2011 Mazda MX-5

Routine

Owners filed 1 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the exterior lighting. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Exterior Lighting1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Exterior Lighting
Filed Jul 12, 20117 milesAZ

TOOK POSSESSION OF NEW CAR 3/31/2001. DROVE IT THAT NIGHT AND SUCCEEDING NIGHTS ON THE TWO LANE ROAD AROUND THE AREA WHERE I LIVE. I ENCOUNTERED NUMEROUS INCIDENTS WHERE THE ONCOMING AUTO WOULD FLASH THEIR BRIGHT LIGHTS AT ME, BUT MY LIGHTS WERE ALREADY IN THE DIM MODE. I CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO ADJUST THE HEADLIGHT BEAM LOWER. I CONTACTED MAZDA USA THREE TIMES WITH NO RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAT TO THE DEALER WHERE I TOLD THEM THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THE LIGHT BEAM IS SET AT THE FACTORY. ON A SUBSEQUENT TRIP TO CARLSBAD, NM WE DECIDED TO TAKE A COUNT OF THE NUMBER OF ONCOMING CARS PASSING US, AND THE NUMBER OF TIMES THEY FLASHED THEIR BRIGHT AT US (OUR LIGHTS WERE ON DIM). WE MET A TOTAL OF 1,232 VEHICLE. OF THOSE, 471 FLASHED THEIR HIGH BEAMS AT US; THAT'S 38&. I KEEP BEING TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT MY LIGHTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BRIGHT. I AGREE, BUT THE SHOULD NOT BLIND THE DRIVER IN THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. I HAVE TO APPLY TAPE OVER THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT TO "FIX" THE PROBLEM AND NOW I GET ZERO BRIGHT BEAM FLASHES FROM ONCOMING CARS. OTHER AUTO MANUFACTURERS OFFER THE SAME TYPE OF LIGHTING FOR THEIR PRODUCE, BUT THEY ALSO INSTALL A DIAL THAT IS USED TO ADJUST THE LIGHT BEAMS UP AND DOWN. THIS CAR DOES NOT HAVE SUCH A DEVICE. AFFIXING AN UGLY PIECE OF TAPE TO MY CAT IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED WHEN I PAID $ 34,000 FOR THIS AUTOMOBILE , AND I CANNOT GET ANYONE WHO IS WILLING TO HELP ME FIND A REASONABLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND HONOR THE 3-

1 of 1 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2016
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20261000Routine
20253100Routine
20245100Routine
20237100Routine
20225100Routine
20211100Routine
20203100Routine
201911300Routine
20183300Routine
201711200Routine
201634300Routine
20151000Routine
20146000Routine
20132000Routine
20125000Routine
2011 — this page1000Routine
20104000Routine
20093000Routine
20087000Routine
200717000Routine
200625100Routine

Compare every MX-5 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.