1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata problems & reliability
28 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 6 | 21% |
| Power Train | 6 | 21% |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 21% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 14% |
| Seats | 2 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown OR Other | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“car has had multiple airbag lights come on I have fixed them all I cannot buy parts to fix my airbag new so I have to go and find used parts that just keep breaking I know many people with this problem almost every owner of one of these cars has this exact problem”
Air Bags · filed Jul 18, 2022
“I was driving to the gas station to get some tea and on my way back as I was shifting into 5th gear I felt a pop and I finally got it into gear but I had to shift into neutral to stop I started to depress the clutch because of the pop I felt and with every push it lost more and more pressure and eventually after the…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Sep 28, 2015
“Dt*: the contact stated while shifting from 5th gear or reverse to neutral, the transmission would go into reverse. An independent repair shop determined the swing arm was bad on the vehicle and should be repaired.”
Power Train · filed Sep 18, 2006
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
7 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
Speedometer replacement procedure
0900716 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 17, 2016
Conditions with steering wheel slightly off center. *yc
00198 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 15, 1998
Pre-painting preparations for front and rear bumpers. *yc
97102302097 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 23, 1997
USE OF A/C TRACER DYE. *TW
008/97 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 19, 1997
Maintenance free battery - diagnostic and charging procedure. *tw
001/97G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 8, 1997
Wiper motor inoperative - circuit breaker activation. *tw
003/97G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 19, 1997
UNKNOWN
H003/95 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 1995
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.