IllustrationNO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
1987 Mazda RX7
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RX7 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: 11 of 50 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.
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. 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.
1 crash reports22 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
50 reportsPULSATION DAMPNER FAILED, CAUSING A GAS LEAK AND SMALL ENGINE FIRE. I WAS LUCKY AND HAD A FIRE EXTINGUISHER HANDY.*AK
THE SMALL SCREW IN THE END OF THE PULSATION DAMPER HAD FALLEN OUT. OTHER PERSONS WITH THIS FAILURE HAVE HAD FIRES AS A RESULT OF THIS. IN MY CASE, I SIMPLY REPLACED THE PART. IT FAILED AGAIN ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER... AGAIN, NO FIRE, BUT IT WAS LEAKING GAS. *AK
MODERATE FUEL LEAK. REPLACED TO AVOID ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. CAR DOES NOT RUN LIKE IT DID BEFORE. NO POWER ABOVE 3500 RPM.*AK
IT WAS CAUGHT IN TIME BUT COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR FIRE. *AK
BURNED ALOT OF THINGS LIKE THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS, INJECTORS, MISC HOSES, INTAKE MANIFOLD, HOOD LINER, ETC. GOOD THING I HAD A FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN THE CAR OR THE WHOLE CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST. *AK
PULSATION DAMPER LEAKS FUEL OUT THE SCREW HOLE ADJUSTMENT ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. IT IS THE #1 CAUSE OF RX-7 FIRES.*AK
I AM AN EXPERT ON THE 2ND GENERATION 1986-1991 RX-7 VEHICLES (SEE HTTP://FC3S-PRO.COM). I FIND THESE PULSATION DAMPER FIRES TOO COMMON WITH SERIOUS/EXPENSIVE DAMAGE - TYPICALLY WILL BURN WIRING HARNESS ($1,200) AND ALL FUEL INJECTORS (4X$300) UNDER THE MANIFOLD. MAZDA AND ALL MAZDA DEALERS REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM. …
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I AM AN EXPERT ON THE 2ND GENERATION 1986-1991 RX-7 VEHICLES (SEE HTTP://FC3S-PRO.COM). I FIND THESE PULSATION DAMPER FIRES TOO COMMON WITH SERIOUS/EXPENSIVE DAMAGE - TYPICALLY WILL BURN WIRING HARNESS ($1,200) AND ALL FUEL INJECTORS (4X$300) UNDER THE MANIFOLD. MAZDA AND ALL MAZDA DEALERS REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM. I WISH THERE WAS A MANDATORY RECALL ON THIS PART, AS THE POTENTIAL OF ENGINE FIRES IS WAY TOO DANGEROUS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME. I AM ALSO VERY CLOSE WITH THE INTERNET COMMUNITY OF THESE OWNERS. *AK
I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL MAZDA DEALER FOR A COOLANT LEAK. THEY SAID THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. WHILE THEY WERE TEST DRIVING THE CAR, THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. FORTUNATELY, IT WAS CLOSE TO THE SHOP, AND THEY PUT DOWN THE FIRE WITHOUT ANY INJURIES. THE CAR WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANICS AT THE DEALERSHIP, AN OIL LIN…
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I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL MAZDA DEALER FOR A COOLANT LEAK. THEY SAID THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. WHILE THEY WERE TEST DRIVING THE CAR, THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. FORTUNATELY, IT WAS CLOSE TO THE SHOP, AND THEY PUT DOWN THE FIRE WITHOUT ANY INJURIES. THE CAR WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANICS AT THE DEALERSHIP, AN OIL LINE IS VERY CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST PIPE IN THIS MODEL. THE EXHAUST PIPE IS AS HOT AS 800-900F WHEN THE VECHILE IS OPERATION. THERE IS ONE PLASTIC CONNECTION ON THE NEARBY OIL LINE. THE PLASTIC CONNECTION CRACKED OPEN THAT DAY, POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF AGE AND/OR TEMPRETURE CHANGE (IT WAS ABOUT 0F THAT DAY.). TE ENGINE OIL THEN CAME OUT AND CAUGHT ON FIRE BECAUSE OF THE NEARBY HOT EXHAUST PIPE. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THE 87 RX7 TURBO IS THE FIRST OR SECOND MODEL YEAR OF THIS PATICULAR MODEL. IF THE FIRE WAS INDEED CAUSED BY OIL PIPE, MANY OTHER RX7'S WOULD HAVE THIS DANGER SOON. I AM REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OTHER RX7 OWNERS. BY THE WAY, THIS CAR WAS ALWAYS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THOUGH I AM THE 2ND OWNER, I KNOW THE FIRST OWNER QUITE WELL AND WE HAVE ALWAYS KEPT GOOD MAINTAINANCE OF IT.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Official recalls
187V160000 · Service Brakes, Air:disc:caliper
Oct 14, 1987
IN AREAS OF HEAVY USAGE, ROAD SALT MAY ACCUMULATE AT SURFACES OF COMPONENTS OF FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS WOULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE DISC PAD LINER CORROSIONTHAT WOULD PREVENT FREE MOVEMENT OF DISC PADS RESULTING IN INEFFECTIVE BRAKINGOF THE FRONT BRAKES.
Remedy: REPAIR FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS TO PREVENT ROAD SALT ACCUMULATION.
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.