| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Mazda RX-8 repairs by problem area
Engine (52%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (11%)
Brakes and Traction Control (1%)
Suspension and Steering (5%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (18%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (11%)
Other (3%)
Select a problem area
- Engine
- Transmission and Drivetrain
- Brakes and Traction Control
- Suspension and Steering
- Electrical and Air Conditioning
- Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim
- Other
Chart based on 443 repairs.
Mazda RX-8 electrical repair cost distribution
$2500+ (0%)
$1000 - $2499 (7%)
$500 - $999 (7%)
$100 - $499 (32%)
< $100 (55%)
Chart based on 75 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2009 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe
232-horsepower 1.3L R2 6-speed manual RWD
| 39000 mi US $150 |
Recharged A/c unit. |
2007 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe
232-horsepower 1.3L R2 6-speed manual RWD
| 2480 mi | HVAC switch replaced |
2006 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe
238-horsepower 1.3L R2 6-speed manual RWD
| 54000 mi US $30 |
Front speaker relay |
| 105000 mi | Airbag |
| 106000 mi US $100 |
Evacuated and recharged AC system. |
| 37500 mi | In winter, heater only works when temperature control knob is on hottest position. Problem was very intermittant in summer, when occasionally heat would come on even when the temperature control knob was turned to all colder positions. |
| 94000 mi US $5 |
Car would not start. Feared bad fuel pump and/or ignition coils. Turned out it was just a bad battery. Still under warranty. Costco charged only the difference in price, $5. |
| 61000 mi US $125 |
Replaced keyless access sensor in driver's door. |
| 53320 mi | Repair potentiometer solder joint as described here: http://www.rx8club.com/do-yourself-forum-73/diy-no-heat-repair-heater-control-158200/ Part (FE01-61-190) alone costs around $350 but fix is fairly easy. Repair potentiometer solder joint as described here: http://www.rx8club.com/do-yourself-forum-73/diy-no-heat-repair-heater-control-158200/ Part (FE01-61-190) alone costs around $350 but fix is fairly easy. |
| 72540 mi | Driver side seat heater stopped working. The cause was a wire broken where the wire enters the seat cushion. |
| 78740 mi C $300 |
Replaced still functioning original starter with faster & more powerful version from series II |
| 29000 mi £200 |
battery failed. |
2006 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe
212-horsepower 1.3L R2 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 62300 mi US $255 |
starter failing, intermittent starting. |
| 24700 mi US $124 |
Battery would not hold a charge, after having been replaced in June, 2010. |
| 25600 mi US $30 |
Battery lost its charge for the second time in a little over a year. Shop replaced battery they installed before under warranty. |
| 27000 mi US $19 |
Battery that was replaced less than a year ago would not hold a charge. Repair shop charged $19 to replace battery. |
2005 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe
238-horsepower 1.3L R2 6-speed manual RWD
| 74600 mi US $60 |
Battery failed while under prorated warranty; I replaced it after paying a share of the replacement cost. |
| 39680 mi C $56 |
Rear tail light water condensation and build up. Manufacturers defect. Well documented with Mazda Canada. While repairing Tail light. Automatic trunk release stopped functioning. |
| 42000 mi | The tire pressure monitoring system has had its low tire pressure light on for the last few weeks. I took it to the dealership, they could not replicate it and oddly enough the light did not come on until the next day. It has been on since then too. |
| 57000 mi | Headlight leveling sensor failure. Headlights aiming too low. Removed sensor, disassembled. Lot of corrosion inside, cleaned as well as posssible, reassembled. Front sensor cleaned only, will do rear sensor soon. |
| 58000 mi | Headlight leveling sensor failed after prior repair (warning light). Lights aimed too high, blinding other drivers. Sensor removed again, re-cleaned. Sealed wire harness with silicone, reinstalled. After re-aiming headlights, repair OK. HVAC temp control dial failure. Known issue with these vehicles. Found fix on RX8club.com. Removed stereo/HVAC unit, disassembled. Soldered connections on control board for heater control. Reinstalled. Repair was successful (& easy). |
| 36000 mi | Air conditioner would start blowing heat even when on cold. Fiddle with the knob and it would blow cold again but a minute later would start blowing hot for no reason. Replaced temperature control, A/C works now. |
| 50000 mi US $200 |
Temp control stopped working. Dealer quoted $495 to replace the module. Thanks to RX-8 Club forum, saw similar problem that required resoldering the main wires to the module. Removed module, resoldered, and works correctly now. |
| 130000 mi US $150 |
Alternator failure |
| 166000 mi US $135 |
Battery failure |
| 38000 mi | Power window made popping sound when being lowered. |
| 114000 mi US $100 |
Trying to find blockage and leak in ac system |
| 38000 mi US $100 |
Replaced failed alternator. |
| 26300 mi US $295 |
Sirius SAT radio working intermittently. Signal 5-10 minutes/hour; rest of the time just shows 'ACQUIRING'. Dealer replaced antenna and splitter cable to SAT box in trunk. |
| 61000 mi | Tire pressure sender failed. |
| 48980 mi C $600 |
starter went and was draining battery when starting car. Battery replaced and starter and spark plugs replaced |
| 66420 mi C $1060 |
Heater - no hot air blowing |
| 31000 mi | Heater Control knob failed, heat control stuck on max cold regardless of setting. Replaced under warranty. |
| 30380 mi | Warranty repair: Replaced 1 rear tail light |
| 20500 mi | HVAC control unit stopped functioning. Unit only blows hot air, no AC. It was replaced under warranty. |
| 71900 mi US $300 |
HVAC controls fixed. |
| 75000 mi US $1200 |
AC condenser broke a few months after Heater was fixed |
2005 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe
197-horsepower 1.3L R2 4-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 36000 mi | Heater control switch failure. est $450 repair |
| 48000 mi | Dash heater control unit needed to be replaced. Temp control would only give full hot or full cold. |
2005 Mazda RX-8 4-door
2-cylinder manual 2WD
| 22320 mi | Coils burnt out |
2004 Mazda RX-8
Engine not specified
| 48000 mi US $400 |
200 miles after the motor was replaced (and 1000 after the transmission and torque converter was replaced), the starter went out leaving me stranded in a snow storm |
2004 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe
238-horsepower 1.3L R2 6-speed manual RWD
| 55000 mi US $500 |
Burned out headlight (high beam) |
| 57750 mi US $412 |
Car was failing to start; diagnosed incorrectly as a bad battery; turned out to be a faulty starter |
| 72000 mi US $230 |
HVAC/Radio display was cycling gibberish. Repair was to install a new CD player/ radio. This is the single disc unit. |
| 50000 mi US $220 |
Replaced HVAC control module. The temperature dial would not allow hot air when selected. This was a common problem when I researched it on Rx8club.com. |
| 63000 mi US $1023 |
Alternator belt separated cutting wires shorted out coil pack, blew engine fuse setting code in security system disabling ignition requiring a tow. Also starter was going out so had that replaced at the same time as electrical repair. |
| 83000 mi US $400 |
Had to replace driver's side electric door locking assembly. |
| 89000 mi US $500 |
The Red LCD for the radio and heater description died. Damn. Everything worked but there were no eyes. Heater or radio. Cost $270 + labor. |
| 120280 mi C $400 |
Hot/cold air working intermittently |
| 24800 mi $200 |
Changed starter motor. |
| 27380 mi $75 |
Reflash after jump start created problems. |
| 189 mi | Completed Mazda recalls (1604B) Side Air Bag and (1704B) Dynamic Damper Bracket. |
| 22307 mi | Dealer Tech Service Bulletin. Replaced Starter, Plugs, Battery, and Reflashed. N/C |
| 53000 mi | Replace main dash control panel and controls. |
| 70000 mi US $350 |
Replace heater control unit. |
| 22320 mi C $35 |
Replaced the front headlight level sensor with a second-hand known-good unit. Work done by myself. |
| 66420 mi | Headlight washer solenoid or motor draws current with the car off, draining the battery. System still functional otherwise. Repair was put off to future; headlight washer system disabled by removing its fuse. |
| 98000 mi US $75 |
RFID system forgot keys when cooling fan failed to shut off after turning off car. It's done this twice before. Highly obnoxious. When it happens the car must be towed to the dealer and reprogrammed for the keys. |
| 98000 mi | They suggested the RFID problem *could* be the ecu or a few other components. They didn't know. Final cost to replace all the parts it could be was around 5k so I decided to just sell it. |
| 33156 mi | Replace factory stereo head unit. |
| 31000 mi | CD changer jammed |
| 41000 mi US $600 |
Alternator defective |
| 55100 mi US $75 |
defective check engine warning prevents cruise control operation |
| 83000 mi US $770 |
Replaced the cabin temperature control module & shift lever boot. |
| 89700 mi US $65 |
Battery replaced |
| 42000 mi US $150 |
Small fire in alternator associated wiring, shop says alternator and associated wiring needed repair, fifty dollar deductible and paid for express shipping for parts, one hundred dollars. |
| 56000 mi | Airbag light on intermittently, diagnosed per shop car needs new Airbag electrical harness. Update: later cleared up on its own. |
| 72000 mi US $1150 |
Battery died, unable to jump, towed to dealer, batt. changed. |
| 55000 mi | HVAC temparature control circuit board needed repair (resoldering on one pin). |
2004 Mazda RX-8 4dr Coupe
197-horsepower 1.3L R2 4-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 79000 mi US $90 |
Drivers side HID headlamp burned out. It was not the bulb but the ballast. Mazda does not have a part number so dealer wanted $1500 to replace entire assembly. Had an automotive electrician do the job for $90.00 |
| 23000 mi US $1279 |
Starter replaced |
2004 Mazda RX-8 4-door
4-cylinder manual 2WD
| 29000 mi US $298 |
The power lumbar support had a broken switch. Dealer noticed it during an inspection and took care of it under warranty. |
2004 Mazda RX-8 4-door
2-cylinder manual 2WD
| 22940 mi | The heat in the cabi would fluctuate from hot to cold (like the air conditioner had come on). Twisting the heat control knob from current setting of hot to cold and back again (repeat as necessary) would usually bring the heat back to the cabin. Replaced heater, details in email 050207 |
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See TrueDelta's information for all Mazda models.
