2006 Mazda RX-8 Complaint Log

THE ELECTRONIC ASSIST STEERING ON OUR RX8 COMPLETELY FAILED IN 2007/2008 (APPROX 25,000 MILES) THE STEERING RACK, STEERING MODULE, AND STEERING WIRE HARNESS WERE REPLACED BY MAZDA UNDER WARRANTY. WITHIN A YEAR, THE STEERING FAILED AGAIN. ACCORDING TO MAZDA, IT WAS THE WIRE HARNESS WHICH WAS THEN REPLACED OR SERVICED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IT HAS NOW BEEN 4 YEARS AND STILL THE CAR ONLY HAS A TOTAL OF 60,000 MILES ON IT AND THE STEERING HAS FAILED AGAIN. THIS TIME THOUGH, FAILURE HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT. THE ASSIST WILL TURN OFF AND BACK ON AS YOU ARE DRIVING. THIS PRODUCES VERY TREACHEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS INCLUDING SUDDEN VEERING OR POTENTIAL LOSS OF CONTROL. DRIVING 10 MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE STEERING ASSIST TURNED OFF & ON TWICE. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME, I BARELY AVOIDED COLLIDING WITH A VEHICLE IN THE NEXT LANE AFTER A SUDDEN VEER. I WAS MUSCLING THE STEERING AND THE ASSIST CAME BACK ON. A DRIVER NOT AWARE OF ANY ISSUE WHO EXPERIENCES THE PROBLEM FOR THE FIRST TIME COULD EASILY MAKE A SUDDEN STEERING CHANGE AND IT COULD BE FATAL. MAZDA IS NOW SAYING IT IS THE STEERING CONTROL MODULE YET THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR ($1,400) BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. UPON SEARCHING ONLINE, THERE ARE 100'S OF REPORTS OF THIS EXACT ISSUE OF MULTIPLE STEERING FAILURES BEING REPORTED BY OTHER INDIVIDUAL RX8 OWNERS AS WELL AS OTHER MAZDA VEHICLES. MAZDA CONTINUES TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM FOR THE RX8 YET THEY HAVE ISSUED A VOLUNTARY RECALL OF ALL 2007-2009 MAZDA 3 & MAZDA 5 STEERING SYSTEMS. WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE BUT TO GET OUR CAR FIXED AND PAY THE BILL. MAZDA REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT EVEN AFTER I CALLED THEIR CORPORATE OFFICE. THEY FILED MY COMPLAINT THEN BASICALLY SAID TOUGH LUCK. THIS IS MY DAUGHTER'S CAR AND SHE CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY ANOTHER CAR. I AM LITERALLY SCARED TO LET HER DRIVE IT. IT IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. *TR

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

DEFECTIVE AIR CONDITIONING -WILL NOT PROVIDE A VEHICLE UNTIL FIXED. 2005 MAZDA RX8. CONTACTED MAZDA CORPORATION SUPPOSEDLY AND THEY WILL NOT HELP. WHO SHOULD I CONTACT TO GET ASSISTANCE? *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

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE GOING 70 MPH IN CRUISE CONTROL MODE THE VEHICLE BACK END SWERVED LEFT AND THEN RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER, HOWEVER THE CONTACT SUSPECTS THAT TRACCION CONTROL SYSTEM FAILED.

DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR FAILURE BLOCKS DRIVER'S VISIBILITY. *NM

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

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

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

I WAS DRIVING AROUND 35MPH ON THE CROSSING OF DEMPSTER AND GREENWOOD. AS I PRESSED IN THE CLUTCH TO SWITCH GEARS THE PEDAL SNAPPED. I DID NOT SLAM ON THE CLUTCH PEDAL OR ANYTHING. I WAS UNABLE TO SWITCH GEARS. I HAD TO DRIVE ON 2ND GEAR HOME WHICH WAS LUCKILY LESS THAN A MILE AWAY. I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE A SIMPLE DEFECT IN MY CAR, HOWEVER AS I DID MY RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT QUITE A FEW OWNERS OF THE MAZDA RX8 6SPEED MANUAL HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I CALLED MAZDA DEALERSHIP IN EVANSTON AND ASKED THEM TO REPLACE IT SINCE IT IS A FACTORY MISTAKE AND MY CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY. THEY TOLD ME THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT. NOW I CANT DRIVE MY CAR TO THE MECHANIC , AND THE CAR IS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY DUE TO BEING UNABLE TO SWITCH GEARS AND DRIVE. *TR