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1996 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1996 Mazda MX-5 Miata do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 20.5.

About this comparison →
29Owner complaints

Model-year median: 20.5

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
8
199318
199430
199529
199611
19971
199874
1999
Compare all MX-5 Miata years →

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

What owners reported most

Air Bags
17Engine And Engine Cooling
3Electrical System
1Exterior Lighting
1Fuel System, Gasoline
1
All reported categories
Latches/locks/linkages
1Power Train
1Steering
1Structure
1Suspension
1Tires
1Vehicle Speed Control
1Wheels
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: 12 of 29 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 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

1 reports
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137,215 miles · May 21, 2015
Air BagsExterior Lighting

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT STAYS ON CONSTANTLY ALL OF THE TIME. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT AIRBAG FAILURE BUT NO RECALL INFO EXISTS. ALSO MY POP-UP HEADLIGHTS ARE RANDOMLY RETRACTING DOWN WHENEVER THEY FEEL LIKE IT. NO AMOUNT OF TWISTING ON AND OFF AT THE STEERING COLUMN SWITCH WILL MAKE THEM COME BACK UP AND I HAVE TO RESORT TO THE MANUAL…

Read full complaint

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT STAYS ON CONSTANTLY ALL OF THE TIME. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT AIRBAG FAILURE BUT NO RECALL INFO EXISTS. ALSO MY POP-UP HEADLIGHTS ARE RANDOMLY RETRACTING DOWN WHENEVER THEY FEEL LIKE IT. NO AMOUNT OF TWISTING ON AND OFF AT THE STEERING COLUMN SWITCH WILL MAKE THEM COME BACK UP AND I HAVE TO RESORT TO THE MANUAL POPUP BUTTON LOCATED UNDER THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. THIS HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO CRASH SEVERAL TIMES WHEN DRIVING AFTER DARK!

NHTSA ODI #10717672

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.