My second incident on the same vehicle/part. I previously had the clutch pedal in my Mazda Rx-8 replaced because of a broken bracket. The replacement was an identical part with no redesigns. Approximately 16 months later it broke yet again. Same conditions, driving on the road, sudden loss of resistance and crunching sound from pedal, unable to shift properly. Inspecting the vehicle after parking revealed that the exact same spot weld broke, leaving the bracket to move away from the firewall and not providing leverage for the clutch piston into the master cylinder.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

2005 Mazda RX8; excessive squeaking noise from clutch pedal upon engagement and disengagement and feels loose.

- Lake Stevens, WA, USA

Identical to NHTSA action number: PE09045 my clutch pedal assembly failed. Clutch un-usable. 1. no warning 2 clutch pedal goes limp, falls to the floor unusable 3. clutch pedal assembly and mastercylinder replaced(due to bent rod caused by failure).

- Merrimack, NH, USA

Over the past two weeks or so the clutch pedal on my 2005 Mazda Rx-8 had been making a squeaking noise whenever depressed. The noise subsided after a few hours of driving. However, this past Monday (8/30/2010), when I was stopped at a stop light I heard a soft crack. I proceeded through the intersection where shifting from 2 to 3rd I heard an even larger snap and the pedal depressed completely to the floor and I had to cut across a few lanes of traffic and safely managed to get to a gas station. The car was no longer able to change gears and the entire clutch pedal assembly had to be replaced.

- Maiden, NC, USA

Clutch dosent come back all the way up.

- Bay Shore, NY, USA

Clutch pedal in my 2005 RX8 broke while driving, leaving it nearly impossible to shift gears. It's a known issue among RX8 drivers, but Mazda has so far refused to issue a recall.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

I was driving my 2005 Mazda Rx-8 home, and after a normal drive home with no issues, I was going from 1st gear to 2nd near my house and the clutch pedal dropped to the floor, the clutch wouldn't release and I couldn't change gears. Had this happened a dozen shifts earlier, I would have been caught in a highway merge, and my safety seriously endangered. Upon inspection when I managed to baby the car in 1st gear home, the clutch pedal had broken at the bracket. Under no circumstances should a clutch pedal break. I had the car towed to the dealership, and fully expect replacement without charge, but based on what I've read, that's not going to happen, despite my extended bumper to bumper warranty.

- Newtown, PA, USA

I drive a 2005 Mazda Rx-8 mt. It has around 73K miles. The clutch started squeaking couple of days back and yesterday when the traffic light turned green I engaged the clutch and I heard a snapping sound. I could not engage the gear later and had to get my car towed. I took it to the garage and I am told that the clutch bracket is broken.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

While driving northbound on I-75 in downtown atlanta in stop-and-go traffic conditions, the clutch pedal in my 2005 Mazda Rx-8 suddenly made a cracking sound and fell to the floor. The clutch remained about 1" from the floor, allowing minimal disengagement of the transmission, sufficient to allow me to return the car to the dealer. The diagnosis was a broken clutch pedal, resulting in damage to the master cylinder. There had been some creaking at the top of the return of the clutch pedal over the past 2-3 weeks.

- Marietta, GA, USA

While driving a 2005 Mazda RX8 I lost control after shifting from 5 to 4th gear. The clutch pedal stuck in and moved slightly right near the break pedal and would not release. This surprised me which caused me to run off the side of the road. I called a tow company to Transport the vehicle back to the Toyota dealer where I bought it used with 58000 miles on it. They said the clutch had to be replaced for 1400 dollars. At the time I didn't have the money so I asked for it to be towed back to a local garage. My local garage found that the clutch pedal assemble broke away from the mounting plate. This is a part that you would not expect to break. All indications point to a faulty weld. The metal ripped from the point of a spot weld. This spot weld may have weakened what is relatively thin metal for this use. I had a local garage replace the part for 500 dollars with parts and labor. The car was still under the original guarantee but Mazda refused to pay for any of the cost because it was not repaired by Mazda. All I wanted was the cost of the part. I explained to them that I have a safety concern if this were to happen to someone at highway speeds.

- Delaware, NJ, USA

Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) around 30 days ago I heard a "pop" sound when I depressed the clutch pedal of my 2005 Mazda Rx-8. it felt a little softer after the "pop" sound. I thought something had broken but could not see anything and the clutch seemed to work ok. However, over the next 30 days, it became harder and harder to get the manual transmission into reverse. On February 23, 2010, I brought my 2005 Mazda Rx-8 to congressional Mazda in rockville, md to have my clutch inspected. The dealer informed me the clutch pedal assembly bracket was broken and needed to be replaced. The quote was over $500 so I said I would bring the car back in when I had the money. However, when I drove away I could not shift out of 1st gear and the car was not drivable. I immediately drove back to the dealer in 1st gear and asked them to order the part and replace the clutch pedal assembly bracket. When the clutch pedal assembly was replaced, the car shifted fine. I have the broken clutch pedal assembly and I can see clearly that the metal on one side of the mounting bolt has torn apart making it impossible to fully engage the clutch. That must have been the "pop" sound I heard. I have 77,000 miles on my Rx-8. I drive the car to work, not on competitive or challenging tracks or courses. I am very concerned that Mazda used poor quality metal and/or poor quality spot welds in constructing the clutch pedal assembly on the 2005 Rx-8 and I request that NHTSA evaluate if there is a defect in manufacturing quality of that part. I have the old clutch pedal assembly bracket and can send it to NHTSA for inspection. I believe Mazda needs to recall the cars and replace the clutch pedal assembly with a better constructed system. The replacement clutch assembly I received has the same poor quality metal and spot welds as the original part. Mazda does not seem to be addressing this potentiality serious safety problem. Please look into this situation. [xxx]

- Poolesville, MD, USA

I own a 2005 Mazda RX8 with 30K miles. I noticed a squeaking noise when applying my clutch pedal approx a month ago. The other evening while I was attempting to pull onto a busy road the clutch made a loud popping noise when I applied the clutch and I was unable to put it into gear. Luckily I was able to roll back to a safe place and wait for a tow. Mazda informed me this is not a warranty item & I will be responsible to pay for the repair. I've read other complaints and this is a safety issue. Had I been able to pull into traffic and it broke, I would not of been able to shift which would have left me in a very unsafe situation. I'm very disappointed that Mazda is not willing to replace this part w/O a charge. I think this should be looked into.

- Mooresville, NC, USA

I've been hearing this squeaking sound coming from my clutch for the past few months. Approximately a month ago I was driving home when I felt/heard a popping sound. My clutch pedal was now almost to the floor. I assumed my clutch was gone but the car still drove home I was 1/2 mile from home. I drove slowly and carefully home. I had the car towed to Mazda today and they informed me that my clutch bracket is broken. The estimate to replace this is roughly 500$.

- Niagara Falls, NY, USA

My clutch pedal snapped again for the 3rd time in 2 years, !@#$%"?? when is Mazda resolve this issue?? until some one dies???"

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

The clutch pedal assembly fails while driving when the 2004-2008 Mazda Rx-8 reaches around 45,000 miles. When the pedal fails you may not be able to take the car out of gear or put it back into gear. This could cause an accident if it happens while driving at a high rate of speed. Luckily, when it happened to me I was leaving a stop sign about one block from my home. Many people on an Rx-8 forum (rx8club.com), have had the same problem occur and it is typically near 45,000 miles. Mazda does not cover this problem under warranty and they have not issued a recall.

- Seminole, FL, USA

1. this seems to be a manufacturer defect and poor choice of materials for the clutch pedal assembly. 2. the car in question is a 2005 Mazda RX8. The clutch pedal eventually had movement left-to-right and the welds on the pedal assembly broke. I was left unable to put the car in gear and had to tow the car to the dealership. 3. the entire clutch pedal assembly was replaced by a local Mazda dealership under bumper-to-bumper warranty. However, they did clearly state that the exact same part was used to replace it. There have been no revisions to the welds and the clutch pedal started creaking again!

- Anaheim , CA, USA

The clutch bracket on my vehicle broke and almost caused me to have an accident in an intersection. I can barely shift now and after reading about it I see that several others have had the same issue.

- Noblesville, IN, USA

The clutch pedal on my 2005 Mazda Rx-8 is extremely squeaky and seems to be on the verge of breaking. When pressed down upon, it squeaks and it also moves left and right more than it should. I have read dozens of other reports of the clutch pedal actually snapping and I am quite worried that my clutch pedal is close to breaking as well.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

My clutch pedal broke again on my RX8 (twice in the same year) follow my link for the story, Mazda needs to get their '!@#$% together. www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?P=3262664#post3262664.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

2005 Mazda RX8 with 53,000 miles. Clutch pedal has been squeaking for the past 8-10K miles. I complained on 2 separate occasions to Mazda service department and they did nothing. Today my clutch pedal snapped off while I was driving. Mazda needs to use better welding on the bracket. The two spot welds don't hold up for very long.

- Mobile, AL, USA