How many miles will a 2005 Mazda RX-8 last?
NHTSA holds 25 owner complaints on the 2005 Mazda RX-8 that list a mileage past 100,000 miles: 4 past 150,000 and 2 past 200,000. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 162 complaints on this model year, 125 of them with a mileage, and half of those mileages are at or under 62,000 miles; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 125 complaints on the 2005 Mazda RX-8 that list mileage, the middle half came between 45,000 and 94,000 miles; 25 (20%) came after 100,000 miles, 4 (3%) after 150,000 and 2 (2%) after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 2005 RX-8 last?
The 125 mileages owners gave run from 6 to 491,119 miles. A quarter are at or under 45,500 miles, half at or under 62,000, three quarters at or under 94,000 and nine in ten at or under 115,000; 25 (20%) came after 100,000 miles, 4 (3%) after 150,000 and 2 (2%) after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2005 RX-8 wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: 100 of the 125 came at or under 100,000 miles. The 25 past that mark show the 2005 RX-8 still being driven at those mileages, not how many reach them: NHTSA's file counts complaints, not the vehicles on the road.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 6 miles |
| 25th percentile | 45,500 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 62,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 94,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 115,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 491,119 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 25 (20%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 4 (3%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | 2 (2%) |
Every model year together: Half of the 625 NHTSA owner complaints on the Mazda RX-8 that list mileage came after 65,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Mazda RX-8 last? →
Common problems with the 2005 RX-8
NHTSA's file holds 162 owner complaints on the 2005 Mazda RX-8. Owners named the powertrain most often: 54 complaints, and half of the 51 that list a mileage came after 65,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 54 | 51 | 66,000 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 28 | 22 | 35,367 |
| Air Bags | 22 | 9 | 75,000 |
| Steering | 17 | 14 | 94,000 |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 7 | 90,000 |
Of the 162 complaints, 6 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 3 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2005 RX-8 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2005 is a good or a bad RX-8: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2005 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 162 complaints, the 2005 ranks 2nd of the 5 Mazda RX-8 model years from 2004 to 2008 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2004 (490). The fewest: the 2008 (17).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 RX-8 | 490 | 399 | 67,900 |
| 2005 (this page) | 162 | 125 | 62,000 |
| 2006 RX-8 | 60 | 48 | 55,500 |
| 2007 RX-8 | 38 | 29 | 72,000 |
| 2008 RX-8 | 17 | 12 | 62,000 |
Every RX-8 year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Mazda RX-8 years to avoid →
2005 Mazda RX-8 recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 6 recall campaigns that name the 2005 Mazda RX-8. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 18V404000 | Jun 15, 2018 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE |
| 18V402000 | Jun 15, 2018 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE |
| 17V474000 | Jul 26, 2017 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE |
| 17V354000 | Jun 1, 2017 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP |
| 16V793000 | Oct 31, 2016 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2005 RX-8 lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2005 RX-8.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 37 of the 162 complaints on the 2005 Mazda RX-8 give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: RX-8. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: RX-8.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2005 Mazda RX-8 questions
How many miles will a 2005 Mazda RX-8 last?
NHTSA holds 25 owner complaints on the 2005 Mazda RX-8 that list a mileage past 100,000 miles: 4 past 150,000 and 2 past 200,000. Of the 125 complaints on the 2005 Mazda RX-8 that list mileage, the middle half came between 45,000 and 94,000 miles; 25 (20%) came after 100,000 miles, 4 (3%) after 150,000 and 2 (2%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2005 RX-8 that never had one.
What are the most common 2005 Mazda RX-8 problems?
NHTSA's file holds 162 owner complaints on the 2005 Mazda RX-8. Owners named the powertrain most often: 54 complaints, and half of the 51 that list a mileage came after 65,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 162 complaints, 6 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 3 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2005 Mazda RX-8 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2005 is a good or a bad RX-8: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2005 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 162 complaints, the 2005 ranks 2nd of the 5 Mazda RX-8 model years from 2004 to 2008 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2004 (490). The fewest: the 2008 (17).
How many recalls does the 2005 Mazda RX-8 have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 6 recall campaigns that name the 2005 Mazda RX-8. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2005 Mazda RX-8 before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2005 Mazda RX-8.