Manual transmission will not reliably shift from 2nd to 3rd gear without a grinding noise. Other owners are reporting similar issues that have required a full replacement of the transmission in MY2023 cars.
2023 Mazda MX-5
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 MX-5 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
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: 0 of 7 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.
- Power Train. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
4 reportsMy vehicle has only 8700 miles. At around 2500 miles first gear refused to engage, and I had to start the car in second for a week. That week I scheduled for service but the problem was not reproducible, since then it has been intermittent by never prolonged like that full week. This is and was a safety risk because I have been…
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My vehicle has only 8700 miles. At around 2500 miles first gear refused to engage, and I had to start the car in second for a week. That week I scheduled for service but the problem was not reproducible, since then it has been intermittent by never prolonged like that full week. This is and was a safety risk because I have been stuck on a hill, stop signs, and green traffic lights etc. Because it was not reproducible, the claim was dismissed. At around 4000 miles and on, third gear became very inconsistent in shift action. Typically it won't allow me to shift into third at all, other times it will grind, or requires excessive force to engage gear. This happens both in motion and at a stop. In traffic, the sudden loss in speed and rpm from being unable to shift into third poses a risk, especially getting onto on ramps. The dealer still cannot reproduce the issue, and in fact I have a 2 minute long video of the fault - pending their response to the video. Mazda corporate claims this is not a known or common issue. No warning lights pick up this fault. I have since continued to come to a resolution, and will return to the dealership.
The manual transmission has a synchronizer failure. Safety was put at risk due to inability to safely complete a gear change reliably. The problem has been reported to the dealer and the transmission has been replaced once and is scheduled to go in 9/23/24 for a possible second transmission replacement. There are no warning l…
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The manual transmission has a synchronizer failure. Safety was put at risk due to inability to safely complete a gear change reliably. The problem has been reported to the dealer and the transmission has been replaced once and is scheduled to go in 9/23/24 for a possible second transmission replacement. There are no warning lights associated with the failure. The only symptom is the inability to complete a shift with no warnings of this failure prior to it first presenting itself.
Mazda Miata model years 2022-2024 with manual 6sp transmission are experiencing a large number of failures at low mileage. Some owners are reporting 2 failed transmissions at less than 10,000 miles. 3rd and 4th great become unusable without warning, increasing the potential for a crash. There have been over 50 reports of manua…
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Mazda Miata model years 2022-2024 with manual 6sp transmission are experiencing a large number of failures at low mileage. Some owners are reporting 2 failed transmissions at less than 10,000 miles. 3rd and 4th great become unusable without warning, increasing the potential for a crash. There have been over 50 reports of manual transmission failure from 2022-2024 Miata owners. Concern: When the transmission internals fail without warring the vehicle experiences loss of power and forward movement, substantially increasing the chance of an accident in a highway driving scenario. This problem has been confirmed by Mazda dealer network. Mazda is offering to replacement transmissions, but has not told the owners if there have been modifications and improvements to the replacement units to resolve the issue, or if they are replacing the defective transmission with same kind.
Official recalls
124V695000 · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module:software
Sep 18, 2024
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016-2023 MX-5 Miata vehicles. A software error in the air bag control module may cause the front air bags to deploy with excessive force during a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An air bag that deploys with excessive force can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the Sophisticated Air Bag Sensor (SAS) control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 7, 2024. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 6924I.
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.
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