NA Mazda Miata 1989-1997 Common Issues and Reliability -

Hey everyone! Today I am going to talk about a few important things that you should know before you buy yourself that NA Mazda Miata.

The Miata is a very reliable car and as mentioned in my most reliable cars that can reach 300k miles video, the Miata has been recorded to surpass the 400k mile mark if properly maintained. But with any typical older car, things can break. And some things should be watched out for because they can lead to huge issues. With that said, ill be rating each repair 1-5 with 1 being easy to repair even a novice with simple tools can do and 5 being the hardest that requires you to have a lot of experience with cars before tackling the issue or you may need a professional to get the job done.

Real quick, I am not saying that these issues will for sure happen, nor am I saying these are the only issues that can pop up. These are just the most common issues that have been reported within the NA Miata generation. You may have to do further research if you are having other problems. I am just giving you a starting point!

So, here are some common issues on the Mazda Miata from 1989-1997, let us get started!

(Drain holes causing rust)

Clogged drain holes where the soft top meets the car. The Miata has a drainage system that lines where the soft top and the car itself meets. The water then gets transferred into the car and through two drain holes that can get filled with debris and clog up, which is common. Therefore, maintenance is a crucial part during the owner ship of your cars. The water can then sit and rust the holes from inside out. This can cause more rust in the rear quarter panels and you may see bubbling paint. This job gets a 1/5 if the hole is not rusting yet. However, if there is rust, you will be looking at a 5/5 difficulty on replacing the panel because it requires welding and repainting. Here is a video showing what I am talking about:

(Engine)

Valve Cover gasket tends to leak and fail prematurely. Not a hard thing to repair. New gaskets cost about $30 and takes about 30 mins to replace. The difficulty level for this is a 1-5, so even a novice can do this job with a simple set of tools.

(Tires)

Since the car is so light, the alignment must be well adjusted, or the car will shake at higher speeds. This just requires you to take it to the local tire shop and get a fancy alignment.

(Engine)

Factory spark plug wires go out about every 30k miles. If you are getting a misfire, this is most likely the reason. They are not expensive to replace and going after market may be a good idea. This can be done while you are replacing the valve cover gasket, and similarly I would give this a 1/5. It is an easy job to do and only take a few minutes.

(Engine)

The Mazda Miata models with a short nose crank can result in you needing to replace the engine due to the key wearing away the keyway slot in the crank shaft nose. This is most likely due to the crank not being torqued correctly or the car being pushed to its limit’s way too much. There are not many symptoms to this, and it is difficult to diagnose. Once it meets complete failure, the engine is toast. If your Miata is older than 1991, and the VIN is less than 209446, than you might have the short nose crank. Or you could simply look at the crank and tell the difference. The short nose crank has 4 slots on the pulley and the long nose has 8 slots. If you have a short nose and your car is sluggish under 4k rpm, you may need a new engine. This is a 5/5 job.

(Vinyl plastic rear window)

The plastic window in the soft top tends to crack and become a bit blurry and replacing the plastic window can be a bit difficult because it does require a bit of sewing and the part itself can be pricey. This is 3/5 on my difficulty rating, only because it requires a special skill. However, I believe even a novice and enough YouTube videos can get the job done.

(Under Dash)

Airbag light illuminating on the dash due a failed airbag control module. This sits underneath the dash and I have found prices for the module at around $50.If you do the job correct, then it requires you to take apart some of the dash, however, you can do the easy route and unplug the module and attach the new module in a new location. So, if the job is done by the books, it s a 2/5 job due to the labor and special tools. If not, it’s a 1/5 job. It is up to you. I would take the shortcut because there are not any cons to it. Here is a video on what I am talking about:

(Suspension)

Shocks and suspension bushings fail due to age and with new ones it will allow the car to drive much nicer. If you shake the car and it shakes a lot, then the shocks are out. This would be a 3/5 difficulty because you must jack up the car, place it on jack stands and replace the shocks. This may require a bit more heavy-duty tools to remove the old bolts holding the shocks into place.

(Engine)

Lifters ticking is a common noise in the engine, but that is not really a large issue. The engine will still perform just fine.

Overall, the Mazda Miata if you opt in for one after 1991, you will be looking at a very reliable car with minimal issues to think about. The Miata is an amazing roadster modeled after the British roadster and can really be a car to pass down generations.

If you are prepared to do the simple jobs and keep up with maintenance, the Miata is a great choice.

If you are tired of reading, watch this instead: