MAZDA !MX-5 · model year

2017 MAZDA !MX-5

12 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2017MAZDA!MX-5 carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2017 !MX-5 is visibility/wiper with 4 filings, followed by steering (2) and electronic stability control (esc) (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 21 investigation files overlapping the 2017 !MX-5, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

12
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

12 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VISIBILITY/WIPER4
STEERING2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
SERVICE BRAKES1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
AIR BAGS1
TIRES:SIDEWALL1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20260213CrashSTEERING

Happened at US 101 Southbound 0.1 MILES SOUTH of RENGSTORFF AVENUE. “Power Steering Malfunction” light came on, then suddenly after 1 second, the car’s steering went stiff and suddenly braked while at freeway speed flow of traffic. Car then sharply veered left into center divider due to automatic sudden braking with no control of the steering wheel

20260213CrashELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Happened at US 101 Southbound 0.1 MILES SOUTH of RENGSTORFF AVENUE. “Power Steering Malfunction” light came on, then suddenly after 1 second, the car’s steering went stiff and suddenly braked while at freeway speed flow of traffic. Car then sharply veered left into center divider due to automatic sudden braking with no control of the steering wheel

20250925TIRES:SIDEWALL

I have 205/45/R 17 on a car that I drive on short trips maybe once a week or two. Driving on the highway, the tpms light came on and the handling was instantly strange. I pulled over and checked the tire, the sidewall was blown out on the passenger rear. I had it replaced. Now about 2 months later, the right rear went flat after a trip. I took it to be repaired and was told that the sidewall was splitting and it could not be repaired. I am concerned that this may not be coincidence.

20250617VISIBILITY/WIPER

Vehicles rear windshield spontaneously shattered. Vehicle was idle and upon starting the vehicle a cracking sound was heard in the cabin and the rear view mirror was unusable as the rear windshield was entirely shattered into <1 inch pieces. Small pieces of loose glass had fallen from both upper corners of the windshield. The windshield is still attached to the vehicle and rear visibility is severely limited. No third-party inspections have been executed. There was no previous damage to the windshield and the car was idling when the failure occurred. There were no indications of potential failure before the incident.

20241114AIR BAGS

Airbag recall mail received from Mazda, when trying to book online mazdausa.com service depart denies vehicle has a recall and refused to schedule appointment

20190620VISIBILITY/WIPER

THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A LOT. THE CRACK APPEARS TO HAVE STARTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND RAPIDLY PROPOGATED HORIZONTALLY ALONG THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD TO ROUGHLY THE CENTER OF THE GLASS. THE CAR HAD 12000 MILES ON IT WHEN THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED.

Mileage: 12,000

20190313VISIBILITY/WIPER

AT 8300 MILES THIS CAR HAS DOZENS OF ROCK CHIPS IN THE WINDSHIELD, MOST OF WHICH WERE PICKED UP FROM DRIVING ON RELATIVELY CLEAN INTERSTATES AND SOME OF WHICH HAVE BEGUN TO SPIDERWEB. I BELIEVE THAT THE GLASS ON THIS VEHICLE IS ABNORMALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO PICKING UP CHIPS FROM ROCKS WHICH WILL IN TIME CREATE STRESS RISERS AND CAUSE THE WINDSHIELD TO FAIL PREMATURELY. I TALKED TO A MAZDA REP AND THEY SAID THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE NOR WAS THE WINDSHIELD COVERED BY THE FACTORY WARRANTY. THEY DIRECTED ME TO TAKE MY COMPLAINT TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY. MORE PICTURES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Mileage: 8,300

20181203UNKNOWN OR OTHER

WHEN USING ANDROID AUTO WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION THE TOUCHSCREEN IS DISABLED WHICH MEANS I NEED MY EYES ON THE SCREEN TO WATCH THE SELECTION MOVE BY TURNING THE SELECTION WHEEL RATHER THAN JUST TOUCHING THE SCREEN. I THINK THIS IS MUCH MORE OF A DISTRACTION. OTHER CAR MODELS ALLOW TOUCHSCREEN USE.

Mileage: 8,000

20181130SERVICE BRAKES

FRONT BREMBO BRAKES LOCKED AFTER CAR IS PARKED OVERNIGHT. IT UNLOCKED AFTER I FORCE THE CAR FORWARD. IT RELEASES WITH A LOUD SNAP. THIS OCCURS 2 OR 3 TIMES A MONTH. CAR DRIVES FINE. DEALER HAS NO SOLUTION. DEALER REQUESTS OVERNIGHT ASSESSMENT UNFORTUNATELY THIS OCCURS WITHOUT PREDICTABILITY.

Mileage: 9,000

20170510ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN, SUDDENLY LOST ALL STEERING WITH CAR GOING STRAIGHT ACROSS LANE. "POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHT APPEARED, THEN STEERING RETURNED. "DSC MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ON AND "TPMS MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ON. IF THERE WAS A CAR IN OPPOSITE LANE, WOULD HAVE RAN INTO. ONCE CAR WAS RESTARTED, ALL WARNINGS DISAPPEARED. BRINGING INTO DEALER 5/11.

Mileage: 915

20170510STEERING

WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN, SUDDENLY LOST ALL STEERING WITH CAR GOING STRAIGHT ACROSS LANE. "POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHT APPEARED, THEN STEERING RETURNED. "DSC MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ON AND "TPMS MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ON. IF THERE WAS A CAR IN OPPOSITE LANE, WOULD HAVE RAN INTO. ONCE CAR WAS RESTARTED, ALL WARNINGS DISAPPEARED. BRINGING INTO DEALER 5/11.

Mileage: 915

20170309VISIBILITY/WIPER

THE HEADLINER ON MY CONVERTIBLE TOP COMES UNFASTENED RIGHT ABOVE THE REAR WINDOW. IT SAGS DOWN BLOCKING THE VEIW BY AN INCH AND A HALF. THIS HAS BEEN FIXED 3 TIMES AND CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. THIS WINDOW IS SMALL TO BEGIN WITH. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY AND THE TOP WAS BEING TAKEN DOWN.

Mileage: 5,000

Compare 2017MAZDA!MX-5 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2017 MAZDA !MX-5 have?
The 2017 MAZDA !MX-5 has 12 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 MAZDA !MX-5?
The most-complained component for the 2017 MAZDA !MX-5 is VISIBILITY/WIPER with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC).
Is the 2017 MAZDA !MX-5 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.