2018 Mazda MX-5
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Mazda › MX-5 › 2018
These records cover every 2018 Mazda MX-5. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 2018 Mazda MX-5. Newest first.
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."
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3, Mazda6, 2019 CX-3, 2018-2019 MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and 2019-2020 Mazda2 vehicles. The impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Fuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016-2019 MX-5 (Miata) vehicles with automatic transmissions. Due to incorrect programming of the Transmission Control Module (TCM), certain conditions may cause the vehicle to unexpectedly downshift and abruptly decelerate.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the vehicle abruptly downshifts, the driver may lose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the TCM with corrected software, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3019A.
Owner complaints
3 complaints
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Power train
2018 Mazda Miata MX-5 Club Sport, manual transmission Heading home from a friends house that evening, transmission started whirring/whining in 6th gear, then 5th, and so on through 2nd - 1st gear seems to be unaffected. I was forced to apply hazard flashers and travel well below the speed limit in…
2018 Mazda Miata MX-5 Club Sport, manual transmission Heading home from a friends house that evening, transmission started whirring/whining in 6th gear, then 5th, and so on through 2nd - 1st gear seems to be unaffected. I was forced to apply hazard flashers and travel well below the speed limit in the right lane of the PA turnpike until I made my way to local roads. As I got closer to home, there was also a slight crunch between gears. All of the symptoms above got worse until arriving home, where the vehicle was parked to await diagnosis/repair. 2016+ Mazda Miata MX-5 manual transmissions are infamous for being fragile, but I never expected my transmission to fail before I reached 20,000 miles on the odometer. Mazda also refused to refund it due to my car being just months out of warranty. I am now out $2000+ from sourcing a new transmission and having it installed on a relatively new car, which is unheard of.
- Electrical system · Engine · Vehicle speed control
I've owned my 2018 mazda MX-5 for about two years. The problems slow started arising. At first I hadn't noticed, but when going in and out of 'drive' the vehicle felt like it was either going to stall or accelerate. I had initially thought was because it's a 'sports car.' in august of 2020 the…
I've owned my 2018 mazda MX-5 for about two years. The problems slow started arising. At first I hadn't noticed, but when going in and out of 'drive' the vehicle felt like it was either going to stall or accelerate. I had initially thought was because it's a 'sports car.' in august of 2020 the window regulator on the passenger side had malfunctioned. Fast forward to december 2020, the driver side window regulator has malfunction as well. I've been doing research as to why this would happen to a vehicle that's about 2 years old. I've purchased the vehicle october of 2018. Internet forums suggested faults with the electrical wiring. I've informed the mazda official website of these issues and informed them of the inconvenience. Make note I have only made a complaint to the window regulators failing. I've provided them with my vin and yet to hear from them since. It didn't occur to me to do research on my vin, so I did and much to my chagrin after apologizing for possibly being rude, I find that my vehicle has had a serious recall since february 01ST of 2019. A year and 10 months and no recall notice what so ever! Shouldn't the dealership know of the problems! Seriously I could have died! I quote, directly from nhtsa, 'the sudden unexpected downshift while driving may negatively affect the stability of the vehicle, and could lead to a loss of vehicle control, potentially resulting in a crash.' this IS incredibly depressing, since this IS my only means of transportation. They had close to 2 years to inform me of this recall and I had to find out myself.
- Structure › Body
Started from creak noise as car start to move, accelerate or stop. Now it developed to some ticking noise every time car accelerate or decelerate. the car IS only at about 9700 mi went to spreen mazda loma linda ca to inspect the car. They said it IS normal and come back when it gets worse
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 11011345CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM CSP12 - DENSO LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM WARRANTY EXTENSION: Attention ALL Mazda Dealers: This is a Warranty Extension and not a recall campaign. Repairs are not to be made unless there is a confirmed low-pressure fuel pump failure within the coverage period. As of November 18, 2024 Repair Procedures and Parts and Warranty documents are available.
- 11011341CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM CSP12 - DENSO LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM WARRANTY EXTENSION: Attention ALL Mazda Dealers: This is a Warranty Extension and not a recall campaign. Repairs are not to be made unless there is a confirmed low-pressure fuel pump failure within the coverage period. As of November 18, 2024 Repair Procedures and Parts and Warranty documents are available.
- 11011338CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM CSP12 - DENSO LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM WARRANTY EXTENSION: Attention ALL Mazda Dealers: This is a Warranty Extension and not a recall campaign. Repairs are not to be made unless there is a confirmed low-pressure fuel pump failure within the coverage period. As of November 18, 2024 Repair Procedures and Parts and Warranty documents are available.
- 11011336CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM CSP12 - DENSO LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM WARRANTY EXTENSION: Attention ALL Mazda Dealers: This is a Warranty Extension and not a recall campaign. Repairs are not to be made unless there is a confirmed low-pressure fuel pump failure within the coverage period. As of November 18, 2024 Repair Procedures and Parts and Warranty documents are available.
- 11011331CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM CSP12 - DENSO LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM WARRANTY EXTENSION: Attention ALL Mazda Dealers: This is a Warranty Extension and not a recall campaign. Repairs are not to be made unless there is a confirmed low-pressure fuel pump failure within the coverage period. As of November 18, 2024 Repair Procedures and Parts and Warranty documents are available.
- 11011326CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM CSP12 - DENSO LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM WARRANTY EXTENSION: Attention ALL Mazda Dealers: This is a Warranty Extension and not a recall campaign. Repairs are not to be made unless there is a confirmed low-pressure fuel pump failure within the coverage period. As of November 18, 2024 Repair Procedures and Parts and Warranty documents are available.
- 11011141Some customers may report concerns with interior upholstery surface stains particularly on high contact areas (e.g.: seats, steering wheel, door panels, shifter...etc.). This may be caused by skin oils or chemicals such as hand lotions.
- 11009644Some vehicles exhibit brake related concerns such as brake noise, brake judder or brake dragging. If you encounter a customer complaint for any one of these symptoms, refer to the following information to understand why symptoms may occur, and to better assist the customer in resolving their specific brake concern.
- 11008577Some customers may complain about scratches on the instrument cluster lens.
- 11007029For improvement of electrical diagnosis, the SKYACTIV Wiring Terminal Test Kits has been delivered all the dealers. The terminal test kit enables you: To check pin fit drag of all PCM terminals used in SKYACTIV vehicles and compare suspect terminal drag with a known good terminal. To measure the voltage/resistance avoiding any terminal damage.
- 11007022Some vehicles may experience exterior trim heat damage such (melted, separating, etc.) when parked near a glass building or Low-E windows. This may be caused by the sun's reflection.
- 11007019If you encounter any type of electrical concern (e.g, dead battery, engine no start, DTC(s) stored...), interview the customer before proceeding with normal MGSS diagnosis by asking if any aftermarket devices have been installed. Aftermarket devices may be the cause of the electrical concern. Below are a few examples of unusual electrical concerns caused by aftermarket devices.
- 11007018Interior parts made of resin have antistatic coating to prevent dust from sticking on the surfaces, and depending on the conditions of use, the antistatic components may crystallize slightly, giving an appearance of white stains on the surface. To remove the stains, wipe the stained surface with a towel soaked with water mixed with a small portion of a neutral detergent. If the white stains reappear again, simply wipe them again in the same way.
- 11007013Auxiliary key blank cutting procedure. There are currently 2 methods for cutting a new auxiliary key blank. A. Auxiliary Key Trace Cut Method B. Auxiliary Key Code Cut Method
- 11007010Some customer's might state that they notice fluid or oil leaking/dripping on the ground when the vehicle is parked. For this concern, inspect the vehicle for any trace of a fluid or oil leak and use the following examples as a guide to determine if it is severe enough to require a repair, or just to clean the area and monitor it at the next service.
- 11007009Some vehicles exhibit brake related concerns such as brake noise, brake judder or brake dragging. If you encounter a customer complaint for any one of these symptoms, refer to the following information to understand why symptoms may occur, and to better assist the customer in resolving their specific brake concern.
- 11006998Use the symptom troubleshooting tables below to diagnose MAZDA CONNECT concerns.
- 11006987In accordance with Federal regulations, follow the procedure listed below when replacing a speedometer. NOTE: Tampering with a motor vehicle odometer is strictly prohibited by Federal, and State laws. It is the dealers responsibility to comply with Federal, State, and local laws concerning odometer and related documentation requirements when providing a repair or replacement. Mazda vehicles are manufactured with tamper-proof speedometers. When a speedometer is replaced, the new speedometer will read zero (0) miles. This procedure is extremely important to accurately represent actual vehicle mileage. Prior to speedometer removal, complete the information required on the Speedometer Replacement Label. Labels can only be ordered through Mazda eStore. In an effort to achieve a higher level of Customer Experience and retain the value of Mazdas vehicles, MNAO Warranty Operations is allowing all Mazda dealers to utilize a third party, SPECMO Enterprises, Inc., for Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) odometer setting service. With the use of SPECMOs services, it is possible that the odometer will be set between 10 to 31 miles over the odometer mileage at the time of replacement for both warranty and customer pay repairs. Please make sure that the customer is aware that there may be a slight variance to the odometer, in which case the customer may have to accept the slightly higher mileage. Since odometer setting service is not part of the warranty repair, it is not warrantable nor required, but optional. However, Mazda Warranty policy provides after- warranty assistance (AWA) or DSA that can be utilized to cover this service expense.
- 11005671Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as cited in the vehicle-specific workshop manual or owner's manual. Services performed outside of Mazda's factory scheduled maintenance are not recommended. These services are unnecessary and create unneeded expenses for your customers.
- 11005546Some vehicles may exhibit scratches (1) on the rear of the seat back bar garnish (2) from contact with the convertible top (3). Due to assembly variations, the clearance between the seat back bar garnish and the convertible top is too small on some vehicles.
- 11003398Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as cited in the vehicle-specific workshop manual or owner's manual. Services performed outside of Mazda's factory scheduled maintenance are not recommended. These services are unnecessary and create unneeded expenses for your customers.
- 11003397Some automotive cleaning products contain strong acid or alkali. When these types of cleaners are used to clean the wheels on Mazda vehicles, the chemicals contents penetrate the clear coating of the wheel surface and damage the paint under the clear coating. The damaged area has the appearance of dark stains or discoloration.
- 11003396Some vehicles exhibit brake related concerns such as brake noise, brake judder or brake dragging. If you encounter a customer complaint for any one of these symptoms, refer to the following information to understand why symptoms may occur, and to better assist the customer in resolving their specific brake concern.
- 11003223Some vehicles may exhibit the inner cloth (A) falling down at the rear end causing a poor appearance and obstructing the view of the back window. This is caused by: CASE A: The J-hook binding holding the inner cloth coming loose because the convertible top is opened/closed a lot or from high ambient temperatures. CASE B: After the previous improvement carried out at the supplier since January 19, 2016, some J-hooks have still been found coming loose to bind and hold the inner cloth during the assembly process. To correct the problem: CASE A: Two top-protector clips have been additionally installed to both side edges of the J-hook to prevent the J-hook from loosening and separating. CASE B: An improved inspection process has been started at the supplier to check the appearance of the inner cloth after installation of the clip.
- 11000785The Mazda DCA-8000 is required for all warranty battery testing. If the Mazda DCA-8000 is not used, incorrect battery testing may result in unnecessary battery replacement. Use the following test procedures in this Service Bulletin to test Mazda vehicle batteries and to generate a Warranty Code. NOTE: A Warranty Code is required for warranty claim submission
- 11000775There is a concern that some water pumps are being replaced that are not faulty, due to signs of a very small coolant leak from the bleed hole. This Service Alert is to inform you about the water pump sealing mechanism and the criteria if replacement is necessary or not.
- 11000772Some customers may complain that the ambient temperature on the instrument cluster is displayed more than 50 F (10 C) lower than the actual temperature, resulting in insufficient performance of the air conditioning. This is caused by inappropriate soldering in the ambient temperature sensor. To eliminate this concern, the soldering process has been enhanced at the supplier.
- 10254191Some automotive cleaning products contain strong acid or alkali. When these types of cleaners are used to clean the wheels on Mazda vehicles, the chemicals contents penetrate the clear coating of the wheel surface and damage the paint under the clear coating. The damaged area has the appearance of dark stains or discoloration.
- 10254188Some customers may complain that the ambient temperature on the instrument cluster is displayed more than 50 F (10 C) lower than the actual temperature, resulting in insufficient performance of the air conditioning. This is caused by inappropriate soldering in the ambient temperature sensor. To eliminate this concern, the soldering process has been enhanced at the supplier.
- 10254187Some customers may complain about infotainment center display. Peeling, spider cracks and white dots.
- 10252508Some vehicles exhibit brake related concerns such as brake noise, brake judder or brake dragging. If you encounter a customer complaint for any one of these symptoms, refer to the following information to understand why symptoms may occur, and to better assist the customer in resolving their specific brake concern.
- 10252507Due to limitations, certain vehicles from 2016 to current models might display an inaccurate transmission part number in the Global Electronic Parts Catalog (GEPC). To provide support in such cases, a temporary lookup guide has been developed for assistance.
- 10252375Some vehicles may exhibit crack(s) on the left and/or right side retractable hardtop quarter garnish (1). The molding material on the retractable hardtop quarter garnish may accelerate the deterioration of the quarter garnish, resulting in the cracks. To eliminate this concern, the molding material on the retractable hardtop quarter garnish has been improved.
- 10252372Some vehicles may exhibit scratches (1) on the rear of the seat back bar garnish (2) from contact with the convertible top (3).
- 10251368Use the symptom troubleshooting tables below to diagnose MAZDA CONNECT concerns.
- 10233704Some customers may report an odor or water in the HVAC system and upon inspection, the cabin air filter may be found to be wet.
- 10233698Some vehicles may exhibit scratches (1) on the rear of the seat back bar garnish (2) from contact with the convertible top. Due to assembly variations, the clearance between the seat back bar garnish and the convertible top is too small on some vehicles.
- 10233669There are currently 2 methods for cutting a new auxiliary key blank. A. Auxiliary Key Trace Cut Method. B. Auxiliary Key Code Cut Method
- 10232300Some customers may complain that the ambient temperature on the instrument cluster is displayed more than 50 F (10C) lower than the actual temperature, resulting in insufficient performance of the air conditioning. This is caused by inappropriate soldering in the ambient temperature sensor. To eliminate this concern, the soldering process has been enhanced since December 2021 at the supplier.
- 10232299Speedometer replacement procedure
Every Mazda MX-5 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.