2005 Mazda RX-8 Transmission Problems

MY SECOND INCIDENT ON THE SAME VEHICLE/PART. I PREVIOUSLY HAD THE CLUTCH PEDAL IN MY MAZDA RX-8 REPLACED BECAUSE OF A BROKEN BRACKET. THE REPLACEMENT WAS AN IDENTICAL PART WITH NO REDESIGNS. APPROXIMATELY 16 MONTHS LATER IT BROKE YET AGAIN. SAME CONDITIONS, DRIVING ON THE ROAD, SUDDEN LOSS OF RESISTANCE AND CRUNCHING SOUND FROM PEDAL, UNABLE TO SHIFT PROPERLY. INSPECTING THE VEHICLE AFTER PARKING REVEALED THAT THE EXACT SAME SPOT WELD BROKE, LEAVING THE BRACKET TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL AND NOT PROVIDING LEVERAGE FOR THE CLUTCH PISTON INTO THE MASTER CYLINDER. *TT

NHTSA ID

10422343

Incident

Aug 28, 2011

Mileage

79,012 mi

ON MY MAZDA 2005 RX8 THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY BROKE WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. NOW I'M UNABLE TO PUT MY CAR IN REVERSE. AT THIS POINT, IT'S BARELY DRIVABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10405824

Incident

Jun 9, 2011

Mileage

70,263 mi

2005 MAZDA RX8; EXCESSIVE SQUEAKING NOISE FROM CLUTCH PEDAL UPON ENGAGEMENT AND DISENGAGEMENT AND FEELS LOOSE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10373172

Incident

Dec 27, 2010

Mileage

66,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MAZDA RX-8. WHILE DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE PEDAL IN PLACE BROKE AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL FELL TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 102000.

NHTSA ID

10360340

Incident

Oct 8, 2005

Mileage

102,000 mi

IDENTICAL TO NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE09045 MY CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY FAILED. CLUTCH UN-USABLE. 1. NO WARNING 2 CLUTCH PEDAL GOES LIMP, FALLS TO THE FLOOR UNUSABLE 3. CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY AND MASTERCYLINDER REPLACED(DUE TO BENT ROD CAUSED BY FAILURE). *TR

NHTSA ID

10354477

Incident

Sep 4, 2010

Mileage

61,000 mi

OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS OR SO THE CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY 2005 MAZDA RX-8 HAD BEEN MAKING A SQUEAKING NOISE WHENEVER DEPRESSED. THE NOISE SUBSIDED AFTER A FEW HOURS OF DRIVING. HOWEVER, THIS PAST MONDAY (8/30/2010), WHEN I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT I HEARD A SOFT CRACK. I PROCEEDED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION WHERE SHIFTING FROM 2 TO 3RD I HEARD AN EVEN LARGER SNAP AND THE PEDAL DEPRESSED COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AND I HAD TO CUT ACROSS A FEW LANES OF TRAFFIC AND SAFELY MANAGED TO GET TO A GAS STATION. THE CAR WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO CHANGE GEARS AND THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10353114

Incident

Aug 30, 2010

Mileage

65,000 mi

CLUTCH DOSENT COME BACK ALL THE WAY UP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10350383

Incident

Aug 18, 2010

Mileage

57,125 mi

WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY 7/14/2010, THE CLUTCH BRACKET ON MY 2005 MAZDA RX-8 SNAPPED, RENDERING THE CLUTCH PEDAL INOPERABLE. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT ONLY BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT AND I WAS ABLE TO DISENGAGE GEAR AND SHIFT TO NEUTRAL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10343357

Incident

Jul 14, 2010

Mileage

64,278 mi

CLUTCH PEDAL IN MY 2005 RX8 BROKE WHILE DRIVING, LEAVING IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT GEARS. IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE AMONG RX8 DRIVERS, BUT MAZDA HAS SO FAR REFUSED TO ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10332314

Incident

May 15, 2010

Mileage

52,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 MAZDA RX-8 HOME, AND AFTER A NORMAL DRIVE HOME WITH NO ISSUES, I WAS GOING FROM 1ST GEAR TO 2ND NEAR MY HOUSE AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL DROPPED TO THE FLOOR, THE CLUTCH WOULDN'T RELEASE AND I COULDN'T CHANGE GEARS. HAD THIS HAPPENED A DOZEN SHIFTS EARLIER, I WOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT IN A HIGHWAY MERGE, AND MY SAFETY SERIOUSLY ENDANGERED. UPON INSPECTION WHEN I MANAGED TO BABY THE CAR IN 1ST GEAR HOME, THE CLUTCH PEDAL HAD BROKEN AT THE BRACKET. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD A CLUTCH PEDAL BREAK. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND FULLY EXPECT REPLACEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE, BUT BASED ON WHAT I'VE READ, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, DESPITE MY EXTENDED BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10330016

