2005 Mazda RX-8 transmission problems

Clutch assembly faulty design. While driving and shifting gears (manual transmission) the clutch pedal assembly snaps, resulting in the loss of ability to shift gears. After pulling over to the side of the road, the car had to be started in 1st gear to drive to safety. The thin metal tears away from around one of the bolts that holds the assembly to the firewall. This is happening on other rx-8's of people I associate with to the point that welding up the old bracket is becoming common.

I was driving my 2005 mazda rx-8 home, and after a normal drive home with no issues, I was going from 1st gear to 2nd near my house and the clutch pedal dropped to the floor, the clutch wouldn't release and I couldn't change gears. Had this happened a dozen shifts earlier, I would have been caught in a highway merge, and my safety seriously endangered. Upon inspection when I managed to baby the car in 1st gear home, the clutch pedal had broken at the bracket. Under no circumstances should a clutch pedal break.