IllustrationPERFORMED 60K MILE SERVICE;FAILURE DUE TO TORQUE APPLIED TO CRANK BOLT OR WRONGFUL INSERTION OF THE WOODRUFF KEY. *AK
1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1990 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: 2 of 28 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. 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.
4 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports
What owners actually said
28 reportsVEHICLE WILL LOCK INTO REVERSE WHILE IN NEUTRAL GEAR DUE TO A MECHANICAL PROBLEM IN TRANSMISSION. MAZDA SENT OUT TSB, BUT DEFECT STILL EXISTS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
MFG RECOMMENDED 60,000 MI TIMING BELT WAS CHANGED AT 59,000 MI... ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED PER MFG SPECS. FAILURE OF CRANKSHAFT IS KNOWN MFG DEFECT IN 1990 AND EARLY 1991 MODELS. LATER MODELS HAVE MODIFIED CRANKSHAFT WITH NO KNOWN FAILURES. REPAIR ESTIMATE FROM LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP IS $3,700.00 FOR A NEW ENGINE.*AK
DRIVER'S SEATBELT WILL NO LONGER LATCH! DEALER CHARGED ME FOR REPAIR! *AK
60,000 TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT PERFORMED AT 56K MILES. COST TO REPAIR ENGINE ESTIMATED TO BE $2,200. *AK
THE PINION INSIDE THE DIFFERENTIAL CAME OFF CAUSING TOTAL LOCK OF REAR WHEELS.
WHILE DRIVING WITH SEAT BELT OON CONSUMER REAR ENDED A VEHICLE THAT HAD STOPPED FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE.CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 20 MPH, AND AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
VIOLENT DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG RESULTING IN SEVERE INJURY TO CONSUMERS. (ATTORNEY FOR CONSUMERS).
DRIVERS SIDE SEATBELT LATCH OPERATES INTERMITTENTLY, FAILING TO OPERATE 50% OF THE TIME.
TRANSMISSION LOCKS UP WHEN SWITCHING GEARS AND WILL LOCK UP IN REVERSE.
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.