IllustrationSPEEDOMETER ON 2002 MAZDA MIATA FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. MAZDA REFUSES TO REPLACE EVEN THOUGH UNDER WARRANTY. *NM
2002 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 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
Limited mileage data: 13 of 20 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.
- Structure. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
20 reportsLEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. THIS IS A PACKED ASSEMBLY -SEALED. THIS FAILED ONE UNDER WARRANTY AND AGAIN RECENTLY. THIS CAUSES HEAVY VIBRATION ESP. ON A MAZDA MIATA WHICH COULD LEAD TO WHEEL BEING TORN OFF WHILE DRIVING. *NM
TRANSMISSION/CLUTCH - CLUTCH SPRINGS OR PLATES STICK AFTER SHIFTING INTO GEAR. CLUTCH HAS BEEN REPLACED BY DEALER AFTER ONLY APROX. 30K. MILES AND PROBLEM HAS APPEARED AGAIN. DEALER CLAIMS THE SPRINGS ON CLUTCH STICK. PROBLEM SHIFTING INTO GEAR ESP. WHEN CAR IS FIRST STARTED, ALSO CLUTCH WEARS AT RAPID RATE. *JB
CLUTCH SHUDDER, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EACH DAY. THE WHOLE DRIVETRAIN/EXHAUST WILL SHAKE AS YOU ENGAGE THE CLUTCH. AS THE VEHICLE WARMS UP, THE PROBLEM IS LESS NOTICEABLE. STARTING AROUND 20K MILES. ALSO, "RINGING" NOISE IN 5TH GEAR (6 SPEED TRANSMISSION) UNDER LOAD SINCE NEW. RETAILER WILL NOT FI…
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CLUTCH SHUDDER, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EACH DAY. THE WHOLE DRIVETRAIN/EXHAUST WILL SHAKE AS YOU ENGAGE THE CLUTCH. AS THE VEHICLE WARMS UP, THE PROBLEM IS LESS NOTICEABLE. STARTING AROUND 20K MILES. ALSO, "RINGING" NOISE IN 5TH GEAR (6 SPEED TRANSMISSION) UNDER LOAD SINCE NEW. RETAILER WILL NOT FIX, AND WAS TOLD THIS IS JUST A HARMONIC IN THE TRANSMISSION THAT IS DUE TO MACHINING TOLERANCES. INTERIOR OF VEHICLE GETS VERY HOT. THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ENOUGH INSULATION AROUND TRANSMISSION/EXHAUST AS FLOOR IS VERY WARM TO THE TOUCH.*AK
WE HAVE HAD THE RADIO/SPEAKERS AND CD PLAYER REPLACED AT LEAST 4 TIMES IN THE PAST 1 1/2 YEARS SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. EITHER THE UNITS BEING REPLACED ARE DEFECTIVE OR MAZDA IS NOT REPLACING PARTS (DEALERSHIP- TIM MARBURGER MAZDA). IN ADDITION, THE FOG LIGHT RECALL HAS SINCE CAUSED THE FOG LIGHTS TO BURN OUT MONTHL…
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WE HAVE HAD THE RADIO/SPEAKERS AND CD PLAYER REPLACED AT LEAST 4 TIMES IN THE PAST 1 1/2 YEARS SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. EITHER THE UNITS BEING REPLACED ARE DEFECTIVE OR MAZDA IS NOT REPLACING PARTS (DEALERSHIP- TIM MARBURGER MAZDA). IN ADDITION, THE FOG LIGHT RECALL HAS SINCE CAUSED THE FOG LIGHTS TO BURN OUT MONTHLY WITH NO RECOURSE FROM MAZDA. *AK
VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *MR *SC *JB
THIS IS NOT REALLY A COMPLAINT, BUT CU SAID I SHOULD CONTACT YOU AS WELL. I RAN OVER A NAIL AND PUNCTURED MY TIRE. I TOOK IT TO A TIRE SHOP TO SEE IF IT COULD BE REPAIRED. IT COULDN'T SO I SAID REPLACE IT. THEY DID NOT HAVE A TIRE TO MATCH. ON MY BEHALF THEY CALL SEVERAL OTHER TIRE SHOPS. NO ONE HAD THE TIRE. I THEN CALLED THE S…
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THIS IS NOT REALLY A COMPLAINT, BUT CU SAID I SHOULD CONTACT YOU AS WELL. I RAN OVER A NAIL AND PUNCTURED MY TIRE. I TOOK IT TO A TIRE SHOP TO SEE IF IT COULD BE REPAIRED. IT COULDN'T SO I SAID REPLACE IT. THEY DID NOT HAVE A TIRE TO MATCH. ON MY BEHALF THEY CALL SEVERAL OTHER TIRE SHOPS. NO ONE HAD THE TIRE. I THEN CALLED THE SERVICE DEPT. OF THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR. WHEN I DESCRIBED THE SITUATION, HE SAID HE HAS BE GETTING NUMERABLE CALLS ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOR BOTH MAZDAS AND VOLVOS. HE THINKS THE CAR MANUFACTURERS PUT ON TIRES THAT ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN THIS COUNTRY OR HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED. THIS FORCES THE CONSUMER TO PURCHASE 2 NEW MATCHING TIRES INSTEAD OF REPLACING THE ONE. I HOPE THIS INFORMATION IS USEFUL TO YOU. THANKS. JANICE
THE VEHICLE STALLED, WHICH CAUSED CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *JB SCC
UPON MORNING STARTS WHILE TURNING ON THE IGNITION THE CAR DOES NOT GO INTO REVERSE. THERE IS A SOUND METAL ROARING AND FEELS AS THOUGH THE EMERGENCY BREAK IS ON BUT IT IS NOT. CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN 4 TIMES TO AUTHORIZED REPAIR AT KONA MAZDA DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED AND THEY DENY ANY PROBLEMS. THEY SUGGESTED USING SYNTHETIC OIL A…
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UPON MORNING STARTS WHILE TURNING ON THE IGNITION THE CAR DOES NOT GO INTO REVERSE. THERE IS A SOUND METAL ROARING AND FEELS AS THOUGH THE EMERGENCY BREAK IS ON BUT IT IS NOT. CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN 4 TIMES TO AUTHORIZED REPAIR AT KONA MAZDA DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED AND THEY DENY ANY PROBLEMS. THEY SUGGESTED USING SYNTHETIC OIL AND TO WARM UP THE CAR IN THE MORNINGS WHICH I DO ALREADY. THERE ARE WITNESSES TO THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BUT KONA MAZDA CANNOT DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM IN THEIR SERVICE PROBLEM. TS
WHILE IN MOTION, THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE BECOMES HOT. CONSUMER MEASURED THE HOT AIR TEMPERATURE TO BE OVER 130 DEGREES. THIS OCCURS EVEN WHEN DRIVING ON A COOL NIGHT AND/OR WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE WITH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AND/OR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS TOO CLOSE TO THE CENTER CONSOLE WI…
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WHILE IN MOTION, THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE BECOMES HOT. CONSUMER MEASURED THE HOT AIR TEMPERATURE TO BE OVER 130 DEGREES. THIS OCCURS EVEN WHEN DRIVING ON A COOL NIGHT AND/OR WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE WITH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AND/OR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS TOO CLOSE TO THE CENTER CONSOLE WITHOUT SUFFICIENT VENTING OR INSULATION. *JG
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.