Problems · NHTSA complaints

2017 Mazda MX-5 problems

Owners filed 11 complaints about the 2017 Mazda MX-5 with NHTSA between Mar 2017 and Mar 2026. The most-cited component is visibility/wiper (4).

Complaints
11
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Visibility/wiper4
  2. Steering2
  3. Power train1
  4. Electrical system1
  5. Tires1
  6. Air bags1
  7. Service brakes1
  8. Electronic stability control (esc)1
  9. Other / unknown1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20172
20182
20192
20200
20210
20220
20230
20241
20252
20262

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Visibility/wiper

4 reports
“Vehicles rear windshield spontaneously shattered. Vehicle was idle and upon starting the vehicle a cracking sound was heard in the cabin and the rear view mirror was unusable as the rear windshield was entirely shattered into <1 inch pieces. Small pieces of loose glass had fallen from both upper corners of the windshield. The windshield is still attached to the vehicle and rear visibility is severely limited. No third-party inspections have been executed. There was no previous damage to the windshield and the car was idling when the failure occurred. There were no indications of potential failure before the incident.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 17, 2025Visibility/wiperODI 11667552

Steering

2 reports1 crash
“Happened at US 101 Southbound 0.1 MILES SOUTH of RENGSTORFF AVENUE. “Power Steering Malfunction” light came on, then suddenly after 1 second, the car’s steering went stiff and suddenly braked while at freeway speed flow of traffic. Car then sharply veered left into center divider due to automatic sudden braking with no control of the steering wheel”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 13, 2026Steering, Electrical systemCrash reportedODI 11717758

Power train

1 report1 related recall
“I am filing this complaint regarding a manual transmission failure on my 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata (VIN: [XXX] ) at 55,000 miles. The failure occurred without warning while driving, causing immediate and significant transmission malfunction. Mazda issued Technical Service Bulletin 05 [XXX] c addressing this exact defect — defective synchros in 2nd and 3rd gear causing grinding, inability to engage gears, and transmission failure. My VIN falls within the TSB coverage range. The cutoff is sequential number XXX and my sequential number is XXX, placing me within the affected range. Despite this documented defect and my vehicle being under Mazda's Powertrain Limited Warranty at time of failure (under 60,000 miles), Mazda refused full coverage. The dealer offered only 50% goodwill. I escalated to the Mazda regional representative, who also declined full coverage and redirected me back to the dealer — evasive given the documented nature of this defect. This is not isolated. Multiple 2016–2017 MX-5 owners have reported identical failures, and a Mazda engineer publicly acknowledged on video that weak transmission tolerances cause gear teeth to shear under load. Active…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 19, 2026Power trainODI 11725675

Electrical system

1 report1 crash

Tires

1 report
“I have 205/45/R 17 on a car that I drive on short trips maybe once a week or two. Driving on the highway, the tpms light came on and the handling was instantly strange. I pulled over and checked the tire, the sidewall was blown out on the passenger rear. I had it replaced. Now about 2 months later, the right rear went flat after a trip. I took it to be repaired and was told that the sidewall was splitting and it could not be repaired. I am concerned that this may not be coincidence.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 25, 2025TiresODI 11689772

Air bags

1 report1 related recall
“Airbag recall mail received from Mazda, when trying to book online mazdausa.com service depart denies vehicle has a recall and refused to schedule appointment”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 14, 2024Air bagsODI 11625369
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.