2018 Mazda Miata MX-5 Club Sport, manual transmission Heading home from a friends house that evening, transmission started whirring/whining in 6th gear, then 5th, and so on through 2nd - 1st gear seems to be unaffected. I was forced to apply hazard flashers and travel well below the speed limit in the right lane of the PA turnpike until I made my way to local roads. As I got closer to home, there was also a slight crunch between gears. All of the symptoms above got worse until arriving home, where the vehicle was parked to await diagnosis/repair. 2016+ Mazda Miata MX-5 manual transmissions are infamous for being fragile, but I never expected my transmission to fail before I reached 20,000 miles on the odometer. Mazda also refused to refund it due to my car being just months out of warranty. I am now out $2000+ from sourcing a new transmission and having it installed on a relatively new car, which is unheard of.
The worst 2018 Mazda MX-5 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Electrical1
- Engine1
- Transmission1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Electrical1
- Engine1
- Transmission1
Recalls 3
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module: software
- What is wrong
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016-2023 MX-5 Miata vehicles. A software error in the air bag control module may cause the front air bags to deploy with excessive force during a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- An air bag that deploys with excessive force can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the Sophisticated Air Bag Sensor (SAS) control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 7, 2024. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 6924I.
Recall number 24V695000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3, Mazda6, 2019 CX-3, 2018-2019 MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and 2019-2020 Mazda2 vehicles. The impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.
- Risk
- Fuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.
Recall number 21V875000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
- What is wrong
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016-2019 MX-5 (Miata) vehicles with automatic transmissions. Due to incorrect programming of the Transmission Control Module (TCM), certain conditions may cause the vehicle to unexpectedly downshift and abruptly decelerate.
- Risk
- If the vehicle abruptly downshifts, the driver may lose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the TCM with corrected software, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3019A.
Recall number 19V072000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2018 Mazda MX-5 368
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- CSP13 - customer service program - mazda connect infotainment system limited warranty extension
- CSP13 - customer service program - mazda connect infotainment system limited warranty extension.
- Customer service program CSP12 - denso low-pressure fuel pump customer service program warranty extension
- This bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below
- Description
- This SA supersedes the previously issued SA(s) listed below
- Description
- This bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below
- Description
- This Service Alert supersedes the previously issued SA listed below: The changes are noted in Red....
2018 Mazda MX-5 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | RWD | 26 | 33-35 | 29 |
What 2018 Mazda MX-5 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I've owned my 2018 mazda mx-5 for about two years. The problems slow started arising. At first I hadn't noticed, but when going in and out of 'drive' the vehicle felt like it was either going to stall or accelerate. I had initially thought was because it's a 'sports car.' in august of 2020 the window regulator on the passenger side had malfunctioned. Fast forward to december 2020, the driver side window regulator has malfunction as well. I've been doing research as to why this would happen to a vehicle that's about 2 years old. I've purchased the vehicle october of 2018. Internet forums suggested faults with the electrical wiring. I've informed the mazda official website of these issues and informed them of the inconvenience. Make note I have only made a complaint to the window regulators failing. I've provided them with my VIN and yet to hear from them since. It didn't occur to me to do research on my VIN, so I did and much to my chagrin after apologizing for possibly being rude, I find that my vehicle has had a serious recall since february 01st of 2019. A year and 10 months and no recall notice what so ever! Shouldn't the dealership know of the problems! Seriously I could have died! I quote, directly from the federal safety agency, 'the sudden unexpected downshift while driving may negatively affect the stability of the vehicle, and could lead to a loss of vehicle control, potentially resulting in a crash.' this is incredibly depressing, since this is my only means of transportation. They had close to 2 years to inform me of this recall and I had to find out myself.
Started from creak noise as car start to move, accelerate or stop. Now it developed to some ticking noise every time car accelerate or decelerate. The car is only at about 9700 mi went to spreen mazda loma linda ca to inspect the car. They said it is normal and come back when it gets worse
Compare the 2018 Mazda MX-5
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Questions about the 2018 Mazda MX-5
Is the 2018 Mazda MX-5 reliable?
Owners have filed 3 complaints about the 2018 Mazda MX-5, fewer than a typical MX-5 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2018 Mazda MX-5?
Acceleration and speed control, with 1 complaint. Next is body (1).
How many recalls does the 2018 Mazda MX-5 have?
3 recalls, covering air bags, fuel system, gasoline and power train.
What gas mileage does the 2018 Mazda MX-5 get?
Official estimates for the 2018 Mazda MX-5 range from 29 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, RWD) gets 26 city and 33-35 highway.
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