Incident

May 11, 2010

Mileage

90,250 mi

I DRIVE A 2005 MAZDA RX-8 MT. IT HAS AROUND 73K MILES. THE CLUTCH STARTED SQUEAKING COUPLE OF DAYS BACK AND YESTERDAY WHEN THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED GREEN I ENGAGED THE CLUTCH AND I HEARD A SNAPPING SOUND. I COULD NOT ENGAGE THE GEAR LATER AND HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED. I TOOK IT TO THE GARAGE AND I AM TOLD THAT THE CLUTCH BRACKET IS BROKEN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10325873

Incident

Apr 14, 2010

Mileage

73,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MAZDA RX-8. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A TURN. THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS SHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR AND THE CLUTCH TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. THE ESTIMATED COST TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WAS $390.00. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CONTACT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 63,400. UPDATED 06/08/10. *LJ UPDATED 09/28/10

NHTSA ID

10325084

Incident

Apr 8, 2010

Mileage

63,400 mi

WHILE DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON I-75 IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, THE CLUTCH PEDAL IN MY 2005 MAZDA RX-8 SUDDENLY MADE A CRACKING SOUND AND FELL TO THE FLOOR. THE CLUTCH REMAINED ABOUT 1" FROM THE FLOOR, ALLOWING MINIMAL DISENGAGEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION, SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW ME TO RETURN THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A BROKEN CLUTCH PEDAL, RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE MASTER CYLINDER. THERE HAD BEEN SOME CREAKING AT THE TOP OF THE RETURN OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL OVER THE PAST 2-3 WEEKS.

NHTSA ID

10323457

Incident

Apr 1, 2010

Mileage

72,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING A 2005 MAZDA RX8 I LOST CONTROL AFTER SHIFTING FROM 5 TO 4TH GEAR. THE CLUTCH PEDAL STUCK IN AND MOVED SLIGHTLY RIGHT NEAR THE BREAK PEDAL AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. THIS SURPRISED ME WHICH CAUSED ME TO RUN OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I CALLED A TOW COMPANY TO TRANSPORT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT USED WITH 58000 MILES ON IT. THEY SAID THE CLUTCH HAD TO BE REPLACED FOR 1400 DOLLARS. AT THE TIME I DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY SO I ASKED FOR IT TO BE TOWED BACK TO A LOCAL GARAGE. MY LOCAL GARAGE FOUND THAT THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLE BROKE AWAY FROM THE MOUNTING PLATE. THIS IS A PART THAT YOU WOULD NOT EXPECT TO BREAK. ALL INDICATIONS POINT TO A FAULTY WELD. THE METAL RIPPED FROM THE POINT OF A SPOT WELD. THIS SPOT WELD MAY HAVE WEAKENED WHAT IS RELATIVELY THIN METAL FOR THIS USE. I HAD A LOCAL GARAGE REPLACE THE PART FOR 500 DOLLARS WITH PARTS AND LABOR. THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER THE ORIGINAL GUARANTEE BUT MAZDA REFUSED TO PAY FOR ANY OF THE COST BECAUSE IT WAS NOT REPAIRED BY MAZDA. ALL I WANTED WAS THE COST OF THE PART. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT I HAVE A SAFETY CONCERN IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN TO SOMEONE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10319146

Incident

Feb 27, 2010

Mileage

58,500 mi

1. DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 50 MPH EXITING OFF A LONG OFF RAMP. 2. CLUTCH PEDAL BROKE. PUSHED CLUTCH IN AND HEARD A LOUD "CRACK!". BARELY GOT THE CAR INTO FIRST GEAR AND INTO A PARKING LOT WHERE IT WAS DOA AND HAD TO BE TOWED. THE PEDAL WAS BENT AND NEARLY STUCK BEHIND THE BRAKE PEDAL. 3. NO REPAIR. DEALER ASKING $595 TO REPAIR. I CAN'T AFFORD IT (I AM UNEMPLOYED AND COULDN'T FIND A SINGLE JOB IN A YEAR AND A HALF). *TR

NHTSA ID

10318989

Incident

Mar 10, 2010

Mileage

66,000 mi

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) AROUND 30 DAYS AGO I HEARD A "POP" SOUND WHEN I DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH PEDAL OF MY 2005 MAZDA RX-8. IT FELT A LITTLE SOFTER AFTER THE "POP" SOUND. I THOUGHT SOMETHING HAD BROKEN BUT COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING AND THE CLUTCH SEEMED TO WORK OK. HOWEVER, OVER THE NEXT 30 DAYS, IT BECAME HARDER AND HARDER TO GET THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION INTO REVERSE. ON FEBRUARY 23, 2010, I BROUGHT MY 2005 MAZDA RX-8 TO CONGRESSIONAL MAZDA IN ROCKVILLE, MD TO HAVE MY CLUTCH INSPECTED. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY BRACKET WAS BROKEN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE QUOTE WAS OVER $500 SO I SAID I WOULD BRING THE CAR BACK IN WHEN I HAD THE MONEY. HOWEVER, WHEN I DROVE AWAY I COULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR AND THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVABLE. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE BACK TO THE DEALER IN 1ST GEAR AND ASKED THEM TO ORDER THE PART AND REPLACE THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY BRACKET. WHEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED, THE CAR SHIFTED FINE. I HAVE THE BROKEN CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY AND I CAN SEE CLEARLY THAT THE METAL ON ONE SIDE OF THE MOUNTING BOLT HAS TORN APART MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FULLY ENGAGE THE CLUTCH. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN THE "POP" SOUND I HEARD. I HAVE 77,000 MILES ON MY RX-8. I DRIVE THE CAR TO WORK, NOT ON COMPETITIVE OR CHALLENGING TRACKS OR COURSES. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT MAZDA USED POOR QUALITY METAL AND/OR POOR QUALITY SPOT WELDS IN CONSTRUCTING THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY ON THE 2005 RX-8 AND I REQUEST THAT NHTSA EVALUATE IF THERE IS A DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING QUALITY OF THAT PART. I HAVE THE OLD CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY BRACKET AND CAN SEND IT TO NHTSA FOR INSPECTION. I BELIEVE MAZDA NEEDS TO RECALL THE CARS AND REPLACE THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY WITH A BETTER CONSTRUCTED SYSTEM. THE REPLACEMENT CLUTCH ASSEMBLY I RECEIVED HAS THE SAME POOR QUALITY METAL AND SPOT WELDS AS THE ORIGINAL PART. MAZDA DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ADDRESSING THIS POTENTIALITY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS SITUATION. [XXX] *TR

NHTSA ID

10315939

Incident

Feb 23, 2010

Mileage

77,000 mi

I OWN A 2005 MAZDA RX8 WITH 30K MILES. I NOTICED A SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN APPLYING MY CLUTCH PEDAL APPROX A MONTH AGO. THE OTHER EVENING WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PULL ONTO A BUSY ROAD THE CLUTCH MADE A LOUD POPPING NOISE WHEN I APPLIED THE CLUTCH AND I WAS UNABLE TO PUT IT INTO GEAR. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO ROLL BACK TO A SAFE PLACE AND WAIT FOR A TOW. MAZDA INFORMED ME THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY ITEM & I WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. I'VE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS AND THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. HAD I BEEN ABLE TO PULL INTO TRAFFIC AND IT BROKE, I WOULD NOT OF BEEN ABLE TO SHIFT WHICH WOULD HAVE LEFT ME IN A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT MAZDA IS NOT WILLING TO REPLACE THIS PART W/O A CHARGE. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. *TR

NHTSA ID

10312729

Incident

Feb 19, 2010

Mileage

300,000 mi

I'VE BEEN HEARING THIS SQUEAKING SOUND COMING FROM MY CLUTCH FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS. APPROXIMATELY A MONTH AGO I WAS DRIVING HOME WHEN I FELT/HEARD A POPPING SOUND. MY CLUTCH PEDAL WAS NOW ALMOST TO THE FLOOR. I ASSUMED MY CLUTCH WAS GONE BUT THE CAR STILL DROVE HOME I WAS 1/2 MILE FROM HOME. I DROVE SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY HOME. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MAZDA TODAY AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY CLUTCH BRACKET IS BROKEN. THE ESTIMATE TO REPLACE THIS IS ROUGHLY 500$. *TR

NHTSA ID

10302209

Incident

Dec 30, 2009

Mileage

71,000 mi

MY CLUTCH PEDAL SNAPPED AGAIN FOR THE 3RD TIME IN 2 YEARS, !@#$%??? WHEN IS MAZDA RESOLVE THIS ISSUE?? UNTIL SOME ONE DIES???? *TR

NHTSA ID

10300049

Incident

Jan 12, 2010

Mileage

51,369 mi

I OWN A 2005 MAZDA RX-8 WITH 51XXX MILES ON IT. DRIVING HOME I STEPPED ONTO THE CLUTCH PRION TO A TURN AND SNAP! THE CAR WAS LOCKED IN SECOND GEAR AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS NOT RETURNING TO ITS NORMAL POSITION. ONLY A FEW MILES HOME, I REALIZED THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET BROKE ON THE LEFT SIDE AROUND THE BOLT. IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS CHEAPLY MADE AND POORLY WELDED. I ALSO GOT ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE IF I WAS TRAVELING AT A HIGHER SPEED AND GOT LOCKED IN GEAR. I AM TAKING THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE THE BRACKET. *TR

NHTSA ID

10298663

Incident

Jan 7, 2010

Mileage

51,000 mi

I BOUGHT A USED MAZDA RX8 (2005 WITH ABOUT 60 THOUSAND MILES) WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. AFTER ABOUT 3 MONTHS OF DAILY DRIVING (NO RACING OR HARD SHIFTING) MY CLUTCH PEDAL BROKE WHILE APPROACHING A RED LIGHT. THE BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE PEDAL IN PLACE BROKE DUE TO ITS VERY THIN METAL DESIGN. UPON RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ONLINE I HAVE FOUND THAT MANY RX-8 OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I HAVE INSTALLED A REINFORCED BRACKET AT MY OWN EXPENSE AND STILL NEED TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS BECAUSE IT HAS UNALIGNED THE GEARS IN THE TRANSMISSION. IF THIS BREAK WOULD HAVE OCCURRED AT ANY OTHER TIME I BELIEVE IT COULD EASILY RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. I SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THE HIGHWAY GETTING TO SCHOOL AND I BELIEVE THAT AT 65 MPH THIS BREAK WOULD HAVE AT LEAST DESTROYED THE TRANSMISSION. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED AND A RECALL MUST BE IMPLEMENTED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10297060

Incident

Dec 23, 2009

Mileage

60,000 mi

THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY FAILS WHILE DRIVING WHEN THE 2004-2008 MAZDA RX-8 REACHES AROUND 45,000 MILES. WHEN THE PEDAL FAILS YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE THE CAR OUT OF GEAR OR PUT IT BACK INTO GEAR. THIS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. LUCKILY, WHEN IT HAPPENED TO ME I WAS LEAVING A STOP SIGN ABOUT ONE BLOCK FROM MY HOME. MANY PEOPLE ON AN RX-8 FORUM (RX8CLUB.COM), HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM OCCUR AND IT IS TYPICALLY NEAR 45,000 MILES. MAZDA DOES NOT COVER THIS PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY HAVE NOT ISSUED A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10295485

Incident

Nov 10, 2009

Mileage

45,500 mi

1. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND POOR CHOICE OF MATERIALS FOR THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY. 2. THE CAR IN QUESTION IS A 2005 MAZDA RX8. THE CLUTCH PEDAL EVENTUALLY HAD MOVEMENT LEFT-TO-RIGHT AND THE WELDS ON THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY BROKE. I WAS LEFT UNABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR AND HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. 3. THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED BY A LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP UNDER BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THEY DID CLEARLY STATE THAT THE EXACT SAME PART WAS USED TO REPLACE IT. THERE HAVE BEEN NO REVISIONS TO THE WELDS AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL STARTED CREAKING AGAIN! *TR

NHTSA ID

10290163

Incident

Sep 1, 2009

Mileage

32,000 mi

THE CLUTCH BRACKET ON MY VEHICLE BROKE AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT IN AN INTERSECTION. I CAN BARELY SHIFT NOW AND AFTER READING ABOUT IT I SEE THAT SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10289356

Incident

Oct 20, 2009

Mileage

61,000 mi

I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE TYPICAL SIGNS OF A FAULTY CLUTCH PEDAL. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT AND I AM EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES AS THE PEOPLE HAD BEFORE THEIR CLUTCH BROKE. THIS ISSUE STARTED AROUND TWO MONTHS AGO. THE PEDAL SQUEAKS VERY LOUD AND HAS GIVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE AS WELL AS IN AND OUT. I HAVE A 2005 MAZDA RX8, 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10286569

Incident

Aug 15, 2009