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.
Clutch pedal bracket breaking loose causing clutch engagement to be stuck in current position. This is a risk I am monitoring daily on my car for when the event fails until either a: I have money to weld the weak spotweld to prevent failure. B. Mazda administers a recall to replace faulty piece with a stable part. My concern though being part of the rx8forum makes it look like it's an exponential issue. In opposite retrospect, this could be a more broader issue of the total amount of Rx-8 solds that just hasn't had a fatality yet. The failing part can be forced to failure I believe by administering repeated use replicating daily wear. I don't look forward to my day this happens, hence I'm filing this form requesting investigation for potential recall.
Clutch pedal stopped working in the middle of the road of my 2004 Mazda Rx-8. everytime I switched gears it squeaked until it snapped and car stalled. Consequence is that I couldn't drive my car anymore and had to tow it to the dealership. Dealership had to replace the clutch pedal assembly according to paperwork.
I was driving along the highway as I shifted gears the bracket keeping my clutch pedal together broke...had to drive really slow because depressing the clutch pedal causes it to almost go into the brake pedal...pedal keeps shifting to the right...there seems to me a design flaw as more people have been reporting this and on the rx8club.com website...this issue needs to addressed before somebody gets killed because it almost caused me to get into an accident on the highway...and it seems like Mazda is not taking any responsible for this, having people pay almost 400 or more to replace an obvious design flaw...pictures of the broken bracket have been taken by my many people with this same issue...please contact Mazda and have them issue a recall of some sort...hopefully this issue is resolved before somebody gets hurt...because I know I almost did, but was lucky enough to gain control..
Only a partial failure occurred, but had I not taken preventive measures, a full failure would certainly have occurred. Noticed bizarre squeaking from clutch pedal under normal use. Removed pedal assembly and noticed metal had torn halfway through on bracket. Had use continued, metal would have torn completely through, rendering the clutch pedal useless without repair. Had a full failure occurred while driving, it could have caused a car accident, endangering life and property. To correct the problem, I had the clutch bracket seam-welded in the existing problem area and in all potential problem areas.
While driving my 2004 Mazda RX8 the clutch pedal snapped and went to the floor and wouldn't come back up. I was not able to change gears and had to coast to the side of the road. There was no accident but if I had been on the freeway and traveling at a higher rate of speed it could have been very dangerous. After inspecting the clutch pedal I determined that a weld joint on the bracket that holds the clutch pedal complete broke off. Clearly this is the result of poor design, poor welds and poor metal thickness. Mazda claims this part is not under warranty so I proceeded to remove the bracket and repair the welds myself. From what I've read on the forums this is a very common issue and I would think it is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs. Mazda wants over $500 to make the repair which is not acceptable.
- Chandler, AZ, USA
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I was driving my 2004 Mazda Rx-8 on the highway at approximately 60mph and went to shift from 5th gear into 4th gear when I felt a "pop" at which point my clutch fell to the floor and I no longer had any ability to accelerate. Fortunately traffic was light and I was able to coast off onto the next exit ramp and pulled to the side of the road. I called Mazda roadside assistance who towed the car to Mazda bedford. I was told that the clutch was "blown" and needed to be completely replaced. The Mazda forum is full of similar episodes and I was encouraged to file a complaint.
The clutch pedal bracket broke while driving, rendering me unable to shift I was able to safely stop the car, but on the highway or in heavy traffic this could have been extremely dangerous.
During normal driving on the freeway, the clutch bracket of my Mazda Rx-8 snapped during shifting and the clutch became inoperable. This made changing gears impossible and caused a serious hazard. Apparently, the cause of the problem was the usage of weak materials and poor quality spot welds. Upon some investigation, it turns out this is a very common problem as the following discussion thread shows: www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?T=132912 to fix the problem, the clutch bracket was replaced. It is apparently also possible to weld the broken parts or to install a reinforcement bracket to prevent the failure. I did not keep the broken (replaced) bracket, so the old part is not available.
Clutch pedal became somewhat loose and start making loud squeaking noises on my Mazda 2004 Rx-8 6sp manual with approx ~37K miles. Clutch bracket assembly was replaced under warranty in March 2007. Now at 50K miles I have similar symptoms again!
I have been reading articles on the rx8club website regarding clutch pedal breaking. I took my car in to get clutch replaced and on the way into repair shop, clutch pedal broke. Had the car towed to repair shop, to have clutch and clutch pedal repaired.
I have a 2004 Mazda RX8 with only 51,000 miles on the car. I recently, within the last month or two, noticed a squeaking noise coming from the pedal area. I thought I just need some lube or WD40 down there to stop the noise. This was not the case! yesterday, while at a traffic light, I go to engage the clutch to put into first gear and take off, and I hear a pop. I couldn't go anywhere, I couldn't get the car in gear or move at all. Something had happened and I didn't know what. While in the middle of a huge intersection I am in a stationary position while cars are passing me. I was lucky enough to have someone stop and help me push the car down the street, where a local Mazda dealership was. Mazda tech's take a look at it and tell me my clutch bracket is broke! I then proceeded to ask them to see it for myself because I couldn't believe a car with so little miles on it could have this happen. It was true, I saw for myself that it has snapped off and was not stable. Now I have to pay nearly 700 dollars to replace this faulty part! this is a huge safety matter for the Mazda RX8 and this needs to be addressed by Mazda and fixed immediately! I was lucky enough to be at a stand still while in the car and to find someone to help me off the road. This may not be the case for others if Mazda does not fix this faulty part. I will be contacting Mazda Corp as well, but could please look into this situation and try to have Mazda address this asap. Thank you!
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.
I recently purchased a Mazda RX8 6 speed (5/11/04). This car has had more problems than I can explain in a short message. About a month after purchasing the vehicle it wouldn't start one morning. I later got it started and took it in to the dealer. They did a flash update on my PCM and everything was fine after that. Approximately three months later I began having trouble with my transmission. I was on vacation in carlisle, ar when the car broke down the first time (8/9/2004). My car was towed in to North point Mazda in North little rock, then got towed to crain Mazda in little rock, without even informing me. After replacing approximately 87 parts in the transmission, I got my car back 40 days later (9/18/2004). Immediately after driving the vehicle I knew it wasnT right. It was making noises, wouldnT shift in to 2nd, 3rd or reverse without grinding. I took my car to town North Mazda in richardson as soon as I got a chance (9/27/2004). I was told "2nd and 3rd gears are fried" and they would replace the transmission and clutch. After replacing the clutch and transmission I got the car back 11 days later (10/7/2004). I knew the car still had a problem so I scheduled to have the car taken back in on 10/12/2004. I drove about 2 miles from the house on the way to the dealer when it went out again. The car still to this day remains in the shop again. My car has been in for repairs for 58 days since 8/9/2004. I got a call on 10/20/04 from the dealership that has my car. They told me Mazda declines coverage becuase of neglect or abuse. I absolutely "babied" that car because I knew it wasn't right! any suggestions?
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- Everett, WA, USA