2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 2about this part
- Share
- 14%of 14 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 37,825miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 2 complaints about the steering of the 2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata, 14% of the 14 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 37,825 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
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.
“Every since I purchased my car on 5/7/03, I have been having hard starts--more than 24 times. In addition, when the car was less than a year old, another dealer told me all 4 rims were bent. I also had a racing issue occur 3 times on sat. 3/12. I have taken the car back to the dealer 3 times for the two intermittent problems. Recently, they fixed the hard start by replacing the battery but they charged me for it. They should not have charged me if this is what caused the hard starts since day one. I told them this but they said they didn't find the battery to be a problem then. …”
NHTSA complaint #10116762, filed 2005-04, 650 miles“The contact owns a 2003 Mazda miata. While driving approximately 35 MPH, it became difficult for the contact to steer the vehicle. While turning left, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into an electrical pole. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a private tow lot. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10715373, filed 2015-05, 75,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10186693Jan 21, 2021Mazda has developed factory recommended scheduled maintenance services that support all major vehicle systems. Mazda recommends dealers follow the scheduled maintenance tables as…
Steering: other model years
Other parts of the 2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata
2 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsElectrical system
1 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsFuel system
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaintsTires
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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