What breaks most · 1990 to 2005 model years
Mazda MX-5 Miata problems by year
Owners have filed 322 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mazda MX-5 Miata across model years 1990 to 2005. Three years stand out: 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1995 for air bags complaints and 2000 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 1998, 1993 and 1997.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 1995, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1998, 1993, 1997
- Complaints on file
- 3221990 to 2005, all trims
- Worst year
- 199973 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 409 fires · 40 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 52kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 4 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (6) | |
| 18 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (9) | |
| 21 | 3 | 0 | Seat belts (5) | |
| 8 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (4) | |
| 13 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (6) | |
| 30 | 9 | 0 | Air bags (16) | |
| 25 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (14) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 73 | 10 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (16) | |
| 29 | 2 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (6) | |
| 21 | 3 | 0 | Fuel system (5) | |
| 20 | 2 | 0 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 14 | 1 | 0 | Steering (2) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) |
What fails on the 1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 22% |
16 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 15% |
11 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 14% |
10 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
10 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 8% |
6 | 1 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
5 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
5 | 1 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 5% |
4 | 2 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Brakes do not engage for 2-3 seconds when driving in wet conditions. This would be a moderately wet road, not deep water, or puddles. Stopping distance is substantially increased. *nm
-
Consumer states the high mount brake light is inoperative because the opening and the closing of the trunk is fatigue (wearing out and breaking near the trunk hinge)through the wiring harness. Dealer and the manufacturer were not notified at this time. Nlm *yh
-
Car's brakes fail to react in wet driving conditions. Usually takes several seconds of pumping brakes during wet conditions to get brakes to respond. *ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mazda MX-5 Miata years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 1995, 2000 carry the most filings on the Mazda MX-5 Miata. The 1999 alone has 73 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Mazda MX-5 Miata problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 16 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mazda MX-5 Miata problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mazda MX-5 Miata complaints that include mileage is about 52,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.