Problems · NHTSA complaints

2004 Mazda RX-8 problems

Owners filed 515 complaints about the 2004 Mazda RX-8 with NHTSA between Oct 2003 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is power train (157).

Complaints
515
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
23
Reported by owners
Fires
10
Reported by owners
Injuries
20
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train157
  2. Engine and engine cooling118
  3. Steering81
  4. Air bags53
  5. Electrical system35
  6. Engine33
  7. Fuel/propulsion system21
  8. Structure20
  9. Fuel system, gasoline19
  10. Suspension17
  11. Visibility16
  12. Equipment15
  13. Vehicle speed control11
  14. Exterior lighting8

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20035
200423
200539
200618
200719
200831
200971
201094
201132
201235
201315
201419
201535
201612
201725
201813
201916
20201
20215
20221
20231
20242
20251
20262

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

157 reports2 crashes1 related recall
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 8, 2019Power trainODI 11185119

Engine and engine cooling

118 reports3 crashes7 fires1 related recall
“RUSTED OIL COOLER LINES AND FITTINGS ON MY RX8 DRIVEN IN OHIO WHERE ROAD SALTING IS PREVALENT IN SNOW MONTHS. FILING THIS COMPLAINT SINCE THERE IS A RECALL ISSUED FOR MY SAME MODEL YEAR IN CANADA (SPECIAL PROGRAM 76) FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE DUE TO SNOW AND SALT. MODIFIED LINES ARE AVAILABLE TO ADDRESS ISSUE BUT MAZDA IS NOT EXTENDING RECALL COVERAGE TO U.S. REPAIR COST AT DEALER ABOVE $1K. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 26, 2014Engine and engine coolingODI 10575017

Steering

81 reports8 crashes
“The electric power steering randomly pulls hard to one side while driving. There are brief spasms of forceful jerks each jerk is 1-2 seconds the series of jerks lasts 10-20 seconds and usually stops with power steering failure all while driving.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 11, 2024SteeringODI 11571290

Air bags

53 reports10 crashes4 related recalls
“For a year I have responded to every notice for a recall repair (7 total) Mazda has not repaired my vehicle or scheduled its repair. My recall ID is 016742248 and my Campaign Number is 100409. My car has a DO NOT DRIVE status and Mazda tells me I MUST drive the car 2 hours to get it repaired each way. And they refuse to transport y vehicle even thought I have told them in phone conversations about my cars do not drive status. The latest attempt for filing for a repay was 7-21-25 at 9:40am central time.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 21, 2025Air bagsODI 11675012

Electrical system

35 reports1 fire
“ELECTRIC-ASSIST POWER STEERING, RANDOMLY IN THE PARKING LOT THE WHEEL WILL TURN ALL BY ITSELF, ONE WAY TURNS EASIER THAN THE OTHER, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE NO POWER STEERING AND OTHER TIMES YOUR STEERING WHEEL TURNS LIKE BUTTER, I LIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH A VERY WINDY AND DANGEROUS ROADS, I'VE TAKEN IT TO SEVERAL MECHANICS FINALLY ONE MECHANIC JUST UNPLUG THE WIRING HARNESS SO THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. IT IS VERY SCARY TO DRIVE ESPECIALLY WITH A NEWBORN BABY. THERE ARE A LOT OF CARS ON THE ROAD WITH THIS ISSUE I KNOW 10 DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT HAVE SOME SORT OF POWER STEERING ISSUE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I'M SURPRISED THERE IS NOT A RECALL YET ON IT. I'VE HAD TWO FRIENDS THAT ARE CLOSE TO ME THAT HAVE THIS ISSUE AS WELL, ONE FRIEND WRECKED HIS CAR THE OTHER FRIEND SOLD IT I BELIEVE TO PICK-N-PULL SO IT WOULD NOT HURT ANYONE, PLEASE HELP AND MAYBE HELP SAVE A FEW LIVES, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SPEAKING WITH YOU”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 18, 2018Steering, Suspension, Electrical systemODI 11162238

Engine

33 reports2 fires
“The contact owns a 2004 Mazda RX-8. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The dealer determined that the engine had no compression. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 23, 2024EngineODI 11590479
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.