Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 Mazda RX-8, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags8
- Steering4
- Unknown or other3
- Engine2
- Fuel/propulsion system2
- Power train1
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Service brakes1
- Seats1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2008 Mazda RX-8 failed the safety check 1.68% of the time — 32% less often than the average 2008 passenger car (2.48%). Median odometer at inspection: 79,393 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
20 first registered in 2008 are on Dutch roads; 55% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €50,518.
Most common APK defects
- Licht- donkerscheiding dimlicht onduidelijk7
- Band onvoldoende profiel6
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde5
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage4
- Remlicht werkt niet (goed)3
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht2
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm2
- Richtingaanwijzers kleur wijkt af/niet toegestaan1
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
278 cars built in 2008 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 414 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 463 of these cars first registered in 2008 took their annual MOT test. 68% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2008 the figure was 57%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.8% | 6.2% |
| Suspension | 10.4% | 17.2% |
| Brakes | 9.9% | 11.3% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.9% | 19.8% |
| Tyres | 6.3% | 7.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3.2% | 7.3% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In New Zealand
50 2008 cars are on the New Zealand register; 86% arrived as used imports, 10% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 12.5–12.8 L/100 km (about 18–19 mpg US), CO₂ 288–294 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| RX-8 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 14.5 | 10.2 | 12.5 |
| RX-8 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 14.4 | 10.9 | 12.8 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
8 Transport Canada recalls for the 2008 Mazda RX-8.
| 2019496 30 Sept 2019 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the p… |
| 2018038 19 Jan 2018 | Airbag Note: This recall is superseded by recall 2019496. Please see recall 2019496 for more information. On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute hum… |
| 2018036 19 Jan 2018 | Airbag On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propella… |
| 2017289 1 Jun 2017 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the fuel pump discharge pipe may crack and cause a fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire, inc… |
| 2017011 10 Jan 2017 | Airbag Note: The recall for the 2005-2008 RX-8 models has been superseded by recall 2018038 (Mazda Recall 2018A), and the recall for the 2005-2006 MPV models has been … |
| 2016568 15 Nov 2016 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the fuel pump sealing rings may deteriorate from being exposed to heat from the engine and exhaust pipe. Over time, this could cause the fu… |
| 2015247 4 Jun 2015 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the driver frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inf… |
| 2014570 17 Dec 2014 | Airbag Mazda Canada is conducting a voluntary Safety Improvement Campaign concerning the driver's airbag inflator on certain vehicles equipped with Takata airbags. Maz… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Mazda told its dealers about the 2008 Mazda RX-8: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11007022 | Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage such (melted, separating, etc.) when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection. |
| 11007019 | If you encounter any type of electrical concern (e.g, dead battery, engine no start, DTC(s) stored...), interview the customer before proceeding with normal MGSS diagnosis by asking if any aftermarket devices have been installed. Aftermarket devices may be the cause of the electrical concern. Below are a few examples of unusual electrical concerns caused by aftermarket devices. |
| 11006987 | In accordance with Federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer. NOTE: Tampering with a motor vehicle odometer is strictly prohibited by Federal, and State laws. It is the dealers responsibility to comply with Federal, State, and local laws concerning odometer and related documentation requirements when providing a repair or replacement. Mazda vehicles are manufactured with tamper-proof speedometers. When a speedometer is replaced, the new speedometer will read zero (0) miles. This procedure is extremely important to accurately represent actual vehicle mi |
| 11005671 | Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as cited in the vehicle-specific workshop manual or owner's manual. Services performed outside of Mazda's factory scheduled maintenance are not recommended. These services are unnecessary and create unneeded expenses for your customers. |
| 11003398 | Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as cited in the vehicle-specific workshop manual or owner's manual. Services performed outside of Mazda's factory scheduled maintenance are not recommended. These services are unnecessary and create unneeded expenses for your customers. |
| 10251387 | Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as cited in the vehicle-specific workshop manual or owner's manual. Services performed outside of Mazda's factory scheduled maintenance are not recommended. These services are unnecessary and create unneeded expenses for your customers. |
| 10244679 | If you encounter any type of electrical concern (e.g, dead battery, engine no start, DTC(s) stored...), interview the customer before proceeding with normal MGSS diagnosis by asking if any aftermarket devices have been installed. Aftermarket devices may be the cause of the electrical concern. Below are a few examples of unusual electrical concerns caused by aftermarket devices. |
| 10243569 | Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection. |
| 10240496 | Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection. |
| 10237216 | If you encounter any type of electrical concern (e.g, dead battery, engine no start, DTC(s) stored...), interview the customer before proceeding with normal MGSS diagnosis by asking if any aftermarket devices have been installed. Aftermarket devices may be the cause of the electrical concern. Below are a few examples of unusual electrical concerns caused by aftermarket devices. |
| 10232299 | Speedometer replacement procedure |
| 10226924 | If you encounter any type of electrical concern (e.g, dead battery, engine no start, DTC(s) stored...), interview the customer before proceeding with normal MGSS diagnosis by asking if any aftermarket devices have been installed. Aftermarket devices may be the cause of the electrical concern. Below are a few examples of unusual electrical concerns caused by aftermarket devices. Examples: 1. Devices connected to the DLC-2 (battery discharge/DTC stored) 2. Cell phone charger/accessory in 12V socket (engine no start or unable to turn off) 3. GPS tracking device (engine no start/battery discha |
| 10226814 | Some customers may complain of signs of oil on the struts or shock absorbers. In most cases the oil that is present is normal, and a result of the oil that remains on the shaft during the normal sweeping process of the shaft seal. Follow the inspection guidelines below to determine if the condition is a result of the normal sweeping process or a failure of the shaft seal. |
| 10225724 | Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection. |
| 10217209 | In accordance with Federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer. |
| 10215274 | This service bulletin provides testing and charging procedures in order to promote proper battery maintenance, to deliver new vehicles with fully charged batteries, and to reduce unnecessary battery replacement cost. For new vehicles in stock at the dealer, inspect and maintain the battery periodically according to the repair procedure. |
| 10213430 | Excessive condensation or water within the headlamp assembly caustion |
| 10213427 | HandsFree bluetooth module and/or text messaging troubleshooting procedure |
| 10213422 | PROPER USAGE OF DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT. |
| 10213333 | Battery test procedure requirements using the GR81291 |
| 10213326 | Mazda guidelines for factory scheduled maintenance |
| 10213185 | Some customers may complain of signs of oil on the struts or shock absorbers. In most cases the oil that is present is normal, and a result of the oil that remains on the shaft during the normal sweeping process of the shaft seal. Follow the inspection guidelines below to determine if the condition is a result of the normal sweeping process or a failure of the shaft seal. |
| 10209778 | The Mazda DCA-8000 is required for all warranty battery testing. If the Mazda DCA-8000 is not used, incorrect battery testing may result in unnecessary battery replacement. Use the following test procedures in this Service Bulletin to test Mazda vehicle batteries and to generate a Warranty Code. |
| 10209761 | Accessory instructions can be found on OneMazda under Dealer Resources - Parts & Accessories. |
| 10208567 | Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation