1991 Mazda Mx-5 Miata: Reliability Data

21
Total Complaints
64,750mi
Median Mileage
Air Bags
Top Issue
2
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

35,250 25th Percentile
64,750 Median Mileage
96,918 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags
8
Engine
2
12V/24V/48V Battery
2
Sensor/Control Module
1
Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.
1
Glass, Side/Rear
1
Fuel Pump
1
Body
1
Anchorage
1
On-Off Switch Assembly
1

Severity Assessment

2
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DURING AN ACCIDENT DRIVER SUSTAINED SEVERE HEAD TRAUMA DUE TO SPEAKER INSTALLED IN HEAD REST. TT"
"AIR BAG LIGHT: AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHES CONSTANTLY, WILL NOT GO OFF UNTIL TURNING THE IGNITION SWITCH OFF. DEALE R SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. *AK"
"BATTERY FAILED THREE TIMES."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 8 complaints
25th: 51,750 mi Median: 65,000 mi 75th: 105,612 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 4 TX: 4 AZ: 3 LA: 1 MO: 1 MD: 1 AL: 1 NM: 1 TN: 1 ME: 1

Who Files Complaints?

28.6%
Original Owners
71.4%
Second+ Owners

Mazda Mx-5 Miata — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
1990324
1992255
1994201
19953611
1996322
19998715
2000342
2001243
2002232

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28