2005 Mazda RX-8: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 162 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (31% of complaints); the 2006 and 2007 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jun 2018
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 162 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“My cars steering will loosen up and stiffen up randomly also the traction control will randomly engage and the tire pressure lights and another light”Owner report · Steering · Jun 2021
“The steering wheel sometimes its hard to control sometimes its normal and when going fast the steering is so loose like there's a gaps that you need your two hands on the steering all time and the weels Weigel at high speed 60mph. its hard drive the car on the freeway And everyday use i already spend $2800 at the dealership get fix but never get fix The car no accident to be like that. Car has 80k mileage”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2021
“The clutch pedal assembly bracket breaks at the spotwelds which also breaks the clutch master cylinder and lukily this broke while starting the car”Owner report · Service Brakes · Oct 2019
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owned a 2005 mazda rx-8. While driving 55 mph, the vehicle was involved in a front end collision. The air bags did not deploy. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the junk yard. A police report was filed. The contact received medical attention and suffered injuries to the head, pelvic, and ribs. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was totaled and was not diagnosed. The failure mileage was 150,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2019
“Clutch pedal bracket broken under normal conditions. I went to push the clutch in to downshift at highway speeds to over take a slower vehicle and it snapped with an audible "pop" and I couldnt shift into the lower gear and my rpms, went to idle at highway speed. Had it broken at a different time, I could have been locked into a certain gear and ha to break fast or crash risking the lives of my occupants and the occupants of another vehicle”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2018
“My steering wheel turns on its own while in motion on the beltway and sometimes it difficult to steer at all while in motion in traffic. I purchased new tires thinking that would solve the problem but it didn't.”Owner report · Steering · Jan 2018
“Good morning, I have received numerous letters informing me that I have a recall on my mazda. It is the "fuel leak at fuel pump rings and fuel pump discharge pipe 1017e" recall. I have been receiving them for the past year or so. Every time I check the NHTSA website or the mazdarecallinfo.com website, it says "remedy not yet available". I am concerned with my safety at this point and am wondering just why there is no "remedy" yet available? It seems to be an important recall, in my opinion.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2017
“Power steering goes out unexpectedly, multiple fixes have been tried. Every forum option researched and the problem persists. There are hundreds, literally hundreds of complaints of power steering going out for similar reasons on rx8club.com. The power steering will be working one moment, cut out, then oversteer causing the driver to quickly make up for the jerk. Mazda please recall. All the evidence is there, and your technicians at the dealership are all aware of how prevalent this problem is. The coolant reservoir leaking coolant over the steering harness is a design flaw. Please correct this.”Owner report · Steering · Aug 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda rx-8. After the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 16v793000 (fuel system), the contact noticed fuel leaking from the fuel tank. The local dealer (paretti mazda 4000 veterans memorial blvd metairie, la 70002) was informed of the failure, but failed to return the contact's phone call. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer could not be reached. The failure mileage was approximately 43,269.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jun 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mazda rx-8. While driving 65 mph, the contact noticed that the power steering indicator illuminated as the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the highway. The vehicle was turned off and then restarted approximately 20 times before the contact was able to regain full control. The dealer (midlands mazda, 655 broad river rd, columbia, sc 29210) stated that the vehicle was known for having a ball joint issue and it could possibly be due to the rack and pinion. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.”Owner report · Steering · May 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 6 of these complaints and injuries in 4 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RX-8 vehicles manufactured April 10, 2003, to February 18, 2008. The affected vehicles have fuel pump sealing rings that may deteriorate due to exposure to heat from the engine or exhaust pipe.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump sealing ring set and add a thermal insulation pad to the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began July 31, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 0516J.
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 and 2004 MPV vehicles nationwide. Mazda is also recalling 2005-2006 MPV vehicles in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. On July 9, 2019 this recall was expanded to include certain 2004-2011 RX-8 vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-354 but have not yet been repaired. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018. Mailing to the affected RX-8 owners began July 6, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: With the addition of the RX-8 vehicles, this recall fully supersedes recall 16V354.
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Mazda MPV vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. On July 9, 2019 this recall was expanded to include certain 2005-2009 RX-8 vehicles that were previously recalled under 17V-011 but have not yet been repaired. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018 for MPV vehicles. The recall began July 9, 2019 for RX-8 vehicles. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: With the addition of the RX-8 vehicles, this recall fully supersedes recall 17V-011.
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RX-8 vehicles. Heat from the engine and the exhaust may cause the main fuel pump pipe to crack.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump filter kit, free of charge. The recall began on July 31, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1017E.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2008 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on September 12, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1417G. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V-382.
IF CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ARE PARKED AND THE ENGINE IS OPERATED AT HIGH RPM'S FOR AN EXCESSIVE LENGTH OF TIME, SOME OF THE PARTS AROUND THE EXHAUST SYSTEM CAN MELT AND PRODUCE A VARIETY OF MALFUNCTIONS. PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THE EXCESSIVE HEAT BUILD-UP CAN RANGE FROM INOPERATIVE OXYGEN SENSOR, NEUTRAL SWITCH AND BACK UP LIGHTS, PROBLEMS WITH THE PARKING BRAKES, MALFUNCTIONS OF THE GAS GAUGE AND/OR POSSIBLE FUEL LEAKS RESULTING FROM HEAT DAMAGE TO THE FUEL TANK.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE PARTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MAZDA AT 1-800-222-5500.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2005 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact RX-8 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Mazda RX-8 reliable?
NHTSA has 162 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2005 Mazda RX-8. The most complained-about area is power train (31% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2005 Mazda RX-8 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 63,839 miles or less.
Does the 2005 Mazda RX-8 have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.