2005 Mazda RX-8 Mazda RX-8 2005

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2005 Mazda RX-8 repairs by problem area

Engine (44%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (11%)

Brakes and Traction Control (2%)

Suspension and Steering (2%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (22%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (18%)

Other (2%)

Chart based on 123 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2005 Mazda RX-8.

2005 Mazda RX-8 engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (4%)

$1000 - $2499 (12%)

$500 - $999 (14%)

$100 - $499 (29%)

< $100 (41%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 51 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2005 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe

238-horsepower 1.3L R2 6-speed manual RWD

34200 mi At 34K, car's original coils were replaced as a precaution. Replaced plugs and wires, too.  On way home from having coils and plugs replaced, engine stalled while idling in traffic. Happened repeatedly. Problem turned out to be computer glitch due to coil replacement. 
37300 mi

US $264
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (non-flashing): • P0442: Small EVAP leak • P0456: Very small EVAP leak PARTS ORDERED: • Purge Valve • Gas Cap PARTS: $140 LABOR: $124 New purge valve and gas cap installed. 
47000 mi

US $900
Loss of power at low RPM. Solved by new plugs, coils, wires, and throttle body cleaning. 
70000 mi The car flooded causing the engine to to start. Dealership did a de-flood and de-carbon on the engine under warranty  
106020 mi

C $1300
Coils, spark plugs, and wires. 
106020 mi

C $400
Rotary seal was gone. Engine required a rebuild. 
80000 mi repair and replace wiring harness to fuel pump, replace fuel pump due to hole burned into pump by faulty wiring harness 
80000 mi

US $210
engine would not start, ran rough. Installed second set of plugs and wires since new. Issue was resolved 
31000 mi

US $600
CEL indicating engine misfire.Lucky guess diagnosed it as a weak ignition coil.Replaced all 4. At $75 per coil, this should NOT be a maintenance item every 30k miles, but it is with this car.Replaced again at 55k miles (cost of both shown) 
50000 mi

US $200
Low coolant light on dash (coolant level fine). Sensor in overflow reservoir bad, but it is integrated with the reservoir and can't be replaced. Had to buy and install new reservoir. 
52000 mi

US $125
Replaces SSV solenoid. Was an 8 hour job due to the location of the solenoid which required removing the upper intake manifold and everything preceding it. 
66000 mi

US $150
Rear O2 sensor failed 
58000 mi Thermostat failed. Engine overheated and radiator basically blew up. 
58000 mi

US $7000
Low compression. Had to have a rebuilt engine installed. 
64000 mi Got a check engine light. Code indicated the fuel mixture was too lean. I couldn’t find a problem so I cleared the code and it has not come back. 
133200 mi

US $157
I noticed a drastic decrease in fuel economy, so I decided to change the ignition system with OEM parts. Fuel economy has increased by 7 MPG. 
83000 mi Replaced the cat, non-OEM with melted internals, with a catless mid pipe. 
22000 mi

US $400
Engine flooded rotary engine, weak battery, new battery replaced twice. 
23000 mi would not start. engine flooded. Also weak battery which was replaced with new upgraded one. 
44000 mi

US $50
Saw smoke coming out of tailpipe when floored. Oil got into intake somehow, even though oil wasn't overfilled. Cleaned out oil, changed airfilter. Installed oil catch can to prevent reoccurrance. Believe oil recovery process was changed on later RX8s. Oil got into the intake somehow, even though my oil wasn't overfilled. Cleaned out oil and changed airfilter. Installed oil catch can to prevent future occurrance. 
88200 mi

US $500
Hot start problem. Replaced coils and plugs. Did not solve. Later checked compression - 90psi. Battery is only 2.5 years old and this car got the faster starter in 2006 so the problem is prob not electrical. 
89000 mi Hard start not fixed. New owner aware of low compression, will try to drive it this way. 
60000 mi

US $2500
Broken mount 
69000 mi

US $1700
Replace radiator, water level sensor 
72000 mi

US $1500
Emissions sensor 
87900 mi

US $300
Gas tank fuel ring broken. 
90000 mi

US $70
Engine not starting when hot. Loss of compression on front rotor and rear rotor is marginal. Fix is replacement engine at cost $5,000. No repair. We plan to trade off car. 
40000 mi

US $500
Needed to clean throttle body and other intake parts Bad coil packs and spark plugs 
20000 mi Engine making a rattling sound when accelerating. Commonly known on the RX8 forums as "marbles in a can". Not diagnosed by dealership (unable to reproduce), however I've read this is detonation or knock. Noise is obvious, but dealer couldn't hear. 
43000 mi Water pump leak...replaced under warranty. 
58000 mi

US $120
Sputtering at low RPM & rough idle. Ignition coils required replacement (coils are "weak" in this vehicle and fail prematurely). Coils purchased and replaced. Also replaced plugs & wires. Total cost for all parts roughly $350. 
69100 mi

US $400
Corroded oil cooler line cracked and developed massive oil leak. 
72540 mi

C $1200
Engine compression low, couldnt start car when warm, car stalled at idle. Engine had to be replaced. 
54000 mi Clogged Catalytic Converter. Replaced under warranty. 
75000 mi

US $240
Front O2 Sensor failed 
96000 mi

US $54
Low compression, engine replaced under warranty 
109000 mi

US $700
General cooling system failure. Slowly pushing coolant out of overflow, even at idle before thermostat opening. Not sure of specific cause. Everything replaced (rad, thermostat, coolant hoses, coolant bottle). 
110000 mi

US $130
rear O2 sensor replaced 
55800 mi Engine died, lost compression. Mazda warrenty replaced the engine for free with a new one. 
57000 mi loss of torque, failed compression test, dealer replacing engine under warranty 
57000 mi

US $110
Engine was failing vacuum test. Dealer replaced engine. 
59520 mi

C $900
Some emissions coil 
62300 mi

C $1100
Flooded car, towed to shop. While deflooding car preventively replaced plugs and wiring, water pump, thermosat, air filter, upper and lower radiator hoses. 
64480 mi

C $1072
Coils all replaced and battery replaced ... and maintenanace done also 
68200 mi

C $212
Engine - compression off and was told needed new engine ... Have been complaining to dealer for over a year about light coming on... now the engine is toast. THEN I find out Engine warranty WAS in effect until Sept 2013.Did not honor 

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2005 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe

197-horsepower 1.3L R2 4-speed shiftable automatic RWD

13259 mi Replaced both engine mounts and engine mount bracket. Adjust headlight beam height. Replace lower right and left side rocker panel moldings/deformed,again 
34600 mi Coolant level sensor went bad, causing the light to come on when the coolant was not low. They replaced the reservoir to fix the problem. 
68200 mi Engine Failure/low compression/engine replaced with reman. engine 
82000 mi

US $900
Compression failure. Engine to be replaced. 

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2005 Mazda RX-8 4-door

2-cylinder manual 2WD

26660 mi Replaced coils. 

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2005 Mazda RX-8 Engine Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2005 Mazda RX-8 problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.