2001 Mazda MX-5 Miata Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 2about this part
- Share
- 9%of 22 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 79,682miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 2 complaints about the engine of the 2001 Mazda MX-5 Miata, 9% of the 22 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 79,682 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Driving at highway speeds for approx. 20 minutes when car engine started to violently shake and stall out. Narrowly made it to road shoulder, with 2 vehicles making emergency moves to avoid collision with me. Afterwards my vehicle would only start after waiting periods of 10-15 minutes, and then only run for 5-10 minutes before same engine issue would occur. After numerous starts and stalls, and 4 hours later arrived at car repair shop. …”
NHTSA complaint #10459780, filed 2012-05, 79,682 miles“The po012 engine light keeps coming on . I understand there was a recall on this 2001-2002 Mazda miata mx-5 . I think Mazda replaced the ecu too eliminate the code. Please help. Thanks dale”
NHTSA complaint #11012974, filed 2017-08Related service bulletins
- 11009653Oct 26, 2024Some vehicles may crank but not start due to a PCM/Immobilizer malfunction. If this happens, check the status of Recall 3505H. NOTE: Effective July 2020 recall 3505H can no…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2 | 9% |
| 2000 | 1 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2001 Mazda MX-5 Miata
5 complaintsBrakes
2 complaintsEngine cooling
2 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
2 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaintsSuspension
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsTires
1 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2001 Mazda MX-5 Miata
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology