RoadVitals

1993 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Mar 19, 2012
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1993 Mazda MX-5 Miata, most frequently naming the airbags, seat belts and body & structure categories. 9 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Airbags450.0%
  • Seat belts225.0%
  • Body & structure112.5%
  • Brakes112.5%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Seat belts
Filed Mar 19, 2012

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 MAZDA MIATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WOULD UNLATCH INDEPENDENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT WAS UNSURE IF THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE BUCKLE OR THE RETRACTOR SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 245,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS. 252,000.

NHTSA ID
10452246
Incident
Oct 1, 2011
Mileage
245,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Nov 14, 2009

FALSE SEATBELT ENGAGEMENT. SEATBELT 'CLICKS', THEN 1, 2, 5 MINUTES LATER, BELT SPONTANEOUSLY DISENGAGES.I HAVE OWNED MULTIPLE MIATAS; I HAD TO REPLACE BELTS IN MY 1992 MIATA FOR THE SAME REASON. *TR

NHTSA ID
10292185
Incident
Nov 14, 2009
Mileage
207,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Mar 2, 2007

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT FOR THE 1993 MAZDA MIATA FLASHED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY REPLACED THE MAIN CRASH SENSOR. THE CONTACT STATED THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHTS CONTINUED TO FLASH. THE DEALERSHIP THEN RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE AIRBAG WIRING HARNESS. THIS HAS YET TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT SINCE THE CRASH SENSORS WERE NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY,THE AIRBAGS COULD DEPLOY AT ANY TIME WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAD 78100 MILES. *AK THE DEALER STATED THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BAD CRASH SENSOR AND FIXED BUT THE WARNING LIGHT CONTINUED TO FLASH. THE DEALER IMPROPERLY DIAGNOSED THE CAR AND AWARDED THE CONSUMER A CHECK $531.78. UPDATE *4/12TR

NHTSA ID
10184043
Incident
Nov 1, 2006
Mileage
78,100 mi
Airbags
Filed May 15, 2003

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE AIR BAG SUDDENLY DEPLOYED. *NLM *TS

NHTSA ID
10019964
Incident
May 15, 2003
Airbags
Filed Jun 20, 2000

AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHED CONTINUOUSLY. DEALER ADVISED CONSUMER THAT AIRBAG COULD DEPLOY AT ANY TIME, AND WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS DEFECT COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT AND OR INJURIES. VEHICLE HAS NOT YET ENCOUNTERED ANY ACCIDENTS. *AK

NHTSA ID
863878
Incident
May 1, 2000
Airbags
Filed May 27, 1999
Crash reported

CONSUMER WAS IN AN ACCIDENT, AND HER AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK

NHTSA ID
838562
Incident
Mar 7, 1998
Brakes
Filed Feb 20, 1997

WHEN APPLYING THE HYDRAULIC BRAKES IN WET WEATHER, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID
807668
Incident
Jan 1, 1997
Body & structure
Filed Sep 1, 1995
Crash reported1 injury reported

VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL, ROLLED DOWN AN EMBANKMENT, NO ROLL BAR, OCCUPANTS PARALYZED. *AK

NHTSA ID
971475
Incident
Jun 9, 1994

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

MT-002-22

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Radio Unlocking Codes.

0900716

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Speedometer replacement procedure

00198

STEERING

CONDITIONS WITH STEERING WHEEL SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER. *YC

97102302097

STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS

PRE-PAINTING PREPARATIONS FOR FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS. *YC

008/97

EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

USE OF A/C TRACER DYE. *TW

007/97T

AIR BAGS

PARTS REPLACEMENT AFTER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. *TW

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mazda MX-5 Miata by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2005400—
2004800—
2003140044.5
2002200037.9
2001220046.1
2000290038.3
1999740039.2
1998100—
1997110033.7
1996290032.6
1995300049.0
1994180039.9
1993Viewing800—
1992220037.9
1991210037.0
1990280040.5

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.