Reliability & cost of ownership
Mazda Mx-5 Miata Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Mazda Mx-5 Miata? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Mazda Mx-5 Miata problems by model year
0 recall entries and 215 owner complaints on file across 11 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 6 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 12 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 19 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 21 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 27 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1999 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 67 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 11 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1996 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 21 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 Mx-5 Miata | 0 | 28 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Mazda Mx-5 Miata, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- air bags38 complaints
- engine and engine cooling25 complaints
- electrical system24 complaints
- service brakes21 complaints
- hydraulic21 complaints
- power train20 complaints
- structure19 complaints
- fuel system17 complaints