Total Complaints
13 filings
MAZDA RX7 · model year
1986 MAZDA RX7
13 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1986MAZDARX7 carries 13 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 6 fires, 1 injury, 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 1986 RX7 is fuel system, gasoline with 2 filings, followed by equipment:mechanical:accessory scissor/screw/bottle jack/lift (2) and vehicle speed control (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 1986 RX7, 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.
13
Complaints
1
Crashes
6
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 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 |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 2 |
| EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20130516FireFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
PULSATION DAMPER FAILURE LEAKING FUEL ALL OVER THE HOT EXHAUST THAT THE HEAT CAUGHT MY ENGINE ON FIRE! OVERHEATED AND DAMAGED INJECTOR CONNECTERS DUE TO FIRE BURNING THEM. INJECTORS THEM SELF : BURNT. TOTAL DAMAGE : NEAR $1058. *TR
Mileage: 155,000
20130516FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PULSATION DAMPER FAILURE LEAKING FUEL ALL OVER THE HOT EXHAUST THAT THE HEAT CAUGHT MY ENGINE ON FIRE! OVERHEATED AND DAMAGED INJECTOR CONNECTERS DUE TO FIRE BURNING THEM. INJECTORS THEM SELF : BURNT. TOTAL DAMAGE : NEAR $1058. *TR
Mileage: 155,000
20060217FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
FUEL INJECTION PULSATION DAMPENER BEGAN LEAKING. DUE TO IT BEING LOCATED OVER THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD WHICH IS RIGHT OVER THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WHEN IT LEAKS FUEL RUNS DOWN THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD AND ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. WHEN THE CAR IS RUNNING THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS EXTREMELY HOT AND THIS PROBLEM LEADS TO MANY FIRES ON THE MAZDA RX7 WHICH CAN AND DO CAUSE DAMAGE THAT RUNS INTO THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO REPAIR. I SMELLED FUEL WHEN GETTING OUT OF MY CAR AND WAS ABLE TO REPLACE THE FUEL RAIL BEFORE ANY ADDITIONAL DAMAGE OCCURRED. BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON WITH THESE CARS MAZDA SHOULD DO SOMETHING SUCH AS REPLACE THE EXISTING DAMPENER WITH ONE THAT WILL NOT LEAK OR AT LEAST REDESIGN THE DAMPENER SO THAT IT DRAINS ANY LEAKING FUEL THROUGH A TUBE OF SOME SORT TO THE GROUND INSTEAD OF ALLOWING IT TO LEAK ON A HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD. MANY AN RX7 HAS DIED A FIERY DEATH DUE TO THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. *JB
Mileage: 160,000
20050806FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY
RECENTLY PURCHASED THE CAR WITH A REBUILT MOTOR, BUT SEVERAL OLD PARTS WERE NOT REPLACED. OCCASIONALLY GAS FUMES ENTER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. LOOKING AT THE PLACEMENT OF THE FUEL PULSATION DAMPNER, ONCE IT LEAKS IT WILL DRIP UNBURNED FUEL DIRECTLY ONTO THE MOTOR, RESULTING IN AN ENGINE FIRE. I WILL ORDER A NEW FUEL PULSATION DAMPNER AND WILL BE READY TO REPLACE THAT ONE ONCE IT FAILS. *JB
Mileage: 223
20050222FireFUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES
THE CAR IS A DAILY DRIVER AND HAS NEVER BEEN DRIVEN BEYOND THE AVG DAILY ABUSE. ONE DAY I RETURN HOME AND IN THE DRIVEWAY THE CAR STALS AND I START IT AGAIN AND IT STALED AGAIN, UPON OPENING THE HOOD I"M GREETED WITH A BBQ SIZE FIRE ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. I PUT IT OUT WITH WATER AND LET IT COOL, BEING A MECHANIC I REPLACED THE PULSATION DAMPNER WITH A BANJO BOLT TO FIX THE PROBLEM.*AK
Mileage: 117,000
20040120FireFUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
FAULTY OOULSATION DAMPNER.. CAUSED ENGINE FIRE.. APROXIMATE REPAIRE OVER 1000 AND THAT WITH USING USED WIRING HARNESS.*AK
Mileage: 113,071
20020318FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
19960222EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT
BEARINGS IN JACK CAME OUT WHILE JACKING UP CAR, CAUSING A LOUD SNAPPING NOISE/CAR TO FALL DOWN. *SD
19960222EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT
BEARINGS IN JACK CAME OUT WHILE JACKING UP CAR, CAUSING A LOUD SNAPPING NOISE/CAR TO FALL DOWN. *SD
19960202STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
BOTH DOOR HANDLES HAVE BROKEN AND BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES REGARDLESS OF WEATHER. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
19960201FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
WHILE DRIVING ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE DUE TO A DEFECTIVE FUEL LINE.(PHONE EXT 516). TT
19950614FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO A FAULTY PULSATING DAMPER, THAT SPRAYED GASOLINE ON THE ENGINE. TT
19950227CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNWANTED ACCELERATION; FIRST TIME IN DRIVE AND WAS REPAIRED, SECOND TIME REVERSE. BOTH RESULTED ACCIDENT. TT
Compare 1986MAZDARX7 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 1986 MAZDA RX7 have?▼
The 1986 MAZDA RX7 has 13 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 6 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 MAZDA RX7?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 MAZDA RX7 is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 1986 MAZDA RX7 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.