There are 3 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2004 Mazda MX-5 Miatain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE CAR HAS A INTERMITTENT PROBLEM RUNNING, IT HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING. LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS ALMOST RUN OVER BY A 18 WHEELER. I HAVE MENTIONED IT TO THE DEALER AND NO RECALL EXISTS THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD ON THIS MODEL AS NOTED BY MEMBERS OF MIAT ACAR CLUBS. BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT OWN UP TO THE PROBLEM EXTENSIVE TESTING HAS BEEN DONE BY OUR CAR FORUM. REPLACING THE MAP SENSOR CURES THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 90 DAYS BUT AT 100 DOLLARS A POP IT IS A LITTLE EXPENSIVE. CARS THAT HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM HAVE BEEN MODIFIED TO RUN WITHOUT A MAP SENSOR AND THIS HAS CURED THE PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY THE CURE IS 2000 BUCKS. I HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM FOR 2 YEARS NOW AND WOULD LIKE SOME HELP FIXING IT. *TR
CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I CAME TO A STOP AT A TOLL BOOTH. WHEN I WENT TO PULL AWAY THE CAR WOULD HARDLY ACCELERATE. ANY AMOUNT OF THROTTLE WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO BOG OUT. SEEMS VERY LIKELY A CRASH COULD OCCUR IF THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED AT THE WRONG TIME. THIS IS SPECIFICALLY A PROBLEM WITH THE MAZDASPEED MODEL OF THE MX-5. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MAZDA MIATA. WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AFTER A STOP, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE FOUR TIMES, HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER REFUSED TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 23,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026