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1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 20.5.

About this comparison →
28Owner complaints

Model-year median: 20.5

0Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
28
199021
199122
19928
1993
Compare all MX-5 Miata years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Air Bags
6Power Train
6Seat Belts
6Engine And Engine Cooling
4Seats
2
All reported categories
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
2Vehicle Speed Control
2Exterior Lighting
1Service Brakes
1Unknown Or Other
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 2 of 28 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Seat Belts. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports

What owners actually said

28 reports
Mileage unknown · Aug 27, 1997
Engine And Engine Cooling

CRANKSHAFT FAILURE. CLAIMS THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON TO MIATAS AND 323 BETWEEN YEARS 1990-1991. *AK

NHTSA ODI #518509

Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 1997
Seat Belts

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT DOES NOT ALWAYS LATCH; AT TIMES, IT FAILS TO CLICK/HOLD. *AK

NHTSA ODI #513369

Mileage unknown · Apr 4, 1996
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

BRAKES PERFORM POORLY DURING RAINY WEATHER. *SD

NHTSA ODI #503107

Mileage unknown · Mar 19, 1996
Air Bags

AIR BAG MODULE FAILED, NO ACCIDENT, AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ODI #980945

Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 1995
Air BagsCrashInjury

IN A VEHICLE COLLISION FROM THE FRONT AND REAR AT HIGH SPEEDS THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. TT

NHTSA ODI #967761

Mileage unknown · May 24, 1995
Seat Belts

THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE IS BROKEN. TT

NHTSA ODI #965914

Mileage unknown · Mar 6, 1995
Power Train

OWNER SPEAKS PORTUGUESE. VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE SHIFTED IN NEUTRAL AND SURGED. STEMS FROM BACKUP LIGHT CABLE THAT GOES INTO TRANSMISSION. TT

NHTSA ODI #961154

Mileage unknown · Jan 5, 1995
SeatsCrashInjury

SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD IN ONE CAR ACCIDENT, VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER. TT

NHTSA ODI #958311

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.