$ which should all be covered by Mazda.

- Chicago, IL, USA

Clutch pedal bracket broken twice! the clutch pedal broke about 2 months ago, so I took it to Mazda and they fixed it. About a month later, it broke again. I heard the tell signs because it started squeaking again as it did the first time and now its squeaking again!

- Chino, CA, USA

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 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)!

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

Mazda Rx-8's have several documented cases of what the dealerships refer to as "exploding clutches". it seems a manufacturers defect causes the clutches to fail prematurely (5-20K miles) locking the transmission in gear. This has happened to a few individuals at highway speeds where the inability to shift the transmission can be fatal. Mazda and its dealers have ignored consumer complaints about this matter. I'm have compiled and continue to compile documentation indicating that this is far from a few isolated events.

- Arleta, CA, USA

I own a 2004 Mazda RX8. I have 24,700+ miles & no problems until now. 8 months ago, I came to marin, ca. To work on contract. As this contract is long term, I brought my vehicle for transportation. 2 months later, I began to notice the odor of clutch burn, rarely & with no reason. I was due for an oil change, so I made an appt. With marin Mazda. This was when I met john lauster, marin Mazda's svc. Mgr. During my 1st visit they were unable to find a problem, and said everything was operating. 3 months later, I experienced it again and brought it in. Again, they couldn't find anything. On Sept. 20 '05, it happened again. The clutch began to slip a little, & within 20 minutes the slippage was to the point where I couldn't drive it without possibly damaging the trans. I called marin service to bring it in, & towed to the dealer. John called me Friday stating they would have to replace clutch, bearings, flywheel, & that my transmission warranty had expired, so cost would be passed to me. $1300. He put in for appeal to the factory rep for coverage due to extenuating circumstances & told me he would call me back with the decision. I contacted Mazda usa- I went through the motions, thinking that they would cover it as the problem was obvious & related to a recent recall involving thermal damage. I got the call from john. He stated the factory rep claimed it as "normal wear" & Mazda would not cover it. I told john that this problem was brought up 6 months ago. He stated Mazda had made its decision. I did research online- & was shocked by the number of similar events I found with Mazda products. All experienced what I am going through initially- the dealer & manufacturer would not recognize this as an item they were responsible for, & pushed the cost on the consumer. I called john back. But he was firm; Mazda factory rep's decision was final.

- Greenbrae, CA, USA

While driving at 55 mph, the manual transmission clutch failed. Dealer indicated the clutch was misused.

- Cayce, SC, USA