Around the middle of June I started noticing strange behavior in the performance of my engine in my Mazda Rx-8. while maintaining a highway speed of roughly 65mph I would hear a rattling noise in the engine, like marbles bouncing around inside. This would be followed by a significant loss of power in any gear. At no time did the temp gauge notify me of overheating. The problem would go away when I eased off the gas to a dangerously slow highway speed. Once getting off the highway, the car would accelerate, but with noticeably reduced performance. After the third occurrence of this problem in mid July, I decided to take the car in for a diagnosis. While explaining the problems to one of the servicemen, I was told that there was a recall on the fuel tank of which I was unaware. I was also told that the engine problem I described was a serious issue that they just started hearing about on many of the Rx-8''s, and there was no known fix. He mentioned that my car could be there for several days, not the one day I was expecting, and that there were a large number of cars with the same ''mystery'' engine problem, and that one car had already been there for 35 days. This concerned me, but I was assured that Mazda engineers were working on a fix so it wouldn''t be a long wait about 2 weeks later I received a phone call from sandra, my service rep, informing me that my car was ready. She told me that the knocking I was hearing in the engine is due to using the wrong gas. I told her that I have always used 93 octane and nothing lower, and that the noise was not the regular knocking you get from bad gas. She told me she would have to call Mazda Corp back to find out more about my problem. The next day she called me back and told me that Mazda was going to replace my engine. From what she told me, no one really knew what was causing this problem, but that replacing the engine should fix it. I was told that my car wouldn''t be ready for ''a couple of weeks''.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

I just bought a 2004 Mazda RX8 and a piece of road debris hit my ac condenser causing all the freon to leak out. This happened due to the gaping hole in the front air dam of my vehicle. I live in southern Texas where temps can climb well over 100 degrees. (higher inside the car) I worry my 3yr old son is at risk of heat stroke or worse from the temps. Mazda will not cover this in their warranty yet they do nothing to protect the highly vulnerable condenser, oil cooler, and radiator from being pelted from road debris. As a matter of fact the air dam is so poorly designed that it actually funnels rocks into the ac condenser itself. I am now worried that a piece of ''road debris'' may hit my oil cooler and spill oil all over the highway. That is definitely not considered safe under any circumstances. Many people online I have spoken to have had this same problem and the service person at the dealership stated, ''we see cars in here for this all the time''. the total repair cost is over 800$. even having to pay my deductible is asking a lot for this type of ''malfunction''. Mazda advertises this car as a 4-door coupe and sells the car on its ''practicality''. how practical is it to have ''road debris'' destroy your ac a week after purchase? I purchased the car from ingram park auto center here in san antonio, tx. From a gentleman named juan leon. They were of no help in the matter.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

My 2004 Mazda RX8 was purchased in October of 2003. Since the time of purchase, the engine has made loud knocking noises on acceleration and other unacceptable noises when in idle. The check engine light has come on numerous times, and on checking the car on at least 5 occasions, the Mazda service department has made only minor repairs or done nothing at all. This problem has worsened over time and recently the car stalled at a busy highway intersection and would not restart for 20 minutes - this was a highly dangerous situation not only for my daughter who was driving and stranded in the car with vehicles speeding by and barely missing hitting her, but for those vehicles approaching from behind. Mazda suddenly determined that the problem is the oil pump - specifically "code P209 post catalyst fuel pump trim too lean." This code has come up on the diagnostic previously, without repair. The car is now just over 50,000 miles and therefore, Mazda refuses to honor the warranty - despite the on-going nature of this problem. I believe Mazda has acted fraudulently in this manner. They have been aware of the problem since near the time of the purchase date, found nothing wrong with the car, and when out of warranty, suddenly accurately diagnose the problem and refuse to pay. In addition, I was informed by Mazda that the fuel pump which is needed to repair the problem is on backorder with the manufacturer and unavailable. I have to wonder if the demand is exceeding the supply of this particular fuel pump because an enormous number of RX8 owners are also being affected by the same problem.

- Queenstown, MD, USA

Failure to start in cold weather. Vehicle was driven approximatley 45 miles, shut off, parked in the garage. Car sat for approximately 24 hours, car would not restart, electrical appears to be in order. Mazda tow truck arrived and noted the brakes were frozen, car was forcefully loaded onto tow truck. Dealer insists the problem is common an update was performed, spark plugs replaced. One week later the car again is not starting and is in the dealership unknown time of repair. Incidents reported to Mazda awaiting response.

- Sylvania, OH, USA

There is contamination in the oil. So much so that it is impossible to check the oil. I've gone 3000 miles and never been able to check the oil. Even after wiping the dipstick, simply putting it back recoats the dipstick, so that the oil level cannot be read. The dealer simply changed the oil, but did not fix the problem. They said Mazda knows about this, but won't do anything about it. All letters to Mazda-usa are ignored. Why does Mazda ignore such a potentially serious hazard? this could be a major safety hazard if the engine were to seize on the highway because of lack of oil.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

Although I followed the owner's manual instructions, the engine flooded after driving a short distance (1.5 miles) and turned off. Engine was flooded when I tried to restart approximately 15 minutes later. Said to be a common problem with the new Mazda rx8S. Tempature was 19. This is the second time in 6 days in very cold weather. This would be areal safety issue if it happens in a remote area.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA