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my 2004 rx8 stalls when i start it and the DCS flashes on and off.. i got my battery a year ago and now my car doesn't even start.. i have had engine floods and my car shuts and i have to wait. could this be an engine failure? by the way, mazda dealerships are rude. worst service ever.  

Yes more than likely, I would try a different dealership.  We had the same problem, and we weren't getting anywhere with the dealership.  So we drove to a different one about 50 miles away.  They were great, new about the problem changed some things when that didn't work, put a new engine in see my earlier post, and so fat the car has still been great.

You may also want to contact the corporate office directly and explain your problem.  Hope this helps  

Hi, I'm Henry I bought mazda rx 8 2004 AT and I had some problem, which is in the automatic transmition. The problem is when I drive it around 40 km/h in third gear suddenly the car shaking, but it's only about a second and then back to normal, and it's happen all the time. I ask the dealer they said the car must change automatic transmition fluid, but I'm not sure it will make it better after make a change.. Someone had any clue for that... Thank u so much  

21k miles on my 04 6 speed RX8 and it has never hiccuped once. I guess I am lucky? anyways.
Henry- if you force a gear change to third gear at a lower rpm, does it still shake for a second? It could very well be something with the auto transmission, but IIRC that is the same four speed from the more powerful 93+ RX7 (and that transmission dates back much further than that.) It's been around, and has a decent reliability record (in contrast to Mazda's/Ford's front wheel drive auto transmissions). I'd go ahead with the fluid change. The engine bay of the RX8 is quite hot, which can significantly shorten fluid life.  

My 2004 Madza RX8 has had to be towed twice now for not starting.  1st time it was the starter and 2nd time mechanic said it was the plugs and Mazda had advised not to turn off the car before the engine had heated up!  

I have an 04 RX8 for less than a year now, on the freeway out of nowhere I lose power, cant shift, then car dies all together. Called one dealer and they didn't seem to know up from down on the rx8 then called another who even towed me there and was very helpful but said they hadnt heard of any of these problems, yet when looking in the service area there were over a dozen rx8's awaiting repair (more than any other model back there). Got a free loaner and was called by the service dept yesterday and told there is a major internal oil leak and they can't figure out where its coming from or why. They may have to replace the whole engine. I have a 3 month old son that rides in that car with me and now I don't feel its safe, the whole losing power thing and all...I called Mazda Corp and they said they don't deal in "what if" scenarios. I bet that if we got in a wreck due to the car malfunctions they would have wished they would have dealt in the "what if's" I just want them to buy back the car before anything else happens...lucky once....don't want to push it. If anyone knows of a way to get them to buy back the car for sure, I would sure like to hear it!!!  

I own a Mazda Rx 8, 04. I bought this crap in March, it has been in the shop 26 times through out its life. It has flooded on me 2 times and is currently in the shop as I type. This is a common problem with Rx8. You need to get your facts together when dealing with these asses. There is no active Recall for the flooding issue, cause they dont know how to fix it. So they have TSB's issued (Technical Service Bulletins) They say fix the car when it floods! Thats what they say! They have created junk and dont know how to fix the dern problem. I am tired of playing stupid games with them! Im going in with info loaded! My warranty ended 1000 miles ago. THey now say they will split the cost with me! NONSENSE! How can you charge me for an existing problem? Doesnt make sense! They want you to start your car a certain way, they want you to turn your car off a certain way, If its not in the owners manual of the car you shouldnt have to do this!!! Put it in writing!!! There has been numerous recalls on the fuel componants of this car, which they were hoping would fix this problem. All Recalls were done with failure! I say we pull together and do something about this!!! I personally have had enough!!!
Email me, Skedquist@yahoo.com. One voice together they can dismiss, All our voices together, they have to do something about!!!  

I just got my rx8 out of the dealership...towed out that is. They say it has no rear compression and an internal oil leak which is shooting oil through one of the spark plugs. They REFUSE to honor their warranty because I didn't have the proper maintenance paperwork. I had the oil changed in August, it's now November. I explained to them I just had a son born and it was really quite hectic and can't find the receipt or remember which of a thousand possible places it could be done, it was a mom and pop garage. Any new parents know what I mean by a hectic time. They found an excuse to not replace my engine and now I have a good looking peice of crap in my driveway. They won't give me anyones number at corporate and the 800 number people say they can't give me anyones number at their corporate office to talk too. Isn't it my right as a consumer to be able to talk to someone their??? Mazda says in their slogan "We Will not walk aways from any Mazda owner" That's the truth...they RUN AWAY!!! Anyone with any useful information on my options here to either sue or contact numbers please help me out!!!! pool_theonlygame@hotmail.com  

Hi, I too have a 2004 RX8 with a little over 30k miles on it. I live in Massachusetts and have had all the same problems as everyone else. I didn't even have the car a week when it first flooded on me. After the dealership explained that the car must run above 2500 rpm for a few minutes before shutting it off, I haven't had too many problems. Just an occasional stall when the oil was getting low, well until tonight that is! But before we get to that issue... last year I brought the car to the dealership for one of those stupid Mazda bulletins and the 3rd or 4th recall and while the car was in the shop I got a call that half the engine needed to be replaced. The dealership wanted to charge me, but I had them get me the Mazda corporate headquarters in California and to my surprise they were not only helpful, but they had the dealer replace everything that was needed and didn't charge me a penny, plus I got a renter, but that took some fighting for. Anyway, tonight I went to start my car and it won't start. I am getting AT on the dash for the first time, which according to the manual means something is wrong with the transmission. I'm not sure if it's the 17 degree weather we're having right now or what's going on, but I'm pretty pissed off! Especially since a new starter and transmission were 2 of the parts replaced last year. I agree with everyone else here, something needs to be done or said!! Feel free to email me if anyone has any ideas!! I can guarantee if my car doesn't start tomorrow Mazda is going to wish it did, because they're getting an ear full! Thanks for any advice, ideas, feedback! Tiffany - gentile.tiffany@comcast.net  

I forgot to add one more thing. When the engine starts flooding, if you add a bit of oil it helps it kick right over. Well it has in my past experiences anyway! Just make sure you have plenty of clear space behind the exhaust because all the built up oil in the engine comes out in jet black smoke. Dealership and Mazda headquarters said it's normal, because everytime you try to crank over the engine oil is injected into the rotary engine, but just sits there until it finally kicks over. Hope this helps a bit!  

Well this is the second time I have had flooding problems with my car and it is just to much to handle.  Now my car is not under warrenty spark plugs are 250.00 starter 750.00 these prices are crazy!  My RX-8 has several mods done to it and I try to show it at car shows when I can but my RX-8 is just to much to maintain for me.  Does anyone know if they want to buy my RX-8?  

I had my car towed this morning to a nearby garage and they said it's not the transmission, but the spark plugs and the extremely cold temps. Basically my car is frozen!!  

i havent had any issues with mine yet! its been sweet.

suprising to hear all these issues but yeah!  
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Add another to the list,  car has decal were comp was reprogramed,  2cd flood issue..   Nice looking Rx8, but junk...    I wouldn't start , was on way to take my woman out to see the stomp in Philly, new years eve,  it screwed the night up. Now I have to push it out of the garage, and start the bitchin process.   It says 50k warranty,  is this extended warranty listed on page 3 ?  valid?  thanks.. Dave  

Is anyone really got a class action suit going on the 2004 RX8, I am having the same problems, 4 times in NOV and now they want to start charging me for parts, hundreds of dollars for parts. This has to be a manufacturer problem, please tell me how we can stand together and get help