MAZDA MX-5 MIATA · model year

1990 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA

32 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1990MAZDAMX-5 MIATA carries 32 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 3 fires, 5 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 1990 MX-5 MIATA is seat belts:front:buckle assembly with 4 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (3) and engine and engine cooling:engine (3). 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 1990 MX-5 MIATA, 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.

32
Complaints
4
Crashes
3
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

32 filings

Crashes Reported

4 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY4
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE3
AIR BAGS3
SEATS2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION2
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION2
SEAT BELTS:FRONT2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS1
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS1

Recent Complaints

20220718AIR BAGS

car has had multiple airbag lights come on I have fixed them all I cannot buy parts to fix my airbag new so I have to go and find used parts that just keep breaking I know many people with this problem almost every owner of one of these cars has this exact problem

20210418FireSERVICE BRAKES

WWW.SOUTHBAYMAZDA.COM HAWTHORNE BLVD. X ATRESIA BLVD MANHATTAN BEACH CA 91246-0762 3103235712 FAX

20210418FireSEATS

WWW.SOUTHBAYMAZDA.COM HAWTHORNE BLVD. X ATRESIA BLVD MANHATTAN BEACH CA 91246-0762 3103235712 FAX

20210418FireVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WWW.SOUTHBAYMAZDA.COM HAWTHORNE BLVD. X ATRESIA BLVD MANHATTAN BEACH CA 91246-0762 3103235712 FAX

20150928UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I WAS DRIVING TO THE GAS STATION TO GET SOME TEA AND ON MY WAY BACK AS I WAS SHIFTING INTO 5TH GEAR I FELT A POP AND I FINALLY GOT IT INTO GEAR BUT I HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL TO STOP I STARTED TO DEPRESS THE CLUTCH BECAUSE OF THE POP I FELT AND WITH EVERY PUSH IT LOST MORE AND MORE PRESSURE AND EVENTUALLY AFTER THE 4TH PUSH THERE WAS NO RESISTANCE AT ALL TWO PEOPLE HELPED PUSH ME TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND I HAD TO DRIVE HOME BY SHUTTING OFF THE CAR AND SHIFTING INTO FIRST GEAR AND TURNING IT OVER AND PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL TO START IT AND WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE MECHANIC AND HE SAID THAT A BOLT CAME LOOSE AND FELL INTO THE SLAVE CYLINDER DAMAGING IT WHICH CAUSED ALL MY CLUTCH FLUID TO LEAK OUT AND THESE CARS ARE KNOWN TO CAUSE SOME BOLTS TO VIBRATE OUT AND THIS PROBLEM COULD SIMPLY BE FIXED WITH A LITTLE LOCTITE THREAD LOCKER AND THAT WOULD HAVE SAVED OVER 1,000 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS IF I DIDN'T HAVE GREEN LIGHTS ALL THE WAY HOME THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT.

20060918POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE SHIFTING FROM 5TH GEAR OR REVERSE TO NEUTRAL, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD GO INTO REVERSE. AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE SWING ARM WAS BAD ON THE VEHICLE AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED.

Mileage: 105,000

20031008SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILS TO LATCH IT OFTEN TAKES MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO CAUSE IT TO HOLD. *LA

Mileage: 95,000

20030630SEAT BELTS:FRONT

CONSUMER NOTICED FRONTAL SEAT BELTS WILL NOT LOCK IN PLACE. DEALER AND MANUFATURER HAD BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

20030630AIR BAGS

CONSUMER NOTICED THAT WHILE TRAVELING AIR BAG INDICATION LIGHT FLASHED . DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

20010502EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

WHEN PRESSING ON BRAKES THERE BE NO DIFFERENCE IN BRAKE LIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS. CONSUMER FEELS BRAKE LIGHTS ARE NOT BRIGHT ENOUGH. *AK

20010502EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS

WHEN PRESSING ON BRAKES THERE BE NO DIFFERENCE IN BRAKE LIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS. CONSUMER FEELS BRAKE LIGHTS ARE NOT BRIGHT ENOUGH. *AK

20010430POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

GEAR GETS STUCK IN REVERSE. ALSO, VEHICLE IS PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND FOOT IS RELEASED FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL VEHICLE WILL ROLL BACKWARDS. *AK

20010430VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

GEAR GETS STUCK IN REVERSE. ALSO, VEHICLE IS PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND FOOT IS RELEASED FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL VEHICLE WILL ROLL BACKWARDS. *AK

20010403SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

WHEN IT RAINS ENOUGH TO GENERATE SOME STANDING WATER ON THE ROAD, THE BRAKES MAY NOT WORK AT ALL FOR A COUPLE SECONDS AFTER APPLIED.*AK

20001127ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

PERFORMED 60K MILE SERVICE;FAILURE DUE TO TORQUE APPLIED TO CRANK BOLT OR WRONGFUL INSERTION OF THE WOODRUFF KEY. *AK

20001102POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

VEHICLE WILL LOCK INTO REVERSE WHILE IN NEUTRAL GEAR DUE TO A MECHANICAL PROBLEM IN TRANSMISSION. MAZDA SENT OUT TSB, BUT DEFECT STILL EXISTS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

20000630SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

DRIVER'S SEATBELT WILL NO LONGER LATCH! DEALER CHARGED ME FOR REPAIR! *AK

20000630ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

MFG RECOMMENDED 60,000 MI TIMING BELT WAS CHANGED AT 59,000 MI... ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED PER MFG SPECS. FAILURE OF CRANKSHAFT IS KNOWN MFG DEFECT IN 1990 AND EARLY 1991 MODELS. LATER MODELS HAVE MODIFIED CRANKSHAFT WITH NO KNOWN FAILURES. REPAIR ESTIMATE FROM LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP IS $3,700.00 FOR A NEW ENGINE.*AK

20000122ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

60,000 TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT PERFORMED AT 56K MILES. COST TO REPAIR ENGINE ESTIMATED TO BE $2,200. *AK

19991018POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

THE PINION INSIDE THE DIFFERENTIAL CAME OFF CAUSING TOTAL LOCK OF REAR WHEELS.

Compare 1990MAZDAMX-5 MIATA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1990 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA have?
The 1990 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA has 32 NHTSA complaints, 4 crashes, 3 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA?
The most-complained component for the 1990 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA is SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1990 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA 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.