NHTSA complaint: 2004 MAZDA RX-8 — VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES
MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING THE 2004 MAZDA RX-8 I HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED. THE COLLISION OCCURRED AT NIGHT IN A LEFT TURN SITUATION. THE RX-8 TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. MY SON EMPHATICALLY STATES THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. HE WAS OF COURSE CITED FOR FAILING TO YIELD THE RIGHT OF WAY. IT WAS THE SECOND TIME HE HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE. HE IS AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER, WITH OVER 11 YEARS OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE DESIGN AND POSITION OF THE REARVIEW MIRROR IN THE RX-8 MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT. THE LOW HEADROOM IN THE RX-8 PLACES THE LARGE REARVIEW MIRROR AT THE LEVEL OF THE DRIVER'S EYES. MY EXPERIENCE IN THE MONTH THAT I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE IS THAT THE MIRROR TENDS TO OBSCURE THE DRIVER'S VIEW TO THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, MORE THAN IS TYPICALLY THE CASE IN OTHER VEHICLES. THIS IS TRUER FOR TALLER DRIVERS. IN THE CASE DESCRIBED ABOVE, THE DRIVER WAS 6' 2" TALL. FOR SOMEONE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE VEHICLE, THE TENDENCY OF THE MIRROR TO SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT DRIVER VISIBILITY MAY NOT BE IMMEDIATELY APPARENT. *NM
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation