2005 Mazda Miata Mx-5

2005 Mazda Miata/MX-5 Convertible

Overall

Not Rated

Front Crash

Not Rated

Side Crash

Not Rated

Rollover

Not Rated

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I HAVE HAD THE HEADLIGHT COMBINATION SWITCH, PART NUMBER NC11-66-122 FAIL IN THIS MAZDA MIATA 6 TIMES. AFTER THE FIRST REPLACEMENT I NOTICED ALL THE SUBSEQUENT FAILURES WERE DUE TO A MECHANICAL FAILURE IN THE SWITCH AND NOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM CAUSING THE FAILURE. WHEN THE SWITCH FAILS, I TURN IT TO EITHER PARKING LIGHTS OR HEADLIGHT POSITION AND THE LIGHTS WILL NOT COME ON UNLESS I PHYSICALLY CONTINUE TURNING THE SWITCH PAST IT'S "ON" POSITION. SOON AS I RELEASE THE SWITCH AND IT FALLS BACK INTO THE "ON" POSITION, THE LIGHTS GO OFF. THE FIRST 4 REPLACEMENTS WERE PERFORMED BY MAZDA DEALERS UNDER WARRANTY. OF COURSE, THEY DO NOT TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, THEY MERELY REPLACE IT. THE FIFTH REPLACEMENT I WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE DEFECTIVE PART AND I DISASSEMBLE IT AND FOUND THE CONTACTS WERE NOT TOUCHING UNLESS THE SWITCH WAS TURNED PAST THE "ON". I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE 6TH COMBINATION SWITCH REPLACED. ON THIS PRESENT FAILURE I CAN ALSO PHYSICALLY PUSH THE SWITCH INWARD AND THE LIGHTS MOMENTARILY COME ON THEN TURN OFF WHEN I RELEASE THE INWARD PRESSURE. MY ASSESSMENT OF THE PROBLEM IS A POORLY MANUFACTURED SWITCH. IT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY HAZARD SHOULD THE SWITCH FAIL AT NIGHT. FAILURE DATE MILEAGE SERVICED BY 02-25-2008 13737 MAZDA OF LONGMONT 05-26-2009 23744 SPRADLEY BARR MAZDA 01-18-2010 29206 SPRADLEY BARR MAZDA 06-01 2010 35084 SPRADLEY BARR MAZDA 10-25-2012 58656 COYOTE MOTORS 03-??-2015 72300 PART ON ORDER BY COURTESY MAZDA, LONGMONT

SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE

PURCHASED THIS USED 2005 MAZDA MIATA ABOUT A MONTH AGO. SERVICING MANY COMPONENTS SINCE PURCHASE AND LEARNING ABOUT THIS VEHICLE. FOUND BLOG ABOUT PREMATURE FRAME RAIL RUST ON MANY MIATA'S (SHOCKED TO FIND OUT MANY MIATA'S HAVE THIS, AND DISAPPOINTED THAT I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PREMATURE FRAME RAIL FAILURE UNDER ENGINE OF VEHICLE. HERE IS THE LINK TO ONE OF THE BLOGS (ACCORDING TO THIS SITE, NATIONAL MAZDA HAS BEEN WILLING TO DO NOTHING FOR MAZDA OWNERS TO THIS POINT). HTTP://FORUM.MIATA.NET/VB/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=397790&PAGE=6 ANYWAY, AFTER READING 6 LONG PAGES OF PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM THIS, I WENT OUT THIS MORNING AND TOOK MY PLASTIC PANEL OFF, BELOW THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, AND I HAVE THE EARLY STAGES OF IT. THERE ARE LOTS OF MIATA'S ON THE ROAD, AND SOME OF THEM ARE DEATH TRAPS WAITING TO HAPPEN, IF THE RUSTY FRAME RAIL FAILS DURING DRIVING. *TR

WHEELS

WE HAVE A 2005 MAZDA MX 5, WITH 29000+MILES. THE RT FRONT TIRE KEPT GOING DOWN AND NOTHING WAS IN THE TIRE. EXAMINATION REVEALED A CRACK IN THE OUTER RIM EDGE. CRACKED FROM THE INSIDE TO THE OUTSIDE. THIS CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN ANY INCIDENTS BUT IN THE PAST ONE OF THE REAR TIRES CAME OFF THE RIM WITH NO EXPLINATION AS TO THE CAUSE. THIS WHEEL WAS NOT THE SAME WHEEL INVOLVED. BUT THE CRACK IS VERY REAL. WE HAVE OWNED IT SINCE NEW. THE TIRE HAS NEVER BEEN OFF THE RIM SINCE NEW. *TR

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY 2005 MAZDA TRIBUTE BEGAN TO VIBRATE UNCONTROLLABLY, SKIPS AND MAKING LOUD POPPING NOISES. THE CAR THAN SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY IN TRAFFIC. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THE COMPUTER WAS COMPLETELY BURNED UP. THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND SO THEY FIXED IT AT NO COST TO ME WHICH WAS 2,000 DOLLARS. HOWEVER, I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR BUYING NEW KEYS WHICH COST 600 DOLLARS. MY CAR IS CURRENT IN THE SHOP WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE IGNITION COILS TWICE. IT HAS BEEN LESS THAN A YEAR. *TR

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,VISIBILITY,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,TIRES,SEATS,EQUIPMENT

BEING IN ONE DEALER 4 TIMES AND ANOTHER ONE TIME. STILL NOT FIXED WHINING NOISE IN BACK, TICKING AND CLICKING NOISE IN ROTOR/ BRAKE, AIR CONDITIONER, HEAT, ROUGH DRIVE, AND SEAT SAGGING. NEW DEALER VERIFIED THE PROBLEMS, AND SAID ALL WAS THE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR, BUT WE FIXED THE ROTOR/BRAKE NOISE BY RESURFACING THE ROTOR. THE FIRST DEALER ALREADY DID THE RESURFACING. BUT NO FIX. THAT WASA WHAT 2D DEALER VERIFIED IN 1ST PLACE. I DID NOT HAVE ANY MORE TIME TO WASTE BY GOING TO 3RD DEALER. NOT FIX AS OF 4/9/07. WHAT ELSE I NEED TO DO? CAR HAS 36,OOO MILES. *AK

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN

I PURCHASED A USED 2005 MAZDA MIATA 5-SPEED IN APRIL 2006 WITH 7860 MILES ON THE ODOMETER FROM THE LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALER. I HAD NOT DRIVEN THE VEHICLE OUT OF TOWN UNTIL OCTOBER 2006. ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY I NOTICED THE VEHICLE HAD INADEQUATE POWER TO SAFELY DRIVE AT THE SPEED LIMIT (80 MPH). TOP SPEED IS ONLY 82 MPH @ 4200 RPM IN FIFTH GEAR (SHOULD BE 120 MPH PLUS) AND ACCELERATION UP A HILL IS BAD. I MUST DOWNSHIFT AND FLOOR THE ACCELERATOR TO MAINTAIN SPEED UP HILL AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT HOLD THE SPEED. TRYING TO PASS A SLOW VEHICLE UPHILL IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. THE VEHICLE IS IN THE LOCAL MAZDA DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY HAVE NOT FOUND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED AS REQUIRED AT THE MAZDA DEALER AND HAVE EVEN REPLACED THE AIR FILTER WHEN NOT REQUIRED. THIS VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE OTHER THAN ON FLAT, LOW SPEED, CITY ROADS. *NM

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

2005 MAZDA 3 SEDAN HAS HAD THE FOLLOWING FUEL/STALL FAILURES OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS. 1ST INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY, CAR STALLED AND HAD TO PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES AND ATTEMPTS. 2ND INCIDENT, CAR WAS PARKED IN OWNERS DRIVEWAY AND FAILED TO START (LACK OF FUEL), 3RD INCIDENT CAR AGAIN PARKED IN OWNERS DRIVEWAY AND FAILED TO START (FUEL STARVATION). ALL THREE TIMES THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP AND NOTHING WAS REPAIRED. DEALERSHIP SERVICE ADVISORS CLAIMED THAT FUEL STARVATION/STALLING COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE FUEL STARVATION/STALLING SEEMS TO HAPPENED RANDOMLY, BUT THE RISK OF IT STALLING DURING DRIVING IS A VERY UNSAFE HAZARD. *NM

POWER TRAIN

WHILE DRIVING MY MAZDA 2000 PROTEGE(AUTOMATIC) HOME FROM FRIENDS ON JULY 4 TH, NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A BIG JERK FROM TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE STARTED REWING AT ~4K TO ~5K AND THE CAR WAS LOOSING POWER. I WAS DOING 55 MPH AT THE TIME AND THE SPEED CAME DOWN TO 40 MPH. FROM THAT POINT ON CAR WOULD NOT GO BEYOND 40 MPH AND ENGINE STILL KEEPS REWING AT THAT SPEED. I WAS ON A HIGHWAY IN THE CAR ALONE AND WAS FEARED FOR LIFE THAT THE ENGINE REWING WITH LOUD NOICE WOULD BLOW ON ME. HAD TO TAKE LOCAL ROADS TO MAKE IT TO HOME. THE CAR HAS 37K MILES ON IT AND WAS GENTLY DRIVEN. ALL THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE WORK WAS PERFORMED. DEALER AFTER PERFORMING THE DIAGNOSTICS CAME BACK WITH THERE WAS AN INTERNAL FAILURE WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED COSTING OVER $2600.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER NEW MAZDA 3 (5 DR HATCHBACK) TO WORK. SHE APPLIED FULL THROTTLE ACCELERATION TO PASS A SLOW MOVING CAR. AFTER COMPLETING THE PASS, AND BACKING OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR STAYED AT MAX THROTTLE/RPM. SHE HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN NUETRAL TO SLOW DOWN AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF REDLINE RPM, THE THROTTLE CAME DOWN TO IDLE. I DROVE THE CAR A FEW DAYS LATER AND WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE SAME PROBLEM. SUBSEQUNETLY, 2 DEALERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM OR ISOLATE A FAILURE. WE ARE VERY LEARY OF DRIVING THIS CAR, AND ARE FEARFUL THIS WILL CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN.*AK

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

MADZA 2005 TRIBUTE, CCASIONAL BRAKE FAILURE - 3 TIMES - BRAKES WORK FINE, THEN GO NEARLY TO FLOOR WHEN FAILS. THE ENGINE SPEEDS UP SLIGHTLY, JUST LIKE HITTING THE CLUTCH BEFORE BRAKES. THE DEALER IS REPLACING THE MASTER CYCLINDER, BUT I THINK THE PROBLEM IS A RACE CONDITION BETWEEN THE AWD AND THE BRAKES - THE AWD MIGHT THINK THAT THE BRAKES ARE REALLY AN INDICATION OF SLIPPAGE, SO THE AWD TELLS THE ABS NOT TO ACTIVATE. THE DEALER CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW THE BRAKES RECOVER IF THE MASTER CYLINDER IS AT FAULT. I ALSO SUSPECT THAT THE DEALER "ERASED" ANY PREVIOUS INFORMATION CONCERNING REPAIRS ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAD BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WITH 4005 MILES AND THE BRAKES FAILED ME THREE TIMES ALREADY IN THE NEXT 800 MILES. *AK