This evening the clutch pedal assembly bracket cracked (I visibly confirmed) and now my clutch can only engage halfway. I'll check with the local dealership tomorrow if this is covered under recall. I had asked them to check it before, but they told me not to worry unless I had any problems.

My main concern is if the master cylinder is now broken & I also wonder if it was caused by the defective bracket. If so, should I ask for it to be replaced under the recall?

 

it's covered under warranty.
No other parts are. When did you have them check it?

 

But the car was shifting perfectly fine this afternoon. I heard a snap in the evening when I pushed the clutch to start it & now it won't engage the clutch all the way. When starting in gear, the car moves forward slowly with the clutch all the way to the floor.

I haven't taken it to the dealership yet since they're all closed. I will do that first thing tomorrow morning. I read some posts that claim that the master cylinder also broke when the clutch pedal bracket snapped. I'm wondering if they'll replace that for free if that's the case.

When my clutch is in all the way even with the broken bracket & I'm not able to shift (but the car still moves as if my clutch is pressed halfway), does this mean that the master cylinder is damaged?

 

I'd imagine they'll cover the cylinder if it somehow got damaged too. I can't say I've heard of that being an issue, but I haven't read up on it lately.

It usually happens the way you described... Occasionally you'll hear a creaking, but the clutch pedal will work fine until one day it snaps. Most people lose complete functionality. I'd be very cautious trying to get it to the dealer. Since the pedal has already started cracking, there's a good chance you might lose full functionality of the clutch pedal while driving it.

 

I'm having it towed to the dealership this afternoon. I don't plan on risking an accident over this POS. I'm just hoping that the master cylinder is okay. The dealers I talked to have already said that they will not be covering the master cylinder if its bad.

 

I got my car back today and the clutch works fine. They only had to replace the bracket assembly. The master cylinder was fine. The pedal is much stiffer now and now I'm wondering if the cracked bracket had caused extra wear on with my 2nd gear synchro, which has started to grind when downshifting.

 

How much was it to replace the bracket?

 

It was covered in full by the warranty extension provided by Mazda on all RX-8s with the bracket issue. Check with your dealer if your car will qualify. They should also do an inspection for free to see if there's a crack developing in the bracket.

 

When I went to get mine inspected they said it was fine, but that I should only come back when I am certain it has finally broken. They said they are only allowed to check it once and if there is a note in the computer saying it has already been checked(they did not put one this time) then I would be SOL and not get a new bracket.

I do not know how true that is, but that is how the dealership near me is doing this. So beware and maybe check it yourself so you know its broken first. It shouldn't be that hard to tell though, I just went in curious if they could see any cracks or problems.

 

This just happened to me as well. Car is not drivable, so I removed the clutch pedal. I intend to call on monday to see if I can just bring the broken pedal in to swap for a good one under warranty, or if they insist that the car comes with it.

Mine broke in two phases, first the weld let loose, leaving a slightly wiggly pedal, creaking noises and a noticeable difference in where the clutch engaged/disengaged. That happened last night. Then, as I went to start it up to take it to the dealership today, the bracket cracked completely, leaving the left side of it completely loose, and it's impossible to disengage the clutch. Thankfully the car is safe in my garage.

I'll post back whenever I find out if it's acceptable to just bring the pedal in without the car, as that may be helpful for someone else.