Mazda MX-5 Miata vs Chevrolet C1500

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	Mazda MX-5 Miata	Chevrolet C1500
Complaints on file	391	969
Model years covered	1990–2005	1988–1996
Worst model year	1999	1996
Best model year	1994	1994
Crashes reported	52	41
Fires reported	12	25
Injuries reported	43	26
Deaths reported	0	0
Most complained-about part	Airbags	Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
Share of complaints involving harm	27.4%	9.5%

Mazda MX-5 Miata by year

32 21 25 8 20 36 32 12 1 87 34 24 24 18 8 9

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Airbags 83 21.2%

Engine & Cooling 37 9.5%

Transmission & Drivetrain 32 8.2%

Electrical System 32 8.2%

Brakes 31 7.9%

Body & Structure 28 7.2%

Fuel & Propulsion 25 6.4%

Tires 19 4.9%

Chevrolet C1500 by year

37 39 25 43 48 84 177 238 278

88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 293 30.2%

Brakes 185 19.1%

Seats 94 9.7%

Transmission & Drivetrain 69 7.1%

Engine & Cooling 53 5.5%

Seat Belts 36 3.7%

Electrical System 34 3.5%

Fuel & Propulsion 30 3.1%