Problems with 2004 Mazda RX-8 POWER TRAIN

Everything started fine. while driving my clutch pedal failed on me and i was unable to properly maneuver the vehicle. clutch pedal sticks to the ground and the gears get stuck and i have to rip them out. it happened once, because now the car is inoperable. to correct the failure i'm going to replace clutch pedal bracket assembly and possibly an new clutch altogether. *tr

The clutch pedal bracket in my rx8 cracked. i was in city traffic when i heard a snap and my clutch pedal became much looser. about two weeks later i heard another snap and could barely shift my car at all. it caused me to stall in the middle of a busy intersection. unable to move or start my car. *tr

The clutch pedal assembly has broken causing the clutch to be completely depressed for the clutch to engage. this happened after normal driving conditions. the repair consisted of installation of a new assembly. if the assembly failed when broken the car may not have been able to be put in gear resulting in an accident. *tr

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. *tr

The clutch pedal assembly snapped on my 2004 mazda rx8 for a second time yesterday. this is very unsafe considering the fact that when it breaks, the clutch pedal itself can move horizontally and get lodged under the brake pedal causing the driver not to be able to stop the vehicle. there's post after post in different forums around the net that describing the same thing happening to other people (ex. http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=178486&highlight=clutch+pedal). something needs to be done about these pedals before we have another toyota type of incident on our hands. *tr

Under normal driving conditions the mazda rx8s(2004) clutch pedal assembly cracks thus causing the car to be undrivable. *tr

The clutch pedal on my vehicle suddenly began to have very little resistance when pushing in the pedal on friday may 28th, 2010, which lead me to believe i was going to need to buy a new clutch for my vehicle soon. the previous days though, the pedal was functioning perfectly fine, and there was no slipping or problems shifting gears. the next day, on the 29th, after about 5 - 10 minutes of driving, the pedal became completely nonresponsive and could not be disengaged once it was pressed into the floor. i had to pull over immediately and have the car towed. upon a $100 inspection by a local mazda dealership, the clutch and related components (master, slave, pressure plate, flywheel, bearings, etc) were fine, but the clutch pedal had failed and needed to be replaced. i was happy to hear that i did not have to replace the entire clutch system, but i was charged for a brand new clutch pedal, and i feel the original was defective and should not have simply failed as it had for no reason. *tr

No events leading up to failure. was driving home from work tonight and when i depressed the clutch pedal to shift i heard a loud snap. car was still drivable but the clutch pedal felt loose and there was play from side to side. when home discovered that the clutch pedal bracket had broken on one side and was not holding the pedal securely in place. no repair done yet to fix the problem. car is not in use at this point due to safety concerns. *tr

2004 mazda rx-8 clutch bracket snapped off while driving on 3rd gear not letting me to change gears at all. car was unable to operate. thank god i was in a residential area because if i was on a freeway, that would have been a lot more dangerous. a clutch pedal should not break under any circumstance and it clearly shows a defect on the manufacturer of the certain parts. *tr

The clutch pedal of the vehicle had started squeaking while being used and started moving laterally left and right. while driving home on the freeway the vehicle was locked into 2nd gear and would not allow me to change gears. i was forced to drive home in 2nd gear. the vehicle was taken to romero mazda and they determined that the clutch pedal assembly had snapped. this is why the vehicle would not change gears and was locked into 2nd gear. after speaking with the service rep he told me that my warranty had expired and that i would have to pay for it out of pocket. *tr

I was driving my 2004 mazda rx8 to work, everything was fine until suddenly my clutch pedal made a *snap* noise as i pressed to get it out of gear. the clutch pedal went loose inback of the brake pedal. luckily i was able to free the clutch pedal back up, but i wasn't able to put it into any gear. i pulled off the road and visually inspected the clutch pedal. soon after i had my car towed. i found out it was a faulty clutch pedal bracket. it is made of weak metal and has single spot welds holding it together. i am having the clutch bracket taken out, re-welded to make it much stronger then originally, then replaced in the car. i came across an aftermarket replacement part online, but it is out of my budget. *tr

Very common problem. clutch pedal bracket snapped making clutch all but inoperable. car was undriveable and it was a huge safety concern. should be a recall to fix a poorly designed bracket. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx8. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, approaching a turn and shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear, the clutch pedal fractured. the contact had to maneuver the clutch so that it would not interfere with the brake pedal. the vehicle was shifted into neutral gear in order to drive onto the emergency lane. the manufacturer was contacted and offered to have the vehicle towed to his residence. the contact confirmed that there were several complaints related to the identical failure. the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the failure mileage was 60,000.

For the past 3 years, the clutch pedal on my car has squeaked and groaned when depressed. this would not be consistent, and very hard to diagnose. today, while driving a short distance towards work (i live and work on a military base), a metallic "pop" came from my clutch pedal while being depressed and no longer disengaged the clutch. this almost caused an accident as it was "rush hour." i quickly noticed while driving that my clutch pedal was almost touching my brake as i attempted to slow down! also, if i had stopped moving at any point, i and my car would have been stranded as i would not have been able to get my car back into gear. upon inspection at home, it appears a weld on the right side that holds the clutch pedal mount to the frame of the car has come completely loose making the pedal lean left. there also appears to possibly be another issue with the clutch pedal spring as it no longer returns the pedal to the fully depressed position, and instead defaults to 3 inches depressed or full upright depressed. this failure has not been corrected. *tr

Clutch bracket broke in traffic while driving on local italian roads. nearly caused traffic accident. car rendered unusable. *tr

Clutch pedal bracket broke on the right side while driving. restricts vehicle from being able to go into gear. pedal will not compress all the way. *tr

The clutch pedal assembly on 2004 mazda rx-8 has spot welds that hold the assembly together. one of the spot welds failed on my car, causing lateral movement in the pedal, and metal fatigue (ripping) around one of the mounting bolts. the clutch movement was also affected. pushing the pedal down, it was loose about half of the normal movement of the pedal. only the second half of pedal movement operated the clutch separation. it appeared that over time the mounting bracket of the clutch pedal assembly would have completely failed causing the clutch pedal to come off of the firewall. doing a internet search on "rx8 clutch pedal" revealed many other times of this happening and mazda not doing anything about it. i have reported my instance to mazda's customer support. *tr

Clutch pedal broke when shifting to 4th gear and disengaging clutch. traveling at approximately 40 mph, there was a loud snap when i released the clutch. when i attempted to re-engage the clutch, there was significant lateral movement and little to no pressure. had to pull over and coast to a grinding halt in gear. if this had happened at freeway speeds, coming to a stop while in gear on the side of the freeway would have been dangerous. *tr

2004 mazda rx-8. the clutch assembly broke while the car was in motion. the clutch will not engage the reverse gear and barely engages in the forward gears. the entire assembly has to be replaced in order for the vehicle to be driven. the dealer is claiming that it is not a warranty issue even this is a common occurance for the model. the old defective part is available.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx8. while driving at approximately 15 mph, the clutch pedal broke and the contact could not shift; he had to be assisted to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where the clutch pedal bracket was replaced at the contact's expense. the sun visor also broke twice; the first time, it was replaced under warranty. the vehicle had not been repaired for the sun visor failure at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was 37,728. the current mileage was approximately 38,400.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx-8. while driving approximately 10 mph, he engaged the clutch and the pedal extended to the floor. he stated that the engine stalled and he had to push the vehicle onto the emergency lane. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the clutch pedal assembly was replaced. the contact had not called the manufacturer when the complaint was filed. the current mileage was approximately 37,800. the failure mileage was approximately 37,600. updated 06/08/10. *lj the consumer also stated the driver side sun visor broke and obstructed his vision. updated 08/11/10

2004 mazda rx8 manual transmission with 64500 miles. car was being driven normally on the way to work when during a shift from 2nd to 3rd gear the clutch bracket broke in half on the outside portion of the car, which caused the pedal to shift over towards the brake making it almost impossible to use the brake pedal. the car is now is unable to move because it cannot be put into gear or driven safely. this is a permanent failure until it is fixed. the clutch braket must be removed and welded or a entire piece ordered and reassembled with the existing components for an estimated price of almost $500.

I have a 2004 mazda rx8 manual with 59,000 miles. the clutch pedal assembly bracket attached to the firewall snapped while i was trying to change gear in the middle of driving. i ended up with almost no clutch at all. i had to take the car to the dealership and discovered that the bracket broken into pieces. a new clutch pedal assembly had to be installed to replace the broken one.

I don't even know where to begin with the problem i have had with my 2004 mazda rx-8. i have owned it since september 2003 and it has had countless issues, parts replaced and failures. the incident i experienced last night put me over the edge and almost cost me my life. my rx-8, which was just at the dealer 2 weeks ago, had an engine malfunction while i was on a major highway in massachusetts. the speed of the vehicle went from approx 50mph to 10mph in a matter of a few seconds. luckily i was able to make my way to the breakdown lane without injuring myself or anyone else; however, this is unacceptable. every single part in my rx-8 has been replaced except for the engine mounts and engine. i have dished out thousands of dollars already and the vehicle only has 44,000 miles on it. not only is this a safety hazard to those of us driving the vehicle, but it is also a safety hazard to those around us. had the car behind me not been paying attention my vehicle could have caused a deadly car crash in the middle of rush hour on a major highway. i have contacted numerous dealerships, the bbb, and am now looking into a class action lawsuit. mazda needs to be held accountable for their actions. unfortunately because my car was purchased in 2003, bbb wouldn't have anything to do with the case, however i have 57 pages of detailed repairs that have been made to this vehicle since i owned it, which i am more than happy to send to you. tons of people online have had similar issues; just from automotive.com there are 30+ email addresses of individuals who have experienced problems similar to mine. please help us get to the bottom of this faulty engine and make mazda own up to their mistakes. people's lives are in danger and this is neither acceptable nor ethical. ps- an employee of nhtsa has been contacted prior regarding this situation. her name is [xxx] and her contact information is [xxx]ext #: [xxx]. i received this from the automotive.com forum. *tr information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (fo

Clutch pedal bracket broke while shifting gears in 2004 mazda rx 8. clutch pedal moves side to side now, and seems likely to interfere with braking. also makes shifting gears more difficult. *tr

I was driving my 2004 mazda rx-8 and without symptom, my clutch pedal bracket broke. subsequently, i was not able to put my vehicle into gear. i was stranded in the middle of the road, unable to pull over to clear traffic. i had to have my car towed to westcott mazda and they replaced the bracket for me. the old part is not available, but i do have the receipts for the towing and the replacement bracket from westcott mazda. *tr

1. about 2 hours of city driving. 2. while driving our mazda rx-8, the clutch pedal suddenly developed excessive free play and the clutch was hard to disengage. after parking the car and letting it cool for several hours, the clutch pedal returned to normal. the symptoms were exactly as described in mazda tsb # 05-004/06 'manual transmission - clutch hard to disengage'. this tsb describes a manufacturing defect where ethanol used in the clutch release cylinder boot can vaporize and increase pressure within the boot, which then causes the piston to be pushed back into the release cylinder body. as a result, a gap appears between the piston and the push rod, resulting in excessive free play and the clutch hard to disengage. the tsb says that the ethanol can vaporize 'at hot ambient temperatures or approx. 85 f.' this is surprising, because, 85 degrees fahrenheit is a very normal temperature. additionally, the tsb says that a mass production change was made since we bought our car and that ethanol is no longer used during the manufacture of the clutch release cylinder assembly. the tsb recommends replacement of the affected part. this situation is obviously very dangerous. when the clutch becomes hard to disengage, the car can't be driven safely. we live in a crowded, urban environment and must be able to change gears or put the transmission in neutral very quickly. 3. mazda refused to replace the defective clutch release cylinder because our car was out of warranty. *tr

Under normal driving conditions during a light shift my clutch pedal bracket snapped. the pedal is now loose and moves easily from side to side only working if pushed on the correct way. it has been squeaking for a few months and suddenly on an easy drive it just snapped. the pedal and assembly have never been abused or modified in any way nor has the car been driven particularly hard. *tr

I own a 2004 mazda rx-8 and was driving to work when the manual clutch pedal shifted from its normal position so far that it got stuck under the brake pedal. i was able to get it home but when looking into the problem, i noticed that the clutch assembly bracket had broken, allowing the clutch pedal to move under the brake. i did some research to find that approximately 40 other people had the same issue with this bracket breaking in the same place on the 2004-2008 rx-8. *tr

I was driving my friends 2004 mazda rx-8 when the clutch pedal snapped. i was able to get it stopped and into neutral. the clutch pedal bracket was found defective and was replaced. *tr

Driving on the freeway doing posted 55 mph, go do downshift from 6th to 5th gear because i was exiting and when i depressed my clutch pedal it snapped off causing my to not be able to get out of gear. i had to veer off the road kill the engine and wait for aaa to come tow me to a local repair. this is very very dangerous because if i were in town or residential area could of been trouble. *tr

Clutch pedal bracket snapped while shifting from second to third gear. car had previously been taken to mazda dealership, who insisted there was no problem with the bracket. had been making a clicking noise when clutch pedal was depressed. pedal became loose on the horizontal axis (e.g. could be moved left or right with little pressure. could still be shifted with careful application of pressure, but not safe for continued driving. *tr

For a week or so prior to failure, i heard a squeak coming from the clutch. had car in to change tires, mechanic noted clutch pedal was soft and advised i have it looked at the next day. on the way home clutch pedal kicked over to the right and i wasn't able to engage clutch & shift,stuck in 2nd gear. lucky for me i didn't get in a collision, was rolling through a busy intersection, was able to get to a parking lot and stalled and stopped the car. reset clutch pedal red greened it and limped it home till i had it fixed a couple of days later. *tr

1. the events were most likely cold weather, alabama has had an unusually cold winter during the 2009-2010 period. 2. the clutch has broken. the weld that holds it in place has broken. 3. i am going to have to replace the clutch bracket due to its breaking. *tr

During the course of my morning commute to work the clutch pedal assembly failed. the car was able to be driven to a safe location by use of "rev matching" shifting as depressing the clutch pedal would no longer engage the clutch and the pedal no longer returned to the proper position. the assembly was removed, rewelded, and replaced. *tr

I was driving my 2004 mazda rx 8 home from work when all of a sudden my clutch pedal dropped and my car would not switch gears, luckily i coasted across the intersection. i had my car towed to a mazda dealership, they told me my entire clutch assembly was destroyed to nothing and my clutch pedal was bent, due to broken bracket on clutch pedal. my extended warranty would not cover the cost, even though it was due to a part that wasn't a wear and tear part. total cost is $1490. *tr

Diving at 50 mph and my clutch pedal broke, moving side to side and unable to shift gears. i was 3 miles from a mazda dealer and got there. was told they didn't have the part in stock (in demand, of course) and i had to pay $25.00 for over night shipping to get my car fixed the next day. i was given my old petal and broken part and paid $470 for the fix. after reviewing this problem on-line i see this is a very common problem with the 2004-2008 rx-8's from 20,000-70,000 miles. had my 18 year old daughter been driving this car at the time, this would be a whole different letter. please recall this car and correct this on going dangerous , life threatening problem. mazda mechanic's know all to well about this, why doesn't the public. why don't you. *tr

Clutch bracket on my 2004 mazda rx-8 broke making the car impossible to drive properly. *tr

2004 mazda rx8 clutch bracket broke. my wife just gave birth and we haven't been using the rx8, much cause she can't drive, but i wanted to start it up and take it out for a trip to the store because it had been sitting for a week. when i went to start it, the clutch just felt like it snapped. the bracket snapped in half on the left side. wow thank god this didn't happen while my wife was pregnant or what about with my son in the car. seems to be a problem not being addressed by mazda. i am sure that we have the driver experience and good enough driving skills to have safely avoided disaster, but i am very happy that it happened on just a normal startup rather then at 70 mph in heavy atlanta traffic. *tr

The clutch pedal in the mazda rx8 began creaking during use. after investigating the cause online, i learned that this problem is widespread among mazda rx8 owners and that continued use of the clutch pedal would lead to failure with the creaking being a sign that the pedal is prematurely wearing. since mazda refuses to acknowledge the defect and offer a recall, i removed the clutch pedal and had the mounting bracket rewelded. i've also observed that the metal used for the bracket is incredibly thin and that the spot welds made at the factory by mazda are wholly insufficient to keep the bracket from moving under stress, leading to permanent failure when it breaks. *tr

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. *tr

I was driving my mazda rx8 at 35mph down a city street at night. i pushed in the clutch pedal to shift gears. there was an extremely loud pop, then the clutch dropped to the floor. i was able to force it into gear to get it home. i took it to the dealership, they said that the clutch pedal bent/collapsed, and the clutch burned out. up to this point there was no indication of clutch wear, no slippage of the clutch, everything operated normally. i have had every service completed on the car, and had it in the shop for a major repair only 3 months (or less) ago. the clutch pedal should not have bent, and was the cause of the catastrophic failure of the clutch. again, up to this point there was no indication of clutch wear, the car was operating fine. i can provide all service records for the vehicle. this exact problem has been documented several times on rx-8 club threads, and matches identical to this very thread: http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=132912 and http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=182412&highlight=clutch+bracket this failure could have caused a major accident had i been traveling at a higher rate of speed or had the clutch pedal folded underneath the break pedal. there is no excuse for the clutch pedal to fold under the pressure of my foot, much less under normal clutch operating circumstances where i was just shifting gears. this could have caused a deadly accident! the damages to the car incurred as of today are approximately $1900 before taxes. normal clutch damage would have been indicated by slippage of the clutch disc against the pressure plate. this sort of damage could have also seized the engine had the pressure plate deconstructed in the catastrophic failure. the property damage i claim in this was the amount of damage done to the vehicle itself, not anyone else's property. the costs for replacement and repair are outlandish and upsetting. i will provide any documentation on request, as well as pictures. *tr

Clutch pedal is has begun to make creaking sounds and feels loose when fully depressed. i have read about the possibility of the pedal breaking and snapping and i suspect this is leading up that the point that it ultimately does break. *tr

Driving down the road, attempt to change into 3rd gear and my clutch pedal dropped right to the floor, which caused my car to jerk into the next lane as i wasn't expecting my foot to have freefall. after stopping the car, i found that my clutch pedal mount had broken away from the assembly causing my clutch to be unable to disengage entirely. the assembly will have to be replaced or welded to return to regular functionality. *tr

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. 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 to: (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. *tr

2004 mazda rx8 clutch lever bracket broken. shifted car from 3rd to 4th heard a loud snap and the pedal did not feel right. i was very close to home so i made it but was hard to shift. found the lever bracket to be broken and cracked on the right side. *tr

Clutch pedal on my 2004 rx8 broke and caused me to almost get in accident when the car would not release out of 4 gear. the clutch shifted towards my break pedal and it almost made me wreck. *tr

I own a mazda rx-8 2004 model and i was driving down the interstate on approx 10/31/09. i didn't realize it until i needed to change gears but i realized that my clutch was getting stuck behind my brake pedal and that i could not shift gears properly. i slowed down and after tugging and tugging i was able to switch gears. i stopped the car to call my friends thinking it was a bad clutch but no one could give me a straight answer. i called a tow truck and spent 200 dollars getting it towed and another 180 to get it fixed. the problem had been my clutch pedal bracket. its made out of material so flimsy that it had snapped from the welds. i think this is a safety hazard and after doing my research i have found that many other people have had this problem. i for one don't want to ever be stuck o the middle of an interstate again. *tr

1. clutch pedal felt about a 1/2" low (as if hydraulic fluid had an air pocket and needed bleeding) about two blocks before failure. 2. i was stopped at a light behind 3 cars in the right hand lane, shifted into first when the light turned green; accelerated very slowly and tried shifting to second gear but the pedal made a snapping sound and went to the floor, the engine stalled and the transmission was stuck in first until i let the car roll back a little and got it in neutral. i was stuck in a major intersection and there was gridlock, lots of honking and yelling and a few cars came very close to having accidents. i pushed my car to the edge of the intersection and waited for the tow truck. the tow truck had to have smaller pickup brought in to winch my car out of the intersection because he said it was unsafe to set up the tow right in the middle of the intersection. 3. my car was towed to my mechanic and after inspection he said it would happen again to a new pedal from mazda. he was surprised it lasted for 60k miles. after some research i ordered a reinforced clutch pedal bracket assembly from here: http://www.fluidmotorsports.com/p-188-transmission-and-accessories.aspx turns out here are three aftermarket companies manufacturing reinforcements, mazsport, bhr and race roots; each has their own design and they are selling hundreds of them because all the pedals fail in 40 - 80k miles. *tr

I was stopped at a stop sign, start engaging the clutch to go into first gear and i hear a crack. i am in first gear and as i am about to shift into second gear i am unable to do so. i notice that the clutch pedal has no pressure and it is near the brake pedal. from here on i was not able to shift into any gear. so after further inspection i see that the brake pedal is broken and can easily move from left to right. i am just glad that i was on the street because i was on my way to catch the freeway. this is very dangerous and has to be fixed, something bad could have happened and to think i have been driving the car on the highway for long trips is very scary. *tr