Mazda RX-7 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 271 consumer complaints across the 9 model years of the Mazda RX-7 (1984–1994) that have at least 5 complaints. 1993 has the most, with 82. Across all years, the part named most often is fuel system (87 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All RX-7 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 18 | 98,000 | 3 | 8 | — | Stable |
| 1993 | 82 | 51,976 | 3 | 8 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 22 | 127,940 | 1 | 1 | — | Falling |
| 1990 | 28 | 81,000 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1989 | 30 | 95,000 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1988 | 24 | 134,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1987 | 51 | 145,550 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1986 | 11 | 117,000 | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1984 | 5 | 100,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Fuel system87 32%
- Engine cooling66 24%
- Seat belts54 20%
- Electrical system37 14%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)10 3.7%
- Brakes7 2.6%
- Other or unknown6 2.2%
- Body and structure5 1.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1987: “I routinely started the car for a nice sunday drive and while I was waiting for the car to warm up I noticed fuel leaking on the ground. I immediately shut the car off and discovered that fuel had leaked all over the top of the engine and was running down the side and onto the exhaust. The fuel leak was coming from the fuel pulsation damper located on the primary fuel injector rail. …”
NHTSA complaint #10278350, filed 2009-07, 127,504 miles1986: “The car is a daily driver and has never been driven beyond the avg daily abuse. One day I return home and in the driveway the car stals and I start it again and it staled again, upon opening the hood I m greeted with a bbq size fire on the intake manifold. I put it out with water and let it cool, being a mechanic I replaced the pulsation dampner with a banjo bolt to fix the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10111998, filed 2005-02, 117,000 miles1990: “There was a recall issued for my car for the automatic shoulder belt on 02-17-1997, campaign # 68702. Mine was originally repaired on 05-23-2006. It has since failed again and my local Mazda dealer, # 23963, ran a report showing that the status was closed because it was fixed once. As a safety issue, I thought that this recall covered the problem for the car's lifetime, at least for the original owner which I am. I would like your help resolving this issue as the automatic shoulder belt on the driver's side, the one previously repaired, is not working again. …”
NHTSA complaint #10735427, filed 2015-07, 151,426 milesOther Mazda models
3,125 complaintsMazda MAZDA3
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2,469 complaintsMazda MAZDA6
2,232 complaintsMazda Tribute
2,098 complaintsMazda CX-9
1,493 complaintsMazda CX-7
1,133 complaintsMazda Protege
1,074 complaints
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. Methodology