2006 Mazda RX-8 Problems

AIRBAG RECALL

PASSENGER AIRBAG COVER IS CRACKED ALL OVER, WAS TOLD IT WAS FROM THE AIRBAG. DOING THE RECALL FOR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG AND WAITING ON THE FUEL TANK RECALL.

SUN VISORS REPEATEDLY BREAK AND CAUSE THE VISOR TO DROP DOWN AND IMPAIR VISION MOMENTARILY, THEN THEY WONT STAY IN THE UP POSITION. THESE COST ABOUT $200 EACH TIME TO REPLACE AND THEN THEY BREAK AFTER ABOUT 10 TIMES OF USE. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *TR

THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISORS HAVE SPLIT OPEN AND FLIPPED DOWN SPONTANEOUSLY BLOCKING MY VISION WHILE DRIVING. I'VE HAD MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISORS SPLITTING ALONG THE SEAMS, CAUSING THEM TO DISRUPT MY VISIBILITY OF THE ROAD. I HAD MY MAZDA DEALER REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE VISORS WHILE UNDER WARRANTY ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, BUT THE DEFECT CONTINUES TO OCCUR. EVERY SINGLE TIME I WAS INFORMED THAT SPLITTING SUN VISORS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON ALL MAZDA RX-8S. THE LUBRICANT INSIDE THE HINGE OF THE VISORS WOULD SOLIDIFY DURING HOT WEATHER AND CAUSE THE SPRING TO EXPAND, THUS SPLITTING THE PLASTIC SUN VISOR ALONG THE SEAMS. SINCE THE VISORS HANG IN THE DOWNWARD POSITION ONCE THE PLASTIC HAS SPLIT, THE ONLY WAY TO NOT OBSTRUCT MY VISION WHILE DRIVING IS TO COMPLETELY REMOVE THEM FROM THEIR MOUNTS. THIS, HOWEVER, CAUSES THE ADDED PROBLEM OF NOT HAVING ANY WAY TO BLOCK DIRECT SUNLIGHT THAT CAN SHINE ON YOUR FACE IN THE EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. THE ONLY RECOURSE GIVEN TO ME IS TO CONTINUALLY REPLACE THE SUN VISORS AT $75 EACH EVERY FEW MONTHS. I FIND THAT THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. ANY INSIGHT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. *JS

THE BRACKET FOR THE CLUTCH PEDAL HAS BROKEN 4 TIMES. THE MILAGE IS CURRENTLY 81,000. I'VE CONTACTED MAZDA CORP AND THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM NEW. THEY'RE SAYING UNLESS THERE'S A RECALL WE HAVE TO KEEP BUYING A NEW PEDAL/BRACKET ASSEMBLY. THE METAL THEY USED IS SOFT AND WEAK CAUSING YOU TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE CLUTCH. PEDAL GETS STUCK TOO. IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AND AT IDLE. DANGEROUS GOING UP OR DOWN HILLS EVEN AT INTERSECTIONS IT'LL DISABLE YOUR ABILITY TO MOVE. WHEN MAZDA DOES A REPAIR THE PUT THE SAME WEAK JUNK NOT BOTHERING TO REINFORCE OR EVEN FIX THEIR PROBLEM. LOOK IT UP ON THE WEB. JUST ABOUT EVERYONE WITH A MANUAL RX8 HAS THE SAME PROBLEM.

THE CLUTCH PEDAL BINDS UP,OR STICKS DURING RELEASING FROM THE FLOOR,WAS REPLACED BEFORE AND STILL HAS THE SAME ISSUE AND MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP DOES NOT WANT TO HEAR THE COMPLAINT,NOW I WILL PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THEIR REPEATED DEFECT!

PERRY MAZDA OF SANTA BARBARA CA IS REFUSING TO REPAIR MY RECALL BECAUSE THE FUEL PUMP CURRENTLY INSTALLED IS AN AFTERMARKET PART. I'VE CONTACTED MAZDA, BUT THE REPRESENTATIVE I SPOKE WITH AGREED WITH THE TECHNICIAN THAT THEY CAN'T REPAIR MY RECALL. HE IS LOOKING INTO ANOTHER SOLUTION SO I CAN GET MY REGISTRATION, BUT I'M MAKING SURE THEIR ACTING LEGALLY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA RX-8. THE CONTACT NOTICED A FUEL ODOR INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MOFFITT VOLKSWAGEN INC. (1960 OLD MINDEN ROAD P.O. BOX 5855 BOSSIER CITY, LA 71111), AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF A RECALL THAT MAY BE RELATED TO THE FUEL ODOR. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE DE-FLOODED DUE TO A BLOCKAGE IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE CONTACT DECLINED THE REPAIR AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DE-FLOODED. A WEEK LATER, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE ODOR INTENSIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A FUEL LEAKAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE MOFFITT VOLKSWAGEN INC. DEALER AND WAS REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V793000 (FUEL SYSTEM,GASOLINE). AFTER THE REPAIR, THE ENGINE INDICATOR CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE AND THE ODOR PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,700.

The contact's grandson owns a 2006 Mazda RX-8. The contact stated that while her grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the vehicle had an oil pressure failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

TAKATA RECALL THE VEHICLE WAS STUTTERING AS I WAS DRIVING HOME IT WASN'T HOT OR OVERHEATING OR LOW ON OIL, I DROVE IT HOME AND SHUT IT OFF I THEN LATER TRIED TO START IT IT WOULDN'T START IT JUST CRANKED AND CRANKED IT WOULDN'T EVEN START OR TRY TO , THE APEX SEALS ON THIS CAR WENT OUT WHICH IS DUE TO THE LOSS OF COMPRESSION WHICH ULTIMATELY CAUSED THE SPUTTERING, MAZDA IS WELL AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AS IT WAS RECALLED ALMOST A YEAR AGO BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THE ISSUE SO I DIDN'T SEE A NEED TO GET IT REPLACED ! THIS ISSUE IS UNACCEPTABLE AS NOW I'M WITHOUT A CAR PLEASE HELP ME OUT !

THERE IS A WHITE BUSHING THAT BREAKS AND IS NOT REPLACEABLE. THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN HAS TO BE REPLACED. THE FACT THAT THIS CAR WAS MADE WITH THIS FLAW IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION. THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES VERY LOOSE AND UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

I'M WRITING TO STATE ON MY RX8 SHINKA 2006 MAZDA HAS A STEERING WHEEL PROBLEM MOST CONCERNING. I HAVE OWNED IT AND MAINTAINED IT. AS I WAS LEAVING MY BANK I NOTICED A WHITE GASKET OF KIND ON THE FLOOR OF THE DRIVERS SIDE. I WENT TO DRIVE MY CAR AND THERE WAS A LOT OF PLAY IN MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL. AT FIRST I TRIED UNLOCKING AND LOCKING THE STEERING COLUMN. THIS WAS NO GOOD. THERE WAS STILL PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL. MEANING YOU CAN MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN UP AND DOWN WITH OUTSIDE UNLOCKING THE COLUMN. THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE. IT'S JUST LIKE THE AIR BAG RECALL. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY THAT MY STEERING WHEEL WILL FAIL WHILE DRIVING MY AWESOME CAR!

TAKATA RECALL. MY 2006 MAZDA RX8 HAS HAD TWO RECALLS DONE ON IT. THE 2ND OWNER HAD IT DONE AND AFTERWARDS A SMALL CRACK STARTED FROM ONE POINT WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED. WE HAD IT DONE IN GAINESVILLE AGAIN AND BROUGHT IT TO THEIR ATTENTION. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING EXCEPT TO BUY A NEW DASH. THE CRACKS HAVE CONTINUED TO SPREAD AND I'M CONCERNED THAT IF THE AIR BAG INFLATES PERSONAL INJURY COULD BE DONE TO THE PASSENGER FROM PARTS OF THE DASH EXPLODING. I WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO RIDE IT THE PASSENGERS SEAT BECAUSE OF THIS. THIS CONTINUES TO GET WORSE OVER TIME NOT ON A CERTAIN DAY. WE KEEP A SUNSHADE IN THE WINDOW HOPING THAT WILL SLOW IT DOWN BUT TO NOW AVAIL. THIS IS A PLEASURE CAR AND ONLY AS LESS THAN 36000 MILES ON IT AND IT NOT ABUSED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA RX-8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASH BOARD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS CRACKED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V382000 (AIR BAG). THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED FOR THEIR SAFETY DUE TO THE AIR BAG BEING EXPOSED AND THE AIR BAG MAY DEPLOY DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 21ST. I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN SO I PRESSED ON THE CLUTCH TO GET THE CAR IN GEAR, WHEN I PUSHED DOWN HOWEVER, THE CLUTCH MADE A LARGE SNAPPING SOUND AND MOVED DOWN A LITTLE FURTHER THAN USUAL. I WENT TO PUT THE CAR BACK INTO GEAR ANYWAY AND NOTICED THAT THE CLUTCH WAS MUCH LOOSER THAN BEFORE. IT WAS WIGGLING FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND HAD MUCH MORE DEAD SPACE BEFORE IT CAUGHT ON THE ACTUAL CLUTCH. I ALSO NOTICED IT WAS MUCH MUCH HARDER TO GET MY CAR INTO GEAR. I HAVE TO PUSH AND SLAM THE STICK INTO GEAR IN ORDER TO GET IT TO FIT. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND THIS WAS ACTUALLY A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 2004-2007 MAZDA RX-8'S. THE CAR CAN STILL BE DRIVEN, HOWEVER I BELIEVE THE FULL CLUTCH SHAFT COULD SNAP OFF IF PRESSED TO HARD.

I WAS DRIVING AROUND 35MPH ON THE CROSSING OF DEMPSTER AND GREENWOOD. AS I PRESSED IN THE CLUTCH TO SWITCH GEARS THE PEDAL SNAPPED. I DID NOT SLAM ON THE CLUTCH PEDAL OR ANYTHING. I WAS UNABLE TO SWITCH GEARS. I HAD TO DRIVE ON 2ND GEAR HOME WHICH WAS LUCKILY LESS THAN A MILE AWAY. I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE A SIMPLE DEFECT IN MY CAR, HOWEVER AS I DID MY RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT QUITE A FEW OWNERS OF THE MAZDA RX8 6SPEED MANUAL HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I CALLED MAZDA DEALERSHIP IN EVANSTON AND ASKED THEM TO REPLACE IT SINCE IT IS A FACTORY MISTAKE AND MY CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY. THEY TOLD ME THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT. NOW I CANT DRIVE MY CAR TO THE MECHANIC , AND THE CAR IS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY DUE TO BEING UNABLE TO SWITCH GEARS AND DRIVE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND AS I WAS PUSHING THE CLUTCH IN WITH MY FOOT, I HEARD A LOUD POP. I WASN'T ABLE TO CHANGE GEARS BUT LUCKILY I WAS GOING TO THE OFFRAMP SO I PULLED OVER AND LOOKED AT THE CLUTCH. THE METAL CLUTCH PLATE HAD BROKE. *TR

AROUND 07/04/2013, MY CLUTCH START TO GIVE ME A FEW PROBLEMS. THE MAJOR ONE WAS THAT THE CLUTCH PEDAL WOULD NOT RESPOND HOW IT NORMALLY SHOULD. I WOULD STICK AND EVENTUALLY MADE IT VERY HARD TO SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR AND REVERSE. SINCE IT WAS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, I HAD TO WAIT TILL 07/08/2013 UNTIL MY NORMAL MECHANIC WAS OPEN. WHILE INSPECTING IT, HE FOUND THAT THE CLUTCH PEDAL WOULD SHIFT AND WIGGLE SIDE TO SIDE, WHICH IS VERY ABNORMAL. WHEN I WENT TO INSPECT IT MYSELF, I HEARD A "SNAP!" AND THE PEDAL SHIFTED ALL THE WAY TO THE BRAKE PEDAL.UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PEDALS BRAKED, CONNECTING IT TO THE CAR'S FIRE WALL HAD SNAPPED APART. I HAD HEARD THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN FACT BY MAZDA, AND THEY HAD SENT OUT A RECALL ON THE PART. I WENT TO THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL, BUT A WARRANTY EXTENSION, AND MY CAR IS NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENSION AND I WOULD HAVE TO BUY A NEW PART, AND PAY THE LABOR. THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE NOW, AND I NOW HAVE TO PAY FOR A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT MAZDA REFUSES TO FIX. EVEN IN THE MOST EXTREME SITUATIONS, THIS PART SHOULD NEVER BREAK. IT IS STILL A VERY DANGEROUS AND POSSIBLY FATAL DEFECT, THAT IS STILL KNOWN BY THE MAKER, AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT IS STILL HAPPENING TO THIS TYPE OF CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA RX-8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE GOING 70 MPH IN CRUISE CONTROL MODE THE VEHICLE BACK END SWERVED LEFT AND THEN RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER, HOWEVER THE CONTACT SUSPECTS THAT TRACCION CONTROL SYSTEM FAILED.

DEFECTIVE AIR CONDITIONING -WILL NOT PROVIDE A VEHICLE UNTIL FIXED. 2005 MAZDA RX8. CONTACTED MAZDA CORPORATION SUPPOSEDLY AND THEY WILL NOT HELP. WHO SHOULD I CONTACT TO GET ASSISTANCE? *NM