The 1990 Mazda Rx-7 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 17,800 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS96V1730001996-09-1617,800 affected
Defect
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.
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE COLLISION, THE OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE ADEQUATELY RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy
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.
Complaints by component
SEAT BELTS
8
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
5
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
3
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
1
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
1
EQUIPMENT
1
1fires
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
1
Total complaints31
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“There was a recall issued for my car for the automatic shoulder belt on 02-17-1997, campaign # 68702. Mine was originally repaired on 05-23-2006. It has since failed again and my local mazda dealer, # 23963, ran a report showing that the status was closed because it was fixed once. As a safety…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1990 mazda rx7. The contact stated that the front driver's and passenger side automatic shoulder belt failed to retract. The shoulder belt was inoperative. The authorized dealer was notified of the failure and stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1990 mazda rx7. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the front driver's and passenger side automatic shoulder belt retractors were inoperative. The malfunctions occurred from excessive wear and prevents the webbing from being extracted. The vin was not…”
“Under normal driving conditions, the pulsation damener on the primary fuel rail failed, spraying fuel over the entire engine bay, which resulted in a fire of the compartment, which was quickly extinguished via handheld fire extinguisher. The part was replaced, at a high cost, due to the fact that…”
“Under normal driving conditions, the pulsation damener on the primary fuel rail failed, spraying fuel over the entire engine bay, which resulted in a fire of the compartment, which was quickly extinguished via handheld fire extinguisher. The part was replaced, at a high cost, due to the fact that…”
“Pusation dampner on primary fuel delivery rail diaphram failure. Gasoline leakage in large quantities right above hot engine. Very serious fire hazard.. Seems to be a common problem on rx-7's in general. Perhaps mazda should have plaed the pd away from the engine. Excessive heat may have hardened…”
“Consumer replaced engine in 1995, now five years later the engine needs to be replaced again because the apex seal is partial collapsed causing the vehicle to stall. Nlm”
“Tires were worn. Nlm”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE96027 Opened 1996-04-16 · closed 1996-09-30
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1990 Mazda Rx-7 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.