Clutch Pedal/linkage problems of the 2005 Mazda RX8 - part 1

The clutch pedal assembly bracket breaks at the spotwelds which also breaks the clutch master cylinder and lukily this broke while starting the car.

Clutch pedal bracket broken under normal conditions. I went to push the clutch in to downshift at highway speeds to over take a slower vehicle and it snapped with an audible "pop" and I couldnt shift into the lower gear and my rpms, went to idle at highway speed. Had it broken at a different time, I could have been locked into a certain gear and ha to break fast or crash risking the lives of my occupants and the occupants of another vehicle.

Driving my Mazda Rx8 last night on a local highway shifting from fifth to sixth gear the clutch pedal gave way and doing 65mph and stuck itself under the brake pedal had to shut the car off and hit the e brake to stop. Lucky im not dead.

I was on my way to buy some food supplies for weekend. I was looking for a parking lot at low speed, so when I stepped onto the clutch pedal to put back to neutral and parked suddenly I heard a crack. At that time I did not know what it was until 30 minutes of shopping later, I started the engine and felt a little odd about the pedal clutch. The clutch pedal was function a little odd when I stepped into the pedal, I felt like it didn't release completely. Fortunately, I made a the way home and checked. When I got home and it snapped off.

As I was shifting into 4th gear, my clutch pedal mad an odd loud "cracking" sounds and ever since then, my pedal is very loose and has a lot of play and engages very low to the floor. It also has very little pressure now.

As I was pressing my clutch pedal to place my car into first gear, I heard and felt a snap in the clutch. I then noticed that my clutch would not fully disengage and I had trouble placing my car into gears and out of them. Once I arrived home I examined my clutch and noticed that the bracket had snapped. I contacted the Mazda dealership and I was told my car was no longer covered by the warranty and I would have to replace the part out of pocket for a flaw that Mazda created.

The clutch would not allow a shift into gear, clutch pedal bracket assembly broke.

The clutch pedal bracket on my '05 Rx8 broke. It had been squeaking for some time but I did not recognize it was under an extended warranty. The left side spot weld failed and the mounting ear sheared off of the bracket. Mazda na refused to apply the 100k mile warranty to my 106. 8k mile car.

**resubmit-didn't go through** I was driving approx 65 mph on the freeway and felt a kick/jolt and had a loss of power. My speed went down10-15 mph and although I tried to accelerate it wouldn't do anything. I pulled over to the shoulder and tried to exit but car refused to go into gear. Every time I forced it into gear, the car would constantly stall and die. I had the ignition coil and spark plug replaced but now the clutch just sinks to the floor. I've tried to pump the clutch to get it into gear but this is quite dangerous on the road. My vehicle has trouble controlling its speed since there's a lag switching from 3rd to 4th, 5th to 6th since I have to pump my sunken clutch several times and fiddle with the shifter to actually kick my car into the next gear. My car is now over 100k miles and just read about the Mazda Rx8 clutch pedal recall online. This malfunction/safety issue was never announced professionally by my dealer. Mazda had no problems contacting me via phone, email ,mail regarding bills but for some reason failed to give me a notice regarding this defect. I've been advised that repairing this problem is quite expensive and since my car although less than 8 years old has passed the extended warranty based on mileage, I'll be stuck driving this car without proper repairs? I feel Mazda should've contacted all Rx8 owners to reduce the number any future disasters. Would there be any chance to extend the warranty for the clutch pedal based on mileage over 120k? I can't afford to purchase a new car at this moment but need to still commute to work without paying for repairs that would cost me an arm and a leg at the dealer? if this is a recall issue, I would feel more safe having an authorized dealer inspect the problem rather than a cheap auto shop that isn't fully aware of specific details.

Failure of clutch pedal assembly. A plastic plate cracked and caused an irritating plastic binding noise, ever time I released the clutch pedal. This apparently happens a lot, sometimes it is fixable but in my case I had to replace my entire assembly, as I was told if it completely cracked I would lose the function of my clutch pedal. Failure of the passenger side power lock actuator. I have read many accounts of this part failing. Usually blamed on hot or cold claimant, however mine just failed earlier this week, with weather in the mid 40's. Just from the amount of postings I found when this happened to me it needs to be reported.

