IllustrationTHE BRAKES FAIL FOR THE FIRST FEW SECONDS DRIVING IN THE WET GOING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. WOULD DELAY A PANIC STOPAPPROXIMATELY 2 SECONDS . *AK
1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 20.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all MX-5 Miata years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
30–25K
1025–50K
650–75K
375–100K
1100–150K
2150K+
25 reports with mileage · 49 unknown
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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports0 fire reports9 injury reports
What owners actually said
74 reportsBRAKES FAILED TO SLOW VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING IN MODERATE RAIN. BRAKES WILL WORK AFTER 3 TO 5 SECS. OF CONTANT HARD PRESSURE. DURING THIS EVENT, TIRES DID NOT SKIP, THEY KEPT ROLLING. SEEMED AS IF I HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL.*AK
BRAKES FAIL TO STOP THE CAR IN RAIN OR WET CONDITIONS ON FIRST TRY. *AK
BRAKES FAIL TO ACTIVATE UNDER WET CONDITIONS (2-3 SECOND LAPSE)
BRAKES FAILED TO WORK WHEN WET. THERE WAS ABOUT A 3-4 DELAY BEFORE THE BRAKES WOULD START TO WORK. THIS ONLY HAPPENS DURING VERY HEAVY RAIN OR AFTER DRIVING THROUGH A PUDDLE. THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS PREVIOUS CARS I HAVE HAD WHERE THE BRAKING FORCE WOULD BE LESS WHEN WET. THE BRAKES ON THIS CAR PROVIDE LESS THEN 20% OF BRAKING FO…
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BRAKES FAILED TO WORK WHEN WET. THERE WAS ABOUT A 3-4 DELAY BEFORE THE BRAKES WOULD START TO WORK. THIS ONLY HAPPENS DURING VERY HEAVY RAIN OR AFTER DRIVING THROUGH A PUDDLE. THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS PREVIOUS CARS I HAVE HAD WHERE THE BRAKING FORCE WOULD BE LESS WHEN WET. THE BRAKES ON THIS CAR PROVIDE LESS THEN 20% OF BRAKING FOR 3-4 SECONDS AND PRESENTS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. *AK
IN THE RAIN / WET, THE BRAKES TAKE 1 - 2 SECONDS BEFORE THEY BEGIN SLOWING THE CAR. *AK
THE VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEM PERFORMS VERY POORLY WHEN DRIVEN UNDER WET CONDITIONS. DURING HEAVY RAIN STORMS THE BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT RESPOND TO INPUT FROM THE DRIVER AT ALL FOR ABOUT ONE OR TWO SECONDS UNTIL MOISTURE IS REMOVED FROM THE DISC BRAKES THROUGH HEAVY APPLICATION OF THE BREAK PEDAL. THIS INCREASES STOPPING DISTANCES…
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THE VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEM PERFORMS VERY POORLY WHEN DRIVEN UNDER WET CONDITIONS. DURING HEAVY RAIN STORMS THE BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT RESPOND TO INPUT FROM THE DRIVER AT ALL FOR ABOUT ONE OR TWO SECONDS UNTIL MOISTURE IS REMOVED FROM THE DISC BRAKES THROUGH HEAVY APPLICATION OF THE BREAK PEDAL. THIS INCREASES STOPPING DISTANCES IN WET WEATHER TO AN UNSAFE AMOUNT.*AK
POOR WET BRAKING - DOESN'T SEEM TO BRAKE WELL AT ALL WHEN THE ROADS ARE WET.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY IN THE RAIN, BRAKES FAILED FOR ABOUT 1-2 SECONDS WHEN APPLIED UNTIL DISC HAD DRIED OR HEATED SUFFICIENTLY. WHEN CONTACTED, THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE A TECHNICAL BULLETIN REGARDING SUCH FAILURES. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 3 TIMES SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW. NO OTHER SYMPTOMS EXIST.*AK
THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH AT THE TIME OF IMPACT THE STEERING WHEEL CAME OFF THE MAIN COLUMN, AHEAD OF THE AIR BAG AND HIT THE DRIVER, IT SEEMS THIS MAY HAVE OCCURED WHEN THE AIR BAG WENT OFF, THE DRIVER STATED THAT THE AIR BAG DID NOT SEEM TO INFLATE FULLY. NLM
Official recalls
0No 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.