Three problems related to side/window air bag have been reported for the 2005 Mazda RX8. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The passenger side air bag door, part number fey157k5x, has become brittle and is cracked where the airbag deploys. This creates a hazard as the brittle pieces of vinyl will become projectiles in the event of airbag deployment. This is clearly the fault of the manufacturer and should be remedied.
Had an incident today where my RX-8 had been t-boned at an intersection. My side curtain airbags did not deploy though. I hit my head against the interior doorwell and have a bit of whip-lash. They hit the side of the vehicle hard enough to make it so my door doesn't open any longer and in-fact it's pushed up a bit from where it is suppose to sit. The other vehicle was a 1996 Geo metro.
Airbags failed to deploy after front and side impact accident resulting in significant damage (vehicle might be totaled). Speed at impact was approximately 40 to 60 mpg resulting in injury to driver and passenger.