Equipment Problems of Mazda Miata

The plastic battery tray in the Mazda mx5 is quite fragile and often breaks under normal operating conditions. I have had to replace several of these trays in my 2003 mx5. Now, with yet another broken tray, I am told that these trays are no longer available. Recently this created a very dangerous situation in which my battery moved enough to make a contact between the positive battery pole and the metal part that holds down the battery. This contact caused a short circuit and fire in the trunk that could have destroyed the car while also causing a dangerous accident (because the engine shuts off when the battery is shorted). The incident was in motion on a city street. Mazda corporation should make these trays available again because many nb (2nd generation) owners could find themselves in this same situation. Eventually, fatalities could be expected. I have made several attempts to convince Mazda to make these trays available, but they refuse to do so, without providing justification.

See all problems of the 2003 Mazda Miata 🔎.

I am writing this to bring up an issue regarding of a flawed design out of the factory from Mazda. If you simply search "Mazda Miata front frame rail rust" you will see that it is a serious problem and/or even fatal problem, that probably many other owners of this year (1998-2005) are unaware of. Many have had the situation checked out and it seems the way the sheets of metal were put to together holds moisture and such and rots the chassis from inside out. This is coming from people not only who lives in an area that snows, but even dry climates, and even from owners that garage keep and use their car purely as a summer car, which never sees a winter in its life. I've had my car at the Mazda dealership to get a recall done regarding the fuel pump, and they never even mentioned this problem to me, when they told me they thoroughly do an inspection around and under the car. I even got a stat sheet from them, as to what they checked. I had to find this out with my mechanic, when he went to do an oil change, we decided to inspect the car. Now for these cars (miatas at any year) rocker panel rust is a common issue, however this particular frame rail issue is not and should not be happening, because it weakens the structure of the unibody and it can potentially be fatal with a front end collision causing the the rails to crumble. Some owners do even see any signs of wear, but when they hold a screw driver or any tool to poke at that specific area, it goes right through the metal, to only find out its rotted from within. This should be brought up to more owners of this specific model of the car so they know to check this area, because god forbid they get into an accident and the structure crumbles almost instantaneously, when it obviously shouldn't. Mazda clearly didn't do any quality control and failed to inspect such design flaws out of factory.

See all problems of the 1999 Mazda Miata 🔎.

Area of the front frame support rails (core support is official name) rusts from the inside out. The construction method is a sandwiched material with some sort of tarpaper in the middle which traps moisture which, in turn, hastens frame rusting. This is a common problem especially in the 1999 - 2005 years and usually not easily identified until the frame is completely rusted through. A google search of the issue returns numerous complaints. Once the frame rusts through it causes a real safety issue for the occupants.

See all problems of the 2000 Mazda Miata 🔎.

Mazda Miata convertible top blew off while driving 65 mph on the freeway causing loss of control and almost causing an accident[. I have checked reports and this seems to be a regular problem. Mazda has even issued a bulletin on this problem. This should be a recall. .

See all problems of the 2002 Mazda Miata 🔎.

After driving around in heated conditions (roughly 80 degrees or more) for about 10+ miles, sometimes less, the car will not start. It will crank and attempt to start but fails to do so. In order to get it to start I have to pop the hood open and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Once it starts it is very rough and the check engine light will come on. If I stop driving it for the day, the next morning, the light will be off and it will drive fine, until I drive during the day, or over a long distance. Thre has also been an instance when I was driving and stopped at a stop light and the car just stalled, had to perform the same thing, pop the hood and wait, it was back running. This also happend at a drive thru in 100 degree weather, car stalled as soon as I got my food and held up the already long line of cars behind me. I had to push it to a nearby parking lot. I have read on numerous forums and posts that this is a common problem with these cars and that it's either a) ignition coil b) spark plugs c) spark plug wires or d) camshaft position sensor. . Well. . I changed out the first 3 options, with no success. . Still having the same problem. I recently bought a cps and waiting for it to arrive. If this doesn't fix the problem I don't know what will. I drive constantly on highways to get around and if it stalls then, I will be in a lot of trouble. I do not have a warranty so I am doing all these repairs myself.

The mx-5 has a design flaw in the roof drain on the candace convertible top. It floods your car your floorboards and your truck is filled with water. It is very costly to have this replaced and carpets drained of water and then cleaned. I love my car but if I had known of this defect I would not have purchased it.

See all problems of the 2006 Mazda Miata 🔎.

One of two latches for the convertible soft top came unfastened while driving causing one side of the top to lift upwards with great violence and a very loud noise. No accident this time but it will happen- e. G. Swerving out of lane and into another vehicle, pedestrian, tree, etc. Due to 1) the violence and noise and/or 2) the driver *attempting* (it’s impossible!) to re-latch and re-lock the top. The cause of the failure is a very poor design of the latch/lock and the lock’s lever being made of pot metal. Both factors combine in a synergistic manner which cause very rapid lock wear and abrupt failure. There should be a recall due to risk and the number of NHTSA complaints on this design defect- including one where both latches failed and the top blew off! defective part numbers are na01r1310_ and na01r1320_.

I have had the headlight combination switch, part number nc11-66-122 fail in this Mazda Miata 6 times. After the first replacement I noticed all the subsequent failures were due to a mechanical failure in the switch and not an electrical problem causing the failure. When the switch fails, I turn it to either parking lights or headlight position and the lights will not come on unless I physically continue turning the switch past it's "on" position. Soon as I release the switch and it falls back into the "on" position, the lights go off. The first 4 replacements were performed by Mazda dealers under warranty. Of course, they do not try to figure out the cause of the failure, they merely replace it. The fifth replacement I was able to keep the defective part and I disassemble it and found the contacts were not touching unless the switch was turned past the "on". I am now in the process of having the 6th combination switch replaced. On this present failure I can also physically push the switch inward and the lights momentarily come on then turn off when I release the inward pressure. My assessment of the problem is a poorly manufactured switch. It is definitely a safety hazard should the switch fail at night. Failure date mileage serviced by 02-25-2008 13737 Mazda of longmont 05-26-2009 23744 spradley barr Mazda 01-18-2010 29206 spradley barr Mazda 06-01 2010 35084 spradley barr Mazda 10-25-2012 58656 coyote motors 03-??-2015 72300 part on order by courtesy Mazda, longmont.

See all problems of the 2005 Mazda Miata 🔎.

The electric top never worked since I bought it. The dealer replaced the motor on the top. It still catches when I go to take it down. It also catches sometimes when I put it up. I took it in several times and was always told the same thing. I have contacted the customer service at Mazda to no avail. Here it is 2016 and the problem remains. Very frustrating. They wore me out before I wore them out. It has never worked from the beginning, it sounds like it catches.

See all problems of the 2007 Mazda Miata 🔎.

On thanksgiving day (Nov. 25,2004) I left my home to spend the holiday with my son. While I was away, my house burned down. Thankfully no one was hurt in the blaze as no one was home at the time, the fire marshal investigating the fire thought it started in the garage but could not pinpoint a cause. The only car parked in the garage was a friends 2003 Mazda Miata. Is there a possibility that a malfunctioning cruise control on the Mazda similar to the Ford recall (NHTSA campaign number 05v017000) could have caused the fire?.

Driver's floormat is constantly working way onto gas peddle causing accellorator to stay on floor, hook would solve problem, several near accidents.

See all problems of the 1997 Mazda Miata 🔎.