NHTSA Complaint #10317331 — 2004 MAZDA RX-8

1. ABOUT 2 HOURS OF CITY DRIVING. 2. WHILE DRIVING OUR MAZDA RX-8, THE CLUTCH PEDAL SUDDENLY DEVELOPED EXCESSIVE FREE PLAY AND THE CLUTCH WAS HARD TO DISENGAGE. AFTER PARKING THE CAR AND LETTING IT COOL FOR SEVERAL HOURS, THE CLUTCH PEDAL RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE SYMPTOMS WERE EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED IN MAZDA TSB # 05-004/06 'MANUAL TRANSMISSION - CLUTCH HARD TO DISENGAGE'. THIS TSB DESCRIBES A MANUFACTURING DEFECT WHERE ETHANOL USED IN THE CLUTCH RELEASE CYLINDER BOOT CAN VAPORIZE AND INCREASE PRESSURE WITHIN THE BOOT, WHICH THEN CAUSES THE PISTON TO BE PUSHED BACK INTO THE RELEASE CYLINDER BODY. AS A RESULT, A GAP APPEARS BETWEEN THE PISTON AND THE PUSH ROD, RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE FREE PLAY AND THE CLUTCH HARD TO DISENGAGE. THE TSB SAYS THAT THE ETHANOL CAN VAPORIZE 'AT HOT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES OR APPROX. 85 F.' THIS IS SURPRISING, BECAUSE, 85 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT IS A VERY NORMAL TEMPERATURE. ADDITIONALLY, THE TSB SAYS THAT A MASS PRODUCTION CHANGE WAS MADE SINCE WE BOUGHT OUR CAR AND THAT ETHANOL IS NO LONGER USED DURING THE MANUFACTURE OF THE CLUTCH RELEASE CYLINDER ASSEMBLY. THE TSB RECOMMENDS REPLACEMENT OF THE AFFECTED PART. THIS SITUATION IS OBVIOUSLY VERY DANGEROUS. WHEN THE CLUTCH BECOMES HARD TO DISENGAGE, THE CAR CAN'T BE DRIVEN SAFELY. WE LIVE IN A CROWDED, URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND MUST BE ABLE TO CHANGE GEARS OR PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL VERY QUICKLY. 3. MAZDA REFUSED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE CLUTCH RELEASE CYLINDER BECAUSE OUR CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR