2011 Mazda Rx-8 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility/Wiper (1) · Suspension (1) · Fuel/Propulsion System (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 (3)
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 2019-06-24 · campaign 19V488000 · 211 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Mazda RX-8 vehicles that were previously recalled under recall 18V-716 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
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 repair has been performed. 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.
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
Service bulletins (190)
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 190 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-07-11 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“the incident occurred on 02/08/2023. prior to this, i brought my car to the dealership due to a recall to fix gas mounting rings, recall number . i do not feel comfortable with their repairs and i do not believe that the dealership performed the repairs properly which caused my car to smoke and stall on the road and then caught on fire at their sho…”
2023-07-11 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 55,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owns a 2011 mazda rx 8. the contact stated after performing nhtsa campaign number: 21v744000 (fuel system, gasoline) while driving at 35 mph, the contact smelled the odor of smoke in the vehicle, but no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. while the vehicle was being diagnosed, the vehicle caught on fire and b…”
2018-07-27 · Visibility/Wiper · 48,500 mi“the ring/assembly holding the driver side visor cracked with normal use (putting the visor down (no excess force was used) and the visor fell into the driver's line of vision, obscuring vision. it was not possible to put the visor back up again. the ring fell out of the car interior.…”
2013-06-04 · Suspension · 17,000 mi · 💥 crash“on may 7, 2013, i brought the vehicle to paretti mazda of metairie because a fluid was leaking from somewhere near the driver's side rear tire. the service tech told me they would take care of it and directed me to enterprise rental for a rental car. about an hour after i obtained the rental car, the service tech called me and told me that the driv…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.