What breaks most · 2004 to 2011 model years
Mazda RX-8 problems by year
Owners have filed 783 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mazda RX-8 across model years 2004 to 2011. Two years stand out: 2004 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2008 and 2007.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2008, 2007
- Complaints on file
- 7832004 to 2011, all trims
- Worst year
- 2004489 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 2715 fires · 20 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 42Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 489 | 17 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (154) | |
| 162 | 6 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (54) | |
| 60 | 1 | 5 | Air bags (17) | |
| 38 | 2 | 5 | Air bags (16) | |
| 17 | 0 | 5 | Air bags (8) | |
| 8 | 0 | 4 | Speed control and throttle (3) | |
| 5 | 0 | 4 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | Fuel system (1) |
What fails on the 2004 Mazda RX-8
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 31% |
154 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 22% |
106 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2004 Mazda RX-8 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 16% |
80 | 8 | Shop steering parts for the 2004 Mazda RX-8 |
| Air bags | 10% |
50 | 7 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
33 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2004 Mazda RX-8 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 7% |
33 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2004 Mazda RX-8 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
21 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2004 Mazda RX-8 |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 4% |
20 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2004 Mazda RX-8 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Driving down the road and came to a stop light, engaged the clutch heard a pop and haven't been able to get into gear since.i was in the middle of traffic and was nearly rear ended cause the couch wouldn't disengage to but it in great cause the bracket had broken completely.
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The clutch pedal assembly bracket breaks at the spotwelds which also breaks the clutch master cylinder and lukily this broke while starting the car
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mazda RX-8 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004, 2005 carry the most filings on the Mazda RX-8. The 2004 alone has 489 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Mazda RX-8 problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 154 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mazda RX-8 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mazda RX-8 complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.