The Lemon IndexMazda MPV reliability.
Is it reliable? Not really. 1.6× the average car's complaints.
Worse than average · 2000–2004
What owners say on YouTube
2000–2006 MPV · 200 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Fixes owners look up most
- Transmission & shifter336K views
- Gauges, lights & wiring304K views
- Intake, EGR & engine sensors293K views
Before you buy, watch
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Used 2005 Mazda MPV ES for sale at Honda Cars of Bellevue...an Omaha Honda Dealer!Honda Cars of Bellevue · 20K viewsPraise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2005 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2006 best.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 6 Mazda MPV years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/mazda-mpv/" title="Mazda MPV reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="330" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/mazda-mpv/">Lemon Index</a> (Mazda MPV reliability by year)</p>Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.
YouTube rank: we read 199 YouTube videos about the Mazda MPV, 2000 to 2006, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2006. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Mazda MPV.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Mazda MPV reliable?
Not really. It draws 1.6× the average car's complaints, and YouTube owners rate it about average for its age. Fewest complaints: 2001. Most complaints: 2000, 2002 and 2003.
Is the Mazda MPV a good car?
Not overall: it draws more complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2000-2004: Lemon Index 155; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2001 drew the fewest complaints and 2003 the most.
What are the best Mazda MPV years to buy?
By owner complaints per car sold: 2001, 2004. 2001 drew the fewest.
What Mazda MPV years should you stay away from?
The 3 years with the most complaints per car sold: 2003 (avoid, Lemon Index 236), 2000 (worse than average, Lemon Index 193), 2002 (worse than average, Lemon Index 134). 100 is the average car; lower is better.
How many recalls does the Mazda MPV have?
26 safety recalls across the 7 model years we track. Most: 2000 (5), 2004 (5), 2002 (4). Each year's page lists them, and every Mazda MPV recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Mazda MPV problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name transmission & drivetrain, engine and tires most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 193 | about twice the average car's complaints | 76 | engine (13%) | 5 | — | 18 |
| 2001 | 103 | about average | 35 | engine (23%) | 3 | — | 18 |
| 2002 | 134 | a bit more than the average car's complaints | 47 | engine (34%) | 4 | — | 18 |
| 2003 | 236 | about twice the average car's complaints | 59 | transmission & drivetrain (49%) | 4 | — | 18 |
| 2004 | 104 | about average | 22 | engine (32%) | 5 | — | 18 |
| 2005 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 10 | seat belts (30%) | 3 | — | 19 |
| 2006 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 3 | transmission & drivetrain (33%) | 2 | — | 18 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: goodcarbadcar.net. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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