2011 Mazda MX-5 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2011 Mazda MX-5, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Exterior lighting1100.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
TOOK POSSESSION OF NEW CAR 3/31/2001. DROVE IT THAT NIGHT AND SUCCEEDING NIGHTS ON THE TWO LANE ROAD AROUND THE AREA WHERE I LIVE. I ENCOUNTERED NUMEROUS INCIDENTS WHERE THE ONCOMING AUTO WOULD FLASH THEIR BRIGHT LIGHTS AT ME, BUT MY LIGHTS WERE ALREADY IN THE DIM MODE. I CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO ADJUST THE HEADLIGHT BEAM LOWER. I CONTACTED MAZDA USA THREE TIMES WITH NO RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAT TO THE DEALER WHERE I TOLD THEM THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THE LIGHT BEAM IS SET AT THE FACTORY. ON A SUBSEQUENT TRIP TO CARLSBAD, NM WE DECIDED TO TAKE A COUNT OF THE NUMBER OF ONCOMING CARS PASSING US, AND THE NUMBER OF TIMES THEY FLASHED THEIR BRIGHT AT US (OUR LIGHTS WERE ON DIM). WE MET A TOTAL OF 1,232 VEHICLE. OF THOSE, 471 FLASHED THEIR HIGH BEAMS AT US; THAT'S 38&. I KEEP BEING TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT MY LIGHTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BRIGHT. I AGREE, BUT THE SHOULD NOT BLIND THE DRIVER IN THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. I HAVE TO APPLY TAPE OVER THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT TO "FIX" THE PROBLEM AND NOW I GET ZERO BRIGHT BEAM FLASHES FROM ONCOMING CARS. OTHER AUTO MANUFACTURERS OFFER THE SAME TYPE OF LIGHTING FOR THEIR PRODUCE, BUT THEY ALSO INSTALL A DIAL THAT IS USED TO ADJUST THE LIGHT BEAMS UP AND DOWN. THIS CAR DOES NOT HAVE SUCH A DEVICE. AFFIXING AN UGLY PIECE OF TAPE TO MY CAT IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED WHEN I PAID $ 34,000 FOR THIS AUTOMOBILE , AND I CANNOT GET ANYONE WHO IS WILLING TO HELP ME FIND A REASONABLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND HONOR THE 3-YEAR WARRANTY FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE SITUATION CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS, AND IT TENDS TOWARD INVITING A HEAD-ON-COLLISION; A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY THAT IS JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN. IT IS EITHER TAPE, OR I AM LIMITED TO NO DRIVING THIS CAR AT NIGHT, BOTH ARE WHICH NOT ACCEPTABLE. ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS ASK THEMSELVES, "WOULD I WANT TO BE DRIVING THIS CAR AT NIGHT LIKE IT IS? UPDATED 07/28/11*BF
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .