Vehicle Data Hub

2004 Mazda RX-8 engine problems

137 complaints about engine have been filed for the 2004 Mazda RX-8, which is 22% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
137 22% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
50,000 miles 105 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
1 and 9
Injuries and deaths
2 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When engine problems show up

Engine complaints by mileage, 2004 Mazda RX-8 Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 50,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 19 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 19 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 23 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 14 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 15 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 9 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 2 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 4 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 50,000 miles
Based on 105 complaints that include mileage. 58% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles19
20k to 40k miles19
40k to 60k miles23
60k to 80k miles14
80k to 100k miles15
100k to 120k miles9
120k to 140k miles2
140k to 160k miles4
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 105 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 50,000 miles, and 58% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 1 crash, 9 fires, 2 injuries.

What owners wrote

There is contamination in the oil. So much so that it is impossible to check the oil. I've gone 3000 miles and never been able to check the oil. Even after wiping the dipstick, simply putting it back recoats the dipstick, so that the oil level cannot be read. The dealer simply changed the oil, but did not fix the problem. They said mazda knows about this, but won't do anything about it. All letters to mazda-USA are ignored. Why does mazda ignore such a potentially serious hazard?

March 2004 CrashFire

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mazda rx-8. The contact stated that he took his vehicle in for a recall repair. The dealer and the manufacturer refused to repair his vehicle because he did not have a recall notice present. The contact stated that he never received a recall notice. Since that time, his vehicle has experienced a loss of power, excessive air consumption, and poor mileage. The # of cylinders is 0 because the vehicle has a rotary engine. The current mileage is 71,000 and failure mileage was 65,000.

Reported at 65,000 miles, May 2007

Other problems reported for the 2004 Mazda RX-8

Engine problems in other years

  • 2011
  • 2010
  • 2009
  • 2008
  • 2007
  • 2006
  • 2005
  • 2004

Engine problems across all Mazda models