FaultScore

Worst years for a Mazda RX-8

Owners have filed 1,004 complaints about the Mazda RX-8 with NHTSA across model years 2004 to 2011. More of them are about the transmission & drivetrain than anything else.

Avoid

2004 Mazda RX-8

625 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly transmission & drivetrain.

Cleanest on record

2008 Mazda RX-8

23 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Mazda RX-8 year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2011 5 1 2 Fuel & Propulsion
2010 5 0 0 Transmission & Drivetrain
2009 9 0 0 30,750 Transmission & Drivetrain
2008 A 23 0 1 73,000 Airbags
2007 B 51 2 2 78,000 Airbags
2006 A 74 1 0 65,000 Airbags
2005 C 212 8 1 62,700 Transmission & Drivetrain
2004 D 625 23 11 66,936 Transmission & Drivetrain

What breaks on a Mazda RX-8

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Worst in 2004

Engine & Cooling 194 19.3%

Worst in 2004

Airbags 116 11.6%

Worst in 2004

Steering 112 11.2%

Worst in 2004

Worst in 2004

Worst in 2004

Worst in 2004

Worst in 2004

Worst in 2004

Worst in 2004

Suspension 22 2.2%

Worst in 2004

Brakes 17 1.7%

Worst in 2005

Equipment & Accessories 16 1.6%

Worst in 2004

Lights 13 1.3%

Worst in 2004

Exactly what failed on a Mazda RX-8

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Manual Transmission 104 41.6%
Engine 45 18.0%
Clutch Assembly 28 11.2%
Pedal/Hand Lever(Motorcycle) 21 8.4%
Body 16 6.4%
Exhaust System 10 4.0%
Cooling System 9 3.6%
Gasoline 7 2.8%
Lower Ball Joint 5 2.0%
Automatic Transmission 5 2.0%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Mazda RX-8, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Oct 2003 peak 28 May 2026

Mazda RX-8 problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Mazda RX-8

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.