2009 Mazda Rx-8 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (3) · Fuel/Propulsion System (2) · Structure:body (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mazda Rx-8 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (4)
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2021-09-24 · campaign 21V744000 · 13,891 vehicles
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 RX-8 and 2006-2007 MazdaSpeed6 vehicles. Fuel may leak from the fuel pump mounting rings.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install new fuel pump mounting rings. Dealers will also add a thermal insulation pad to the fuel tank on RX-8 vehicles. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 17, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5121I.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-06-15 · campaign 18V402000 · 308,591 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: 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,
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018. Mailing to the affected RX-8 owners began July 6, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: With the addition of the RX-8 vehicles, this recall fully supersedes recall 16V
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-06-15 · campaign 18V403000 · 237 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2010 Mazda RX-8 vehicles that were previously recalled under recall 18V-017 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 af
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began July 9, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 18V017.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-06-15 · campaign 18V404000 · 4,184 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: 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 ye
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018 for MPV vehicles. The recall began July 9, 2019 for RX-8 vehicles. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: With the addition of the RX-8 vehicles, this recall fully supersedes recall 17V-011.
Service bulletins (194)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-09-11 · SA-041-26a · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
description 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 con
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-20 · SA-055-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
product quality information (pqi) description service information mt-041/12 is no longer valid. it has been unpublished and superseded by the field quality information report (fqir) reporting system.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-07-29 · 09-022-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. the changes are noted in red text. 09-042/04 12/10/04 description some vehicles may exhibit inoperative electric rear window defroster grid lines, integral antenna concerns causing radio reception issues or terminal tabs pulled
Engine 2026-06-19 · SA-041-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this sa supersedes the previously issued sa(s) listed below. the changes are noted in red. sa-061/25 12/17/25 description 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 ask
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-21 · SA-029-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service alert supersedes the previously issued sa listed below: the changes are noted in red. sa-011/24 02/12/24, 06/06/24, 07/29/24 description mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. mazda recommends dealers follow the sch
Electrical System 2025-12-17 · SA-061-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 194 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2020-01-07 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 41,000 mi“mazda recalled all 2004-2008 rx8 models for fuel pump and lockring gasket assembly leakage. my 2009 rx8 has the same issue and starting leaking gas on 1-02-2020 while parked in a garage. i called mazda and was told there were no recalls; however my car has the same problem the 2004-2008 models had. now i have to pay close to $1,000.00 for repair…”
2019-04-15 · Structure:body“i purchased a mazda rx8 new in 2009. i have noticed the passenger dash cracking. at first it was small lines, and i thought it was the normal look of it, but over time the cracks got bigger. i went to my mazda dealer and they told me that other customers had same issues and they are still waiting for a mazda recall. i have even seen other similar c…”
2014-03-05 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 45,000 mi“while driving i noticed a fuel smell coming through my vents. after checking around the engine compartment i saw fuel pooling on the engine passenger side. i'm unaware at the moment of the cause add i am taking it to be checked at the dealer tomorrow. *tr…”
2011-08-22 · Vehicle Speed Control · 21,900 mi“2009 rx 8 mazda vin#[xxx] i was driving down the freeway and all the sudden the cruise control shut off causing the car to immediately slow down by 10 miles an hour. the cruise control would not re-engage. i am now having an issue where it feels my abs is engaging when i first start driving in first and second gear. i have taken this car to the…”
2011-04-11 · Vehicle Speed Control · 39,600 mi“tl-the contact owns a 2009 mazda rx8. while driving approximately 40 mph the vehicle accelerated unintendedly to approximately 70 mph. he engaged the vehicle into neutral and the engine continued to rev very hard. the contact stated he turned the ignition off to prevent the engine from blowing up. he then pulled over to the side of the road and eng…”
2010-02-08 · Vehicle Speed Control · 6,080 mi“i was driving on the hwy, the cruise control was on, i had been using it for about 20 miles, occasionally bumping the speed up or down as conditions permitted. my primary reason for that is on long trips i get better gas mileage that way. the divided highway came to an end and there was a traffic light about a half mile ahead, so i bumped it dow…”
2009-10-06 · Power Train:manual Transmission · 91,200 mi“normal driving and the clutch pedal popped and became unstable. shifting the card became difficult. after further inspection discovered the metal bracket for the clutch broke. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.