While driving at 50 mph and changing gears normally the clutch pedal assembly suffered a catastrophic breakage causing the cars transmission to become inoperable. Transmission had to be damaged to be forced into neutral to come to a stop. Clutch pedal had already previously been replaced in 2009 after identical incident occurred. Mazda north America has refused to honor a warranty replacement for the most recent incident.

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.

2005 Mazda Rx8; excessive squeaking noise from clutch pedal upon engagement and disengagement and feels loose.

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).

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.

2 days before the incident the clutch made a clicking sound. I looked down and saw no problem. I was driving down the road and the car would not go into gear because the clutch pedal assembly had gave way. I was able to turn off the car and get it into 1st and had to drive home in 1st gear. I have been looking through forums online and this seems to be a very frequent occurrence. I also got a ticket for failure to yield and causing an accident 350. 00 dollars. I called Mazda and they even told me it was a common occurrence. Im working on the issue now but Mazda wants 1150. 00 dollars to fix a "common" problem. Its completely ridiculous. Ive counted over 150 different people who this has happened to but just got it fixed on Mazda forums and other auto forums. Many of them caused accidents as well. I just dont want this to happen to someone and they get killed because of it. . It was the clutch pedal assembly.

I had just backed out of a driveway on to a side street about to pull on to a main highway, I had put my car into first gear and it did so fine and I was accelerating and went to shift into second gear and went to push in my clutch and I could not find it for a second it was stuck and pushed slightly behind my brake, so I just pulled my car into neutral and pulled off to the side of the road I had some breaking but not full braking. I found that the clutch pedal bracket had failed, a spot weld on the frame had broke and caused my clutch to move freely, this has never happened to me before, I will have to pay for a new part out of my pocket although I was doing research online and found this has happened alot on Mazda Rx8's.

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.

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.

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. Updated 09/28/10.

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.

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).

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.

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].

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.

My clutch pedal snapped again for the 3rd time in 2 years, !@#$%??? when is Mazda resolve this issue?? until some one dies????.

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$.

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.

My clutch pedal on my 2005 Mazda Rx8 snapped while changing gears (3-4) on the freeway. Last month there were noises coming from the clutch pedal [squeaking] and after the pedal snapped the pedal does not fully pop back all the way up. In order to get the pedal in the right position I have to get my foot under the pedal while driving in order to pull the pedal up in the right position. [every time I switch gears] in order to correct the failure [which was the weak welds on the clutch assembly snapped] I have to get it rewelded and add extra support welds.

The clutch pedal on my 2005 Mazda RX-8 is extremely squeaky and seems to be on the verge of breaking. When pressed down upon, it squeaks and it also moves left and right more than it should. I have read dozens of other reports of the clutch pedal actually snapping and I am quite worried that my clutch pedal is close to breaking as well.

My clutch pedal broke again on my Rx8 (twice in the same year) follow my link for the story, Mazda needs to get their !@#$% together. . Read more...

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!.

2005 Mazda Rx8 with 53,000 miles. Clutch pedal has been squeaking for the past 8-10k miles. I complained on 2 separate occasions to Mazdas service department and they did nothing. Today my clutch pedal snapped off while I was driving. Mazda needs to use better welding on the bracket. The two spot welds don't hold up for very long.

I have a 2005 Mazda Rx8 and for the past 2 years the dealership has replaced my clutch pedal assembly 3 times because of a loud squeal when pressing the clutch pedal. My most recent visit they replaced it again. . The other night I was out with my girlfriend driving long distances and my pedal began to feel really strange and it didn't seem to want to shift properly. . I drop her off and I go home the next morning I wake up to clean my car and I back up and then move forward and my shifter is completely stuck! and the clutch pedal is literally touching the brake pedal. . I tried to see I could still turn the car on and the pedal stuck to the floor as if there were no clutch fluid. . Fortunately we were not driving when this happened but this is a danger to many people who are driving manual transmissions. Upon inspection the thins bracket that holds the assembly together was torn. . . The vehicle will be at the dealership for the next few days for repairs. . It has 49,600 miles approx.

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. After pulling over to the side of the road, the car had to be started in 1st gear to drive to safety. 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 (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.