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2001 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2001 Mazda MX-5 Miata do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 20.5.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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: 12 of 22 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 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

Engine complaints

2 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 5, 2017
Engine

THE PO012 ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON . I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS 2001-2002 MAZDA MIATA MX-5 . I THINK MAZDA REPLACED THE ECU TOO ELIMINATE THE CODE. PLEASE HELP. THANKS DALE

NHTSA ODI #11012974

79,682 miles · May 27, 2012
Engine

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR APPROX. 20 MINUTES WHEN CAR ENGINE STARTED TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AND STALL OUT. NARROWLY MADE IT TO ROAD SHOULDER, WITH 2 VEHICLES MAKING EMERGENCY MOVES TO AVOID COLLISION WITH ME. AFTERWARDS MY VEHICLE WOULD ONLY START AFTER WAITING PERIODS OF 10-15 MINUTES, AND THEN ONLY RUN FOR 5-10 MINUTES BEFOR…

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DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR APPROX. 20 MINUTES WHEN CAR ENGINE STARTED TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AND STALL OUT. NARROWLY MADE IT TO ROAD SHOULDER, WITH 2 VEHICLES MAKING EMERGENCY MOVES TO AVOID COLLISION WITH ME. AFTERWARDS MY VEHICLE WOULD ONLY START AFTER WAITING PERIODS OF 10-15 MINUTES, AND THEN ONLY RUN FOR 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE SAME ENGINE ISSUE WOULD OCCUR. AFTER NUMEROUS STARTS AND STALLS, AND 4 HOURS LATER ARRIVED AT CAR REPAIR SHOP. AFTER CHECKING VEHICLE OVER, AND LOOKING UP "CHECK ENGINE CODE" THEY REPLACED A "ENGINE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR" I HAVE SINCE READ NUMEROUS BLOG POSTS ON THE INTERNET THAT THIS PART IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH MY MAKE AND MODEL. AND FELT COMPELLED TO WRITE THIS TO VOICE MY SAFETY CONCERNS. I FEEL STRONGLY THAT SOMEONE COULD SUFFER A FATAL CRASH ALL TOO EASILY WITH THIS PART FAILING AND THE VIOLENT AND SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10459780

Official recalls

0

No 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.