1992 Mazda MX-5 Miata problems & reliability
22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1992 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 5 | 23% |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 23% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 14% |
| Visibility | 3 | 14% |
| Tires | 2 | 9% |
| Equipment | 1 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 5% |
| Power Train | 1 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 5% |
| Structure | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 12 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“When car is started after not used for several hours, the air bag light displays continuously during start period but then changes to blinking. Continues blinking until car is stopped and ignition turned off. When car is immediately started again, light turns off after initial start period, as expected, blinking does…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 23, 2019
“Takata recall my 1992 mazda miata's airbag light is flashing on the dash, and there is a soft beep heard,which is intermittent. The flashing starts as soon as the car is started, and it continues while in motion. There is a pause between a series of airbag light flashes. The beep is soft and started within the last…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 27, 2018
“The accident occurred when a pedestrian darted out into a crosswalk. The first car slammed on the breaks. The car behind it slammed on their breaks, and I was the car behind the second car. I tried to avoid the car in front of me, but my car did not stop in time. I was traveling at approximately 30 mph on a side…”
Structure · filed May 21, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
9 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1992 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
Radio Unlocking Codes.
MT-002-22 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2022
Speedometer replacement procedure
0900716 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 17, 2016
Conditions with steering wheel slightly off center. *yc
00198 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 15, 1998
Pre-painting preparations for front and rear bumpers. *yc
97102302097 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 23, 1997
USE OF A/C TRACER DYE. *TW
008/97 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 19, 1997
Parts replacement after airbag deployment. *tw
007/97T · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 25, 1997
Maintenance free battery - diagnostic and charging procedure. *tw
001/97G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 8, 1997
Wiper motor inoperative - circuit breaker activation. *tw
003/97G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 19, 1997
UNKNOWN
H003/95 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 1995
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1992 Mazda MX-5 Miata in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1992 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.