NHTSA Complaint #10335146 — 2004 MAZDA RX-8

THE CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO HAVE VERY LITTLE RESISTANCE WHEN PUSHING IN THE PEDAL ON FRIDAY MAY 28TH, 2010, WHICH LEAD ME TO BELIEVE I WAS GOING TO NEED TO BUY A NEW CLUTCH FOR MY VEHICLE SOON. THE PREVIOUS DAYS THOUGH, THE PEDAL WAS FUNCTIONING PERFECTLY FINE, AND THERE WAS NO SLIPPING OR PROBLEMS SHIFTING GEARS. THE NEXT DAY, ON THE 29TH, AFTER ABOUT 5 - 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING, THE PEDAL BECAME COMPLETELY NONRESPONSIVE AND COULD NOT BE DISENGAGED ONCE IT WAS PRESSED INTO THE FLOOR. I HAD TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY AND HAVE THE CAR TOWED. UPON A $100 INSPECTION BY A LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP, THE CLUTCH AND RELATED COMPONENTS (MASTER, SLAVE, PRESSURE PLATE, FLYWHEEL, BEARINGS, ETC) WERE FINE, BUT THE CLUTCH PEDAL HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR THAT I DID NOT HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE CLUTCH SYSTEM, BUT I WAS CHARGED FOR A BRAND NEW CLUTCH PEDAL, AND I FEEL THE ORIGINAL WAS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD NOT HAVE SIMPLY FAILED AS IT HAD FOR NO REASON. *TR