Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | ||||||||||||||||
| 04V075000 | MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS | from 04/10/2003 to 08/29/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 12000 | 03/05/2004 | MFR | MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS | 02/17/2004 | 03/01/2004 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain passenger vehicles with manual transmissions, the heat insulator may be cracked causing abnormal noise. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Continued operation of the vehicle can cause the insulator to come off and could pose a hazard to following vehicles. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will replace the heat insulator. the recall began march 5, 2004. owners should contact mazda at 1-800-222-5500. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Mazda recall no. 1704b.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 06012004 | 06/01/2004 | 10013965 | Programmable module installation. ( 2004 mazda b series) *jb | 04/27/2005 | |
| 0004228 | 01/20/2004 | 10005701 | Power train control module (pcm) configuration (pmi) problem wds b28.0. repair information review1. *tt | 03/11/2004 | |
| 0004123 | 01/21/2004 | 10005698 | B28 and later pcm calibration update information. repair information review1. *tt | 03/11/2004 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||||
| 06012004 | 06/01/2004 | 10013945 | Gear range indicator change. *jb | 04/27/2005 | |
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||||
| 0300403 | 12/18/2003 | 10005526 | The manual for the rx8 recommends using api service gl-5 sae-90 oil for differential lubrication. gl-5 sae-90 oil is not easily found in the north america. the oils have been tested and approved for use in the rx8 with no loss of performa | 03/02/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 05/07/2012 | 75000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 04/10/2012 | 115100 | ||
| This is the 2nd time this has occurred. my clutch pedal snapped the first time and it was covered by a recall due to the clutch pedal bracket failing. i had it replaced on 11-11-08. the 2nd time it happened on 4-10-12. luckily, i was at a stop light. i pushed in the clutch to go when the light turned green, heard a pop, and the vehicle would not move. the clutch pedal bracket snapped again. i contacted the mazda dealership where i had it replaced the 1st time. they stated it was no longer covered and the recall had just recently expired. now, i know the car is out of manufacturer warranty, but this is truly a safety issue. this is welded metal breaking. what would happen if you were driving on the interstate and this happened when you went to change gears and your clutch pedal assembly snaps? all of the sudden no acceleration.very dangerous. | |||
| 03/23/2012 | 92000 | ||
| Clutch pedal bracket snapped while driving. prevented car from going into gear and was left stranded. | |||
| 02/02/2010 | 59548 | 1 | |
| Driving on the freeway doing posted 55 mph, go do downshift from 6th to 5th gear because i was exiting and when i depressed my clutch pedal it snapped off causing my to not be able to get out of gear. i had to veer off the road kill the engine and wait for aaa to come tow me to a local repair. this is very very dangerous because if i were in town or residential area could of been trouble. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2009 | 48469 | 1 | |
| I was stopped at a stop sign, start engaging the clutch to go into first gear and i hear a crack. i am in first gear and as i am about to shift into second gear i am unable to do so. i notice that the clutch pedal has no pressure and it is near the brake pedal. from here on i was not able to shift into any gear. so after further inspection i see that the brake pedal is broken and can easily move from left to right. i am just glad that i was on the street because i was on my way to catch the freeway. this is very dangerous and has to be fixed, something bad could have happened and to think i have been driving the car on the highway for long trips is very scary. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 12/28/2006 | 15000 | 6 | 02/24/2004 |
| Engine failure, after driving short distances engine does not always want to restart; during times of sitting in traffic, car will idle roughly and sputter, sometimes die and won't immediately restart; car has died while attempting to start out into traffic; transmission doesn't change gears properly... i have had my car since feb. 04 and it has been serviced over a dozen times for engine failure and transmission issues alone. it has had a new transmission, linkage, gear box, starter, battery, and they are currently putting in the 2nd replacement engine. no one seems to know why these cars have so much trouble, but i wouldn't have another one if it was given to me. *nm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||
| 11/08/2009 | 100203 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 06/11/2009 | 62080 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 10/06/2007 | 43545 | 1 | |
| 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! *tr | |||
| 05/22/2006 | 16279 | 1 | 08/22/2004 |
| 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. *jb | |||
| 09/20/2005 | 247000 | 1 | 10/06/2003 |
| 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. $1300.00. 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. *jb | |||
| 06/03/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 55 mph, the manual transmission clutch failed. dealer indicated the clutch was misused. *nm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - BELL HOUSING | |||
| 03/25/2004 | 1 | 10/01/2003 | |
| Veh. being operated on the nj turnpike at 65 mph when clutch failed. towed to dealer at own expense. dealer stated failure due to abuse, because of tire wear. advised two days later that starter craciked and bell housing had hole from clutch breaking apart. failed to warranty, cost$2,700.00 parts in my possession. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - PEDAL/LINKAGE | |||
| 03/26/2010 | 37728 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx8. while driving at approximately 15 mph, the clutch pedal broke and the contact could not shift; he had to be assisted to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where the clutch pedal bracket was replaced at the contact | |||
| 05/16/2009 | 85000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx8. while driving at an unknown speed, the clutch pedal detached from the mounts. the vehicle was unable to move in or out of gear and was towed to a dealer. the contact feels that this is a safety issue because a crash could have occurred. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 85,000. | |||
| 04/19/2009 | 71300 | 1 | |
| Clutch pedal bracket broke while shifting gears on freeway. could barely get car into and out of gear to remove car from traffic and safely in parking lot. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2008 | 40136 | 1 | |
| Clutch pedal started squeaking, clutch pedal brace broke and car won't go into gear at all, ordering a new clutch pedal. *tr | |||
| 12/27/2007 | 67127 | 1 | 11/28/2003 |
| Driving on hiway at 65mph i was pushing in clutch petal to change gears and heard loud pop come from clutch petal. i was still able to change gears but after inspecting the petal the mounting bracket on the left side had broke off and the petal bends to the right side. *cn | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 09/21/2008 | 37700 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx8. while driving 50 mph, the clutch pedal began squeaking. the clutch pedal brace failed and would not shift into gear at all. the dealer stated that the clutch pedal was bent, not broken and they could replace or weld the part. the failure and current mileages were 37,700. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 10/22/2010 | 51500 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx8. while driving approximately 20 mph he depressed the clutch and heard a loud popping noise before stopping the vehicle. when he attempted to accelerate from the stop he realized that he had to depress the clutch all the way to the floor in order to get it to engage. the vehicle was taken home where he noticed the clutch pedal was detaching from its hinge. the vehicle was not taken to be examined for the cause of failure, and was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 51,500. sm. | |||
| 09/14/2010 | 60000 | ||
| My 2004 mazda, has 60k miles on it. already have had engine failure, leaving me stranded on a busy highway. experienced issues with the heat shield and sensors. now my clutch pedal bracket is apparently broken, it started off squeaking loudly and embarrassingly. sounded like it needed some wd40 or something, also leaning inward toward the brake, causing me to sometimes inadvertently depress the brake along with the clutch. it soon after completely broke, depressing nearly to the floor and leaving me stranded once again on the expressway. i know i'm not driving a bmw/audi/mercedes etc. but i'm also not driving a kia, yet my roommates kia has far less problems and isn't left without a car nearly as often as i am. | |||
| 06/20/2010 | 61247 | ||
| Nhtsa action number : pe09045 as indicated in the above complaint, my cluth pedal assembly snapped this while driving. i depressed the pedal, heard a loud pop and the the pedal became permanently dpressed with the lack of ability to engage gears in a safe manner. i called the dealership and they stated that this is a normal wear issue and i am out of warranty. the vehicle has 60,000 miles on it and has not been driven hard for the period that i have owned it. i was able to forcably shift gears and make it home after the incident. this seems like am extremely dangerous situation for any driver if the clutch were to move unknowingly behind the brake and hinder the ability to stop. | |||
| 06/04/2010 | 87000 | ||
| My clutch assembly on my 2004 mazda rx8 just snapped today as i was driving. its is the same issue that can be found in nhtsa action number pe09045. | |||
| 05/03/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx8. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, approaching a turn and shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear, the clutch pedal fractured. the contact had to maneuver the clutch so that it would not interfere with the brake pedal. the vehicle was shifted into neutral gear in order to drive onto the emergency lane. the manufacturer was contacted and offered to have the vehicle towed to his residence. the contact confirmed that there were several complaints related to the identical failure. the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the failure mileage was 60,000. | |||
| 04/29/2010 | 52425 | ||
| For the past 3 years, the clutch pedal on my car has squeeked and groaned when depressed. this would not be consistant, and very hard to diagnose. today, while driving a short distance towards work (i live and work on a military base), a metallic pop came from my clutch pedal while being depressed and no longer disengaged the clutch. this almost caused an accident as it was rush hour. i quickly noticed while driving that my clutch pedal was almost touching my brake as i attempted to slow down! also, if i had stopped moving at any point, i and my car would have been stranded as i would not have been able to get my car back into gear. upon inspection at home, it appears a weld on the right side that holds the clutch pedal mount to the frame of the car has come completely loose making the pedal lean left. there also appears to possibly be another issue with the clutch pedal spring as it no longer returns the pedal to the fully depressed position, and instead defaults to 3 inches depressed or full upright depressed. this failure has not been corrected | |||
| 02/02/2010 | 59548 | 1 | |
| Driving on the freeway doing posted 55 mph, go do downshift from 6th to 5th gear because i was exiting and when i depressed my clutch pedal it snapped off causing my to not be able to get out of gear. i had to veer off the road kill the engine and wait for aaa to come tow me to a local repair. this is very very dangerous because if i were in town or residential area could of been trouble. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 477775 | 1 | |
| The clutch pedal in the mazda rx8 began creaking during use. after investigating the cause online, i learned that this problem is widespread among mazda rx8 owners and that continued use of the clutch pedal would lead to failure with the creaking being a sign that the pedal is prematurely wearing. since mazda refuses to acknowledge the defect and offer a recall, i removed the clutch pedal and had the mounting bracket rewelded. i've also observed that the metal used for the bracket is incredibly thin and that the spot welds made at the factory by mazda are wholly insufficient to keep the bracket from moving under stress, leading to permanent failure when it breaks. *tr | |||
| 09/08/2009 | 102286 | 1 | |
| The clutch pedal bracket of the mazda rx-8 is prone to snapping and breaking during normal use. mazda considers this item to be a wear item despite the safety implications that a breakage could pose. a broken clutch pedal could possibly lead to a crash with fatalities if the driver can no longer pull the car out of gear or shift gears. the events leading up to my case were normal. i was driving as i do regularly in the city and the pedal snapped without warning. in my case i was still able to shift gears and was close enough that i could drive home. nothing has yet been done to correct the failure. i am going to have to replace the entire clutch pedal assembly which mazda was asking $415.00 for to replace. *tr | |||
| 07/16/2009 | 106000 | 1 | |
| Clutch pedal in 2004 rx8 failing/breaking at a light on a busy highway. *tr | |||
| 05/04/2009 | 52000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 09/20/2005 | 247000 | 1 | 10/06/2003 |
| 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. $1300.00. 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. *jb | |||
| 08/09/2004 | 11960 | 3 | 05/11/2004 |
| 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?*ak | |||