2004 Mazda Rx-8: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 624 complaints
624
Total Complaints
66,936mi
Median Mileage
STEERING
Top Issue
23
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

40,600 25th Percentile
66,936 Median Mileage
92,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING
80
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
75
AIR BAGS
49
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
46
POWER TRAIN
38
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
37
ENGINE
33
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
27
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
20
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
19

Severity Assessment

23
Crashes
11
Fires
24
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY BRAND NEW 2004 MAZDA TRIBUTE'S BRAKE FAILED AT 300 MILES, AFTER ONLY 4 WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP. BOTH ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON. *LA"
"DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS HAVE POOR SEALING AGAINST ROAD NOISE & WIND. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WIND NOISE BECOMES HIGHLY INTRUSIVE ON MY VEHICLE THROUGH THE DRIVERS DOOR. THE SAME APPLIES TO THE PASSENGER'S DOOR. *LA"
"IN THE NEW MAZDA RX8, THE REAR SEAT DESIGN WITH THE HIGH CENTER CONSOLE MAKES IT VERY HARD TO LATCH THE SEAT BELT WITH A CHILD BOOSTER SEAT, AND IMPOSSIBLE TO DO SO FOR AN OLDER PERSON OR A PERSON WITHOUT GOOD MANUAL DEXTERITY AND A STRONG BACK. IT IS COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE CHILD TO LATCH TH..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28