Mazda recalls over 77,000 Miatas because of faulty airbags

Mazda has issued a recall of its current-generation MX-5 Miata because of airbags that may be deployed with excessive force during a crash.

The recall affects all MX-5 Miatas built from the 2016-2023 model years, of which 77,670 examples are in the U.S.

According to the recall notice published by the NHTSA on Sept. 18 (recall campaign number 24V695000), there’s an error in the software of what Mazda refers to as the Sophisticated Air Bag Sensor control module.

Due to the error, in minor crashes the front airbags may deploy with a higher force instead of the usual lower-force deployment in such scenarios. This may lead to serious injury, particularly if an occupant isn’t wearing a seat belt, the recall notice said.

Mazda said it became aware of the issue in early 2023 after discovering a misconfiguration for a calibration tool. The automaker said it isn’t aware of any injuries related to the issue.

The remedy requires a dealer to update the control module software, a service that will be performed free of charge.

Affected owners will be notified by mail from Nov. 17. Anyone looking for further information can contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500 or visit the automaker’s recall page.