Summary
The Mazda RX-8 has 22 recalls covering the full 2004-2011 production run, with the most serious being a passenger-side airbag inflator defect on 2009-2011 models where the inflator can explode and send metal fragments into the cabin, posing a risk of serious injury or death.
This inflator issue traces back to Takata components and affected vehicles that had not been fully remedied under prior repair campaigns. The driver-side airbag on 2004 models carries a related risk: humidity and temperature cycling can degrade the propellant, causing the inflator to rupture with excessive force in a crash. A separate wiring issue on some 2004 vehicles means the front passenger airbag may not deploy at all in a frontal crash.
The fuel system has its own set of recurring concerns across nearly the entire production run. On 2009-2011 models, fuel can leak from the fuel pump mounting rings, and any nearby ignition source raises the risk of a fire. The same leaking-ring problem exists on 2004-2008 vehicles, where heat from the engine and exhaust can cause the pump's sealing rings to deteriorate and crack. On 2004-2008 models, heat can also crack the main fuel pump pipe itself, again creating a fuel leak and fire risk. A related issue on 2004 vehicles involves components near the exhaust melting if the engine is held at high RPM while parked, which can produce fuel leakage and a fire.
On the suspension side, 2004 models have a front lower control arm where the ball joint socket can crack and the ball joint can suddenly separate while driving, causing an immediate loss of steering control.
Going back to the least severe 2004-only concerns, manual-transmission models have a heat insulator on the transmission dynamic damper that can crack and eventually fall from the vehicle, creating a hazard for traffic following behind.
