Total Complaints
5 filings
MAZDA !MX-5 · model year
2018 MAZDA !MX-5
5 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2018MAZDA!MX-5 carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 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 2018 !MX-5 is structure:body with 1 filings, followed by electrical system (1) and engine (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 2018 !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.
5
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20240619POWER TRAIN
2018 Mazda Miata MX-5 Club Sport, manual transmission Heading home from a friends house that evening, transmission started whirring/whining in 6th gear, then 5th, and so on through 2nd - 1st gear seems to be unaffected. I was forced to apply hazard flashers and travel well below the speed limit in the right lane of the PA turnpike until I made my way to local roads. As I got closer to home, there was also a slight crunch between gears. All of the symptoms above got worse until arriving home, where the vehicle was parked to await diagnosis/repair. 2016+ Mazda Miata MX-5 manual transmissions are infamous for being fragile, but I never expected my transmission to fail before I reached 20,000 miles on the odometer. Mazda also refused to refund it due to my car being just months out of warranty. I am now out $2000+ from sourcing a new transmission and having it installed on a relatively new car, which is unheard of.
20201220ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I'VE OWNED MY 2018 MAZDA MX-5 FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. THE PROBLEMS SLOW STARTED ARISING. AT FIRST I HADN'T NOTICED, BUT WHEN GOING IN AND OUT OF 'DRIVE' THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE IT WAS EITHER GOING TO STALL OR ACCELERATE. I HAD INITIALLY THOUGHT WAS BECAUSE IT'S A 'SPORTS CAR.' IN AUGUST OF 2020 THE WINDOW REGULATOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD MALFUNCTIONED. FAST FORWARD TO DECEMBER 2020, THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR HAS MALFUNCTION AS WELL. I'VE BEEN DOING RESEARCH AS TO WHY THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO A VEHICLE THAT'S ABOUT 2 YEARS OLD. I'VE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE OCTOBER OF 2018. INTERNET FORUMS SUGGESTED FAULTS WITH THE ELECTRICAL WIRING. I'VE INFORMED THE MAZDA OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THESE ISSUES AND INFORMED THEM OF THE INCONVENIENCE. MAKE NOTE I HAVE ONLY MADE A COMPLAINT TO THE WINDOW REGULATORS FAILING. I'VE PROVIDED THEM WITH MY VIN AND YET TO HEAR FROM THEM SINCE. IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME TO DO RESEARCH ON MY VIN, SO I DID AND MUCH TO MY CHAGRIN AFTER APOLOGIZING FOR POSSIBLY BEING RUDE, I FI
20201220ENGINE
I'VE OWNED MY 2018 MAZDA MX-5 FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. THE PROBLEMS SLOW STARTED ARISING. AT FIRST I HADN'T NOTICED, BUT WHEN GOING IN AND OUT OF 'DRIVE' THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE IT WAS EITHER GOING TO STALL OR ACCELERATE. I HAD INITIALLY THOUGHT WAS BECAUSE IT'S A 'SPORTS CAR.' IN AUGUST OF 2020 THE WINDOW REGULATOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD MALFUNCTIONED. FAST FORWARD TO DECEMBER 2020, THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR HAS MALFUNCTION AS WELL. I'VE BEEN DOING RESEARCH AS TO WHY THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO A VEHICLE THAT'S ABOUT 2 YEARS OLD. I'VE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE OCTOBER OF 2018. INTERNET FORUMS SUGGESTED FAULTS WITH THE ELECTRICAL WIRING. I'VE INFORMED THE MAZDA OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THESE ISSUES AND INFORMED THEM OF THE INCONVENIENCE. MAKE NOTE I HAVE ONLY MADE A COMPLAINT TO THE WINDOW REGULATORS FAILING. I'VE PROVIDED THEM WITH MY VIN AND YET TO HEAR FROM THEM SINCE. IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME TO DO RESEARCH ON MY VIN, SO I DID AND MUCH TO MY CHAGRIN AFTER APOLOGIZING FOR POSSIBLY BEING RUDE, I FI
20201220VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I'VE OWNED MY 2018 MAZDA MX-5 FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. THE PROBLEMS SLOW STARTED ARISING. AT FIRST I HADN'T NOTICED, BUT WHEN GOING IN AND OUT OF 'DRIVE' THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE IT WAS EITHER GOING TO STALL OR ACCELERATE. I HAD INITIALLY THOUGHT WAS BECAUSE IT'S A 'SPORTS CAR.' IN AUGUST OF 2020 THE WINDOW REGULATOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD MALFUNCTIONED. FAST FORWARD TO DECEMBER 2020, THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR HAS MALFUNCTION AS WELL. I'VE BEEN DOING RESEARCH AS TO WHY THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO A VEHICLE THAT'S ABOUT 2 YEARS OLD. I'VE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE OCTOBER OF 2018. INTERNET FORUMS SUGGESTED FAULTS WITH THE ELECTRICAL WIRING. I'VE INFORMED THE MAZDA OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THESE ISSUES AND INFORMED THEM OF THE INCONVENIENCE. MAKE NOTE I HAVE ONLY MADE A COMPLAINT TO THE WINDOW REGULATORS FAILING. I'VE PROVIDED THEM WITH MY VIN AND YET TO HEAR FROM THEM SINCE. IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME TO DO RESEARCH ON MY VIN, SO I DID AND MUCH TO MY CHAGRIN AFTER APOLOGIZING FOR POSSIBLY BEING RUDE, I FI
20191122STRUCTURE:BODY
STARTED FROM CREAK NOISE AS CAR START TO MOVE, ACCELERATE OR STOP. NOW IT DEVELOPED TO SOME TICKING NOISE EVERY TIME CAR ACCELERATE OR DECELERATE. THE CAR IS ONLY AT ABOUT 9700 MI WENT TO SPREEN MAZDA LOMA LINDA CA TO INSPECT THE CAR. THEY SAID IT IS NORMAL AND COME BACK WHEN IT GETS WORSE
Mileage: 9,700
Compare 2018MAZDA!MX-5 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
RQ26002Recall QueryOpen
Momentary increase in steering effort after recall remedy
PE19006Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Inadvertent Curtain Air Bag Deployment
PE18006Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Front Subframe Corrosion
PE15022Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Lower ball joint separation
PE14005Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Brake Booster Failure
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2018 MAZDA !MX-5 have?▼
The 2018 MAZDA !MX-5 has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 MAZDA !MX-5?▼
The most-complained component for the 2018 MAZDA !MX-5 is STRUCTURE:BODY with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and ENGINE.
Is the 2018 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.