The Mazda RX-7 has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 1981–1995. On average a defect was admitted 2.95 years after the car was built, the slowest took 7 years. The most recalled system is Latches/locks/linkages (1 campaigns). Owners also filed 116 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the Mazda RX-7
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Latches/locks/linkages 1 Read
What's wrong. Equipment description: mazda speed resinous hoods, designed and sold as accessory parts for model year 1992-1995 rx7 vehicles, manufactured between june 1, 1997, through september 19, 2000
Risk. A hook on a hood striker for the resinous hood may separate from a base plate at the welded portion due to insufficient welding strength. The hood may suddenly open during operation, losing front visibility, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash
Fix. Mazda will notify the rx7 vehicle customers to bring their vehicle to a mazda dealer to have the hood striker replaced with a modified one
What's wrong. Equipment description: mazda speed resinous hoods, designed and sold as accessory parts for model year 1992-1995 rx7 vehicles, manufactured between june 1, 1997, through september 19, 2000
Risk. A hook on a hood striker for the resinous hood may separate from a base plate at the welded portion due to insufficient welding strength. The hood may suddenly open during operation, losing front visibility, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash
Fix. Mazda will notify the rx7 vehicle customers to bring their vehicle to a mazda dealer to have the hood striker replaced with a modified one
What's wrong. Equipment description: mazda speed resinous hoods, designed and sold as accessory parts for model year 1992-1995 rx7 vehicles, manufactured between june 1, 1997, through september 19, 2000
Risk. A hook on a hood striker for the resinous hood may separate from a base plate at the welded portion due to insufficient welding strength. The hood may suddenly open during operation, losing front visibility, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash
Fix. Mazda will notify the rx7 vehicle customers to bring their vehicle to a mazda dealer to have the hood striker replaced with a modified one
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 1 Read
What's wrong. Oil mist contained in the engine intake air can collect over time in the brake vacuum check valve preventing the check valve from opening at the specified pressure reducing power assist to the brakes
Risk. Brake performance can be diminished increasing the risk of a vehicle accident
Fix. Dealers will replace two vacuum hoses, including the check valve, with modified hoses
What's wrong. Oil mist contained in the engine intake air can collect over time in the brake vacuum check valve preventing the check valve from opening at the specified pressure reducing power assist to the brakes
Risk. Brake performance can be diminished increasing the risk of a vehicle accident
Fix. Dealers will replace two vacuum hoses, including the check valve, with modified hoses
What's wrong. Oil mist contained in the engine intake air can collect over time in the brake vacuum check valve preventing the check valve from opening at the specified pressure reducing power assist to the brakes
Risk. Brake performance can be diminished increasing the risk of a vehicle accident
Fix. Dealers will replace two vacuum hoses, including the check valve, with modified hoses
Engine And Engine Cooling 1 Read
What's wrong. The radiator cap pressure relief valve release pressure is set too high. This can cause the coolant to reach temperatures that exceed the thermal design limits of some components of the coolant system. Should this occur, engine coolant can leak collect on top of the engine
Risk. If engine coolant leaks onto the hot engine exhaust manifold from the top of the engine, an engine compartment fire can result
Fix. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and if any vehicle exhibits coolant leakage or if the coolant level has dropped to the point where the coolant loss would be sufficient to trigger the coolant level warning system, components potentially subject to deterioration from overheating would be replaced. These parts include…
What's wrong. The radiator cap pressure relief valve release pressure is set too high. This can cause the coolant to reach temperatures that exceed the thermal design limits of some components of the coolant system. Should this occur, engine coolant can leak collect on top of the engine
Risk. If engine coolant leaks onto the hot engine exhaust manifold from the top of the engine, an engine compartment fire can result
Fix. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and if any vehicle exhibits coolant leakage or if the coolant level has dropped to the point where the coolant loss would be sufficient to trigger the coolant level warning system, components potentially subject to deterioration from overheating would be replaced. These parts include…
Fuel System, Gasoline 1 Read
What's wrong. Residual engine heat can cause premature deterioration of the fuel hose causing the hose to leak. Also, removing and reinstalling the deteriorated fuel hoses increases the likelihood of a leak
Risk. This condition can result in an engine compartment fire
Fix. Dealers will install an additional control unit for the electric cooling fan. The fan will then activate after the engine is turned off when the coolant exceeds a specified temperature. The fuel hoses will also be replaced with revised hoses
What's wrong. Residual engine heat can cause premature deterioration of the fuel hose causing the hose to leak. Also, removing and reinstalling the deteriorated fuel hoses increases the likelihood of a leak
Risk. This condition can result in an engine compartment fire
Fix. Dealers will install an additional control unit for the electric cooling fan. The fan will then activate after the engine is turned off when the coolant exceeds a specified temperature. The fuel hoses will also be replaced with revised hoses
Seat Belts 1 Read
What's wrong. The rail of the automatic shoulder belt can wear sufficiently such that the cable which retracts the buckle assembly will become jammed in the rail rendering the shoulder belt inoperative
Risk. In the event of a vehicle collision, the occupant would not be adequately restrained increasing the risk of personal injury
Fix. Dealers will replace inoperative shoulder belts. Mazda has extended the warranty coverage on the driver and passenger automatic shoulder belt rail and motor for the life of the vehicle
What's wrong. The rail of the automatic shoulder belt can wear sufficiently such that the cable which retracts the buckle assembly will become jammed in the rail rendering the shoulder belt inoperative
Risk. In the event of a vehicle collision, the occupant would not be adequately restrained increasing the risk of personal injury
Fix. Dealers will replace inoperative shoulder belts. Mazda has extended the warranty coverage on the driver and passenger automatic shoulder belt rail and motor for the life of the vehicle
What's wrong. The rail of the automatic shoulder belt can wear sufficiently such that the cable which retracts the buckle assembly will become jammed in the rail rendering the shoulder belt inoperative
Risk. In the event of a vehicle collision, the occupant would not be adequately restrained increasing the risk of personal injury
Fix. Dealers will replace inoperative shoulder belts. Mazda has extended the warranty coverage on the driver and passenger automatic shoulder belt rail and motor for the life of the vehicle
Air Bags 1 Read
What's wrong. Threaded inflator components may have been damaged during assembly which may allow components to separate when inflator receives a signal to deploy the air bag
Risk. Inflator component separation allows hot combustion gases to escape into the passenger compartment which could result in injuries to vehicle occupants
Fix. Replace air bag modules containing potentially defective inflators
Service Brakes, Air 1 Read
What's wrong. In areas of heavy usage, road salt may accumulate at surfaces of components of front brake calipers
Risk. This would eventually cause disc pad liner corrosionthat would prevent free movement of disc pads resulting in ineffective brakingof the front brakes
Fix. Repair front brake calipers to prevent road salt accumulation
What's wrong. In areas of heavy usage, road salt may accumulate at surfaces of components of front brake calipers
Risk. This would eventually cause disc pad liner corrosionthat would prevent free movement of disc pads resulting in ineffective brakingof the front brakes
Fix. Repair front brake calipers to prevent road salt accumulation
Steering 1 Read
What's wrong. In certain high salt areas, the idler arm is exposed to road salt which causes the dust seal to deteriorate resulting in idler arm pin corrosion. This causes the pin to freeze and break. Consequence of defect: a broken idler arm pin could result in loss of steering control and may cause an accident
Fix. Replace pin with one of improved corrosion resistant quality
What's wrong. In certain high salt areas, the idler arm is exposed to road salt which causes the dust seal to deteriorate resulting in idler arm pin corrosion. This causes the pin to freeze and break. Consequence of defect: a broken idler arm pin could result in loss of steering control and may cause an accident
Fix. Replace pin with one of improved corrosion resistant quality
What's wrong. In certain high salt areas, the idler arm is exposed to road salt which causes the dust seal to deteriorate resulting in idler arm pin corrosion. This causes the pin to freeze and break. Consequence of defect: a broken idler arm pin could result in loss of steering control and may cause an accident
Fix. Replace pin with one of improved corrosion resistant quality
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 2.95 years |
| Slowest campaign | 7 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 31.6% |
| Campaigns on record | 8 |
Which RX-7 years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Latches/locks/linkages | |
| 1994 | Latches/locks/linkages | |
| 1993 | Latches/locks/linkages | |
| 1991 | Seat Belts | |
| 1990 | Air Bags | |
| 1989 | Seat Belts | |
| 1987 | Service Brakes, Air | |
| 1986 | Service Brakes, Air | |
| 1983 | Steering | |
| 1982 | Steering | |
| 1981 | Steering |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Mazda RX-7 have?
8 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 1981–1995. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my RX-7 still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 2.95 years, and the slowest campaign came 7 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.