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What 1 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Mazda MX-5

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1)Lights (1)

Newest first · 1 complaints

Jul 12, 2011Lights

TOOK POSSESSION OF NEW CAR 3/31/2001. DROVE IT THAT NIGHT AND SUCCEEDING NIGHTS ON THE TWO LANE ROAD AROUND THE AREA WHERE I LIVE. I ENCOUNTERED NUMEROUS INCIDENTS WHERE THE ONCOMING AUTO WOULD FLASH THEIR BRIGHT LIGHTS AT ME, BUT MY LIGHTS WERE ALREADY IN THE DIM MODE. I CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO ADJUST THE HEADLIGHT BEAM LOWER. I CONTACTED MAZDA USA THREE TIMES WITH NO RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAT TO THE DEALER WHERE I TOLD THEM THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THE LIGHT BEAM IS SET AT THE FACTORY. ON A SUBSEQUENT TRIP TO CARLSBAD, NM WE DECIDED TO TAKE A COUNT OF THE NUMBER OF ONCOMING CARS PASSING US, AND THE NUMBER OF TIMES THEY FLASHED THEIR BRIGHT AT US (OUR LIGHTS WERE ON DIM). WE MET A TOTAL OF 1,232 VEHICLE. OF THOSE, 471 FLASHED THEIR HIGH BEAMS AT US; THAT'S 38&. I KEEP BEING TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT MY LIGHTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BRIGHT. I AGREE, BUT THE SHOULD NOT BLIND THE DRIVER IN THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. I HAVE TO APPLY TAPE OVER THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT TO "FIX" THE PROBLEM AND NOW I GET ZERO BRIGHT BEAM FLASHES FROM ONCOMING CARS. OTHER AUTO MANUFACTURERS OFFER THE SAME TYPE OF LIGHTING FOR THEIR PRODUCE, BUT THEY ALSO INSTALL A DIAL THAT IS USED TO ADJUST THE LIGHT BEAMS UP AND DOWN. THIS CAR DOES NOT HAVE SUCH A DEVICE. AFFIXING AN UGLY PIECE OF TAPE TO MY CAT IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED WHEN I PAID $ 34,000 FOR THIS AUTOMOBILE , AND I CANNOT GET ANYONE WHO IS WILLING TO HELP ME FIND A REASONABLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND HONOR THE 3-YEAR WARRANTY FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE SITUATION CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS, AND IT TENDS TOWARD INVITING A HEAD-ON-COLLISION; A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY THAT IS JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN. IT IS EITHER TAPE, OR I AM LIMITED TO NO DRIVING THIS CAR AT NIGHT, BOTH ARE WHICH NOT ACCEPTABLE. ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS ASK THEMSELVES, "WOULD I WANT TO BE DRIVING THIS CAR AT NIGHT LIKE IT IS? UPDATED 07/28/11*BF

NHTSA ODI 10415919

Working with the data? Download all 1 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 13, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Mazda MX-5 verdict →