Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2006 Mazda RX-8 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
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
DRIVER & PASSENGER SUN VISOR SPLITTING APART AND DANGLING IN THE WAY OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER VIEW. THE VISOR IN THAT CONDITION WON'T STAY UP YOU HAVE TO REMOVE IT UNTIL YOU CAN ORDER A NEW ONE THEN TAKE IT IN FOR REPAIR. *TR
PASSENGER SUN VISOR SPLIT ACROSS THE TOP. FELL OFF THE HOOK AND HUNG BY THE WIRES. *TR
SUN VISORS SPLIT AT THE SEAMS, FALLS DOWN DURING DRIVING AND BLOCK MY VIEW. THIS FIRST HAPPENED WHEN MY CAR HAD 1059 MILES, EVEN THOUGH I RARELY USE THE VISORS. THE DRIVERS VISOR WAS REPLACED AT THAT TIME DUE TO THE CONDITION. IT HAS SINCE HAPPENED AGAIN AT 3725 MILES TO THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER VISORS. MY DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND MAZDA IS WORKING ON IT. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH IN A TIMELY MANNER. MY NEW VISORS HAVE NOT YET BEEN REPLACED AS THEY HAVE BEEN ON ORDER FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. *JB
DRIVER'S SIDE SUN SHADE BROKE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM APPARENTLY WITH THE MAZDA RX8. I HAD THE CAR FOR ONLY ONE MONTH WITH FEWER THAN 1000 MILES WHEN THIS OCCURRED. IT WASN'T A PARTICULARLY HOT DAY, AND I HAD BARELY USED THE SUN SHADE BEFORE IT CRACKED. IT BECAME A SAFETY CONCERN AS IT WAS HANGING IN MY SIGHT OF VIEW, AND I HAD TO HOLD THE VISOR OUT OF THE WAY WITH MY LEFT HAND WHILE DRIVING WITH THE OTHER. *NM
DURING DRIVE HOME ON FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, PULLED DOWN DRIVER SUN VISOR. VISOR SPLIT AT SEAM. TRIED TO FOLD VISOR BACK UP OUT OF THE WAY BUT WOULD NOT STAY. SPLIT FURTHER APART AND WOULD NOT STAY ON ROD. DANGLING IN FIELD OF VISION TO FRONT AND LEFT SIDE OF DRIVER. I DRIVE A STICK SHIFT SO THIS WAS VERY AWKWARD AND SCARY DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THIS OCCURRED WITHIN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF OBTAINING CAR. SEALER REPLACED VISOR AND COMMENTED THAT IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE AND DID NOT KNOW OF ANY REDESIGN OR RECALL THAT MAY BE FORTH COMING. TWO MONTHS LATER THE SAME VISOR SPLIT AGAIN BUT LUCKILY CAR WAS PARKED AT THE TIME AND I WAS PUTTING UP A WINDOW SUNSHADE. VISOR HAD ONLY BEEN USED VERY VERY MINIMALLY DUE TO ITS LACK OF INTEGRITY. HAD TO REMOVE SUN VISOR PRIOR TO DRIVING VEHICLE. DEALER AGAIN REPLACED IT. I LOOKED OVER THE SUN VISOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. IT IS STARTING TO SPLIT APART SO ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT HAS TO BE REPLACED TO. WARRANTY HAS COVERED THUS FAR BUT AM CONCERNED THAT THERE WILL BE NO PERMANENT FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM BY THE TIME WARRANTY RUNS OUT. SUN VISORS DO HAVE TO BE USED FOR SAFER DRIVING ABILITY WHEN THE SUN IS AT A PARTICULAR ANGLE. THIS COULD CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT NOT TO MENTION POSSIBLE LAW SUITS DUE TO THE KNOWN LACK OF INTEGRITY IN THIS SUN VISOR DESIGN. I AM UNDER THE IMPRESSION FROM THE DEALER THAT THIS ISSUE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM IN ALL THE RX-8 MODELS THUS FAR. *NM
WHILE DRIVING, DURING NORMAL POSITIONING OF SUN VISOR, THE VISOR SPLIT AND FELL DOWN, HANGING BY THE ELECTRICAL WIRES AND DANGLING IN FRONT OF MY FACE. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE UNTIL I COULD PULL OFF THE ROAD. IT WAS STILL NOT POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE VISOR WITHOUT TOOLS, MAKING EVEN THE RIDE HOME DANGEROUS. *NM
DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR FAILURE BLOCKS DRIVER'S VISIBILITY. *NM
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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