Six problems related to manual transmission have been reported for the 2004 Mazda RX8. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
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.
Clutch bracket on my 2004 Mazda RX-8 broke making the car impossible to drive properly.
I feel grinding when I shift from 1 gear to 2. Sometimes is difficult to shift to the 2 and 3 gear. I bleed the clutch line, changed transmission oil. It is weird because the car has low mileage.
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.
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. . Read more...
